Greetings my peeps and welcome to the All Things Basketball Podcast with me boy GD.
In this episode I'll be doing a player spotlight on a player we recently lost, Nikki McCrae
Pinson so I'll be covering all of her career and all her accolades and so forth so just sit
back relax and enjoy the show.
Okay guys so we are back with the All Things Basketball with GD podcast with
yours truly and this episode I'll be bringing I'll be bringing with a bit of
sadness it's about a player that was following someone who really just jumped
off my screen her play on both ends of the court and the player that I'm
talking about is Nikki McCrae who would later be known as Nikki McCrae Pinson
so let us get into this episode shall we. I started watching women's basketball
right around the time of Cheryl Miller and her exploits at USC she was there
with the McGee twins and then of course Cynthia Cooper was there as well so I
was watching them up until the time I entered college then once the college
years took place once I got out of college I kind of got back into the
men's and women's college basketball then I started to notice this team down in
Knoxville Tennessee University of Tennessee lady vols lady volunteers under
the guidance of the late great Pat summits so and then one of her players
really caught my eye and that was Nikki McCrae at the time so let us get into it
Nikki McCrae Pinson she was born December 17th 1971 and she was born in
Tennessee and she grew to be 511 about 158 pounds and she was she was a guard
she could swing between point guard and shooting guard depends on what the team
needs she was that versatile guys and terms of her parents the one we know of
is her mother Sally Coleman she is one of four children she's the oldest of the
four and growing up in Collierville Tennessee which actually is outside of
Memphis if you want to be accurate about 30 miles outside of Memphis is Collier
ville and growing up there she wanted to be a track star and actually she ended
up heading more towards basketball when she saw her cousins playing the game and
of course seeing them play she wanted to be a part of that and they said no to her
and then she went and told her grandmother which was known as Big
Mommy and then her grandmother then said to her cousins if she can't play y'all
can't play so that opened the door for Nikki to get into basketball and then
that basically put the drive in her to prove herself on the court so it started
early with her cousins and then just carried on throughout her playing career
and that drive that was in her would follow her all throughout her life and
will start with her local high school Collierville High School and while there
as a four-year player this is what she would accomplish in the four years with
the Collierville Lady Dragons three-time Tennessee All-State two-time Shelby
Metro player of the year Tennessee class a a a miss basketball also she was a
converse All-American as well as a parade All-American as a senior won the
state championship in 1989 and then also her three thousand five hundred and
ninety four points is the most by any player in the Memphis Shelby County High
School area history whether it be male or female that's the most points she
still holds four state records in high school girls basketball she is the most
decorated student athlete in the history of Collierville High School so talk
about making a name for yourself Nikki did just that so much so that they named
a park after her in her hometown of Collierville so obviously Nikki off to
a rousing start to her illustrious career basketball and of course her
brilliance on the court attracted the attention of the legendary coach the
great Pat Summit of the University of Tennessee Pat first saw Nikki play in
the Tennessee State Tournament Nikki's passion for playing all-out defense
court hats watchful eyes Pat knew she had to bring Nikki to her program which
she did so Nikki stays within the state of Tennessee to play her college ball
with Pat Summit and the Lady Vols of the University of Tennessee things though
got off to a bit of a rocky start between Nikki and coach Summit Nikki's
tardiness nearly got her kick off of the team early on but thanks to a talk
that coach Summit had with Nikki's mom as well as getting her a watch help
Nikki with her time management problems or issues so with that rectify Nikki was
able to flourish at the University of Tennessee during her four years there the
team compiled a 122 wins against 11 losses guys not to mention they only
lost once once in the SEC while Nikki McCray was at the college there so talk
about dominating your conference Nikki and the Lady Vols did just that also the
team itself three SEC regular season championships two times they won their
SEC tournament four times so all four years guys the Tennessee teams made the
NCAA tournament twice making it to the sweet 16 once to the elite eight and
then once to the NCAA finals which she did as a senior with that dynamic
backcourt of Nikki McCray as well as Michelle Marciniak but that team would
fall to the undefeated Yukon Lady Huskies coached by of course the legendary
Geno Ari Emma and that team was led by player of the year Rebecca Lobo as well
as Jim Rosati was on that team Carol Walters and then a freshman by the name
of Nakesha Sales who was a terrific player Nikki's team lost to that juggernaut
of a team in the finals which was her last game as a Tennessee Lady volunteer
she would graduate from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science
degree in sports marketing and education so Pat Summit always making sure her
players get that degree as they leave the University which Nikki did following
her illustrious college career she was chosen for the 1996 well it was the
national team at the time it was the national team that would go on to tour
for about 10 months before going to the Olympics which was actually held in
Atlanta and then this team was coached by the great Tara Vandevere I just
finished watching the 30 for 30 on that team dream on and man Tara Vandevere she
was tough on them man could gracious anyway I digress but on that team that
legendary team had such dynamic players such as Lisa Leslie Dawn Staley Teresa
Edwards Cheryl Swoops Rebecca Lobo she was on that team Jennifer A. Z. Rufi
Bolton Katrina McLean Carla McGee K. Stading and then later Venus Lacey to
round out the 12 ladies on that team and as I said they played together for about
10 months up into the 1996 Atlanta Olympics they would go undefeated by the
way because what they ended up doing they toured the college teams thus
including the University of Tennessee where Nikki played but they went all
over the place guys Nikki would go on to play in other national teams as well
including the 1998 national team that played for the World Cup in Germany and
also the 2000 team that went to Sydney in the Olympics and that team was coached
by Nell Fortner and the players on that team Lisa Leslie returned as well as
Dawn Staley Rufi Bolton Teresa Edwards Cheryl Swoops a few more players came on
like Yolanda Griffith Delisha Milton Jones Katie Smith Natalie Williams Carol
Walters and a young lady by the name of Shamiko Hozklauer who actually did not
play because she had an injury at the time Nikki McCrae making the rounds with
the international teams that iconic 1996 team actually it paved the way for not
just one but two women's leagues here on US soil one was the WNBA which was
backed by the NBA obviously and then another league was the ABL so you had
players who made the choice between one or the other and early on Nikki McCrae
she played in the ABL and choosing the ABL she ends up joining the Columbus
Quest team and that was a team coached by Brian Agler and also on that team was
Katie Smith Tonya Edwards who would later become the player coach that was
few seasons later and also on that team Valerie Still
Nikki McCrae ends up winning the league MVP in her one season there and oh by the
way her team won the inaugural ABL championship Nikki McCrae making her
imprint on the ABL but Nikki left the Columbus team and she would join the WNBA
as a cornerstone player for the Washington Mystics and she joined them in
1998 via the allocation draft that's how she made it to the Mystics she spent
four seasons there was a three-time All-Star she did get traded though to
the Indiana fever after the 2001 season she stayed in Indiana for two seasons
and then over the course of three years she signed as a free agent with first
Phoenix the Phoenix Mercury and then the San Antonio Silver Stars who would
later become the Las Vegas aces and then the last team she played with was the
Chicago Sky throughout Nikki's career she played with the likes of these players
in Washington she played with Shamiko Hoseclaw, Mario Page, Valerie Still who
was her teammate in the ABL, also Andrea Nagy and Vicki Bullitt then with the
Indiana fever she would play with the likes of Tamika Catchings another
University of Tennessee Lady Val, Bridget Pettis, Kokis Washington, Neale Ivey,
Stephanie White and Natalie Williams when she went to Phoenix she played with
of course player who's still playing today Diana Terase also with Penny Taylor
and then when she went to Chicago she played with Stacy Dales we know Stacy
Dales now as a NFL reporter for various networks and also Candice Depri she
played with in Chicago so Nikki's plan career ends in 2006 but she would then
embark on her coaching career and she would start as an assistant coach with
the University of Western Kentucky while there at University of Western
Kentucky she stayed there two seasons but she would then be joined with her
good friend and former Olympic teammate Dawn Staley who asked her to join Dawn
as she embarked on this new job which was at the University of South Carolina
Nikki McCraig joined her friend Dawn at the University and stayed there for nine
years starting in 2008 together with Dawn this is what they would do during
their time together three times SEC tournament champions four times SEC
regular season champs six times they made it to the tournament five times they
made it to the sweet 16 four times to the lead eight twice to the final four and
one championship culminating in 2017 Nikki was a huge help to Dawn especially
with her basketball camps and just being a mentor to the young ladies there at
the University of South Carolina so after winning the national championship in
2017 Nikki takes a head coaching position at Old Dominion University and
while she was there for three years her record would be in the first year eight
and 23 so she had kind of a rough start there but turned things around her
second season they go 21 and 10 thus making it to the women's in IT and then
her best season team went 24 and 6 but unfortunately they were unable to make
any postseason because that was the year 2019-20 and we know in 2020 the
pandemic came so that eliminated all tournaments at that time so Nikki's
team was robbed of an opportunity of making it to the NCAA tournament after
that season Nikki left Old Dominion and decided to take a job with Mississippi
State University while at Mississippi State her team went 10 and 9 remember
that's kind of a abbreviated season because of COVID still and just before
her second season with the school Nikki decides to resign due to health reasons
and those health reasons were pretty much the fallout from the pandemic and
how it was such a strain physically and mentally on her the staff and the players
as well so Nikki leaves the University and she takes some time away from the
game but eventually she would get a call from her former teammate with the
Indiana Fever co-keeps Washington who convinces Nikki to join her at Rutgers
University to be one of her assistant coaches which Nikki agreed to do so
Nikki ends up joining her teammate and friend with Rutgers University so that
is her playing and coaching career in a nutshell now let's talk about her
personal life here Nikki and her husband to be Thomas
Benson they met on the campus of Knoxville Tennessee while Nikki was
playing for the Lady Vols Thomas would propose to Nikki during her tour with
the US women's national team in 1996 actually when they played an exhibition
game against Pat summits Lady Vols at the time and she said yes so right then and
there they were engaged and then they would eventually get married on March
30th 2002 and this was just prior to her first season with the Indiana Fever so
Nikki and Thomas ties the knot they were welcomed their son Thomas Nixon
Benson into the world February of 2013 so now you have the family unit there
Nikki Thomas and little Thomas now let's talk about her health later that year
the year that she had her son in 2013 Nikki would be diagnosed with breast
cancer and the thing was she usually goes for a yearly checkup but while she
was pregnant with Thomas she had skipped that year because she was having to have
prenatal care and all those things but she would be diagnosed with breast cancer
her mom Sally Coleman would travel from Collierville Tennessee all the way to
Columbia South Carolina which is where Nikki was at at the time when she was
assistant coach with Dawn Staley with the University of South Carolina so she
would drive back and forth to help care for Nikki while she was dealing with her
breast cancer and Sally herself was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 so
here her mom is who was diagnosed and she was traveling back and forth to Cedar
her daughter Nikki Nikki's cancer went into remission later in 2013 and into
full remission in 2017 her mom Sally's cancer actually she was diagnosed in
2008 she had went into remission for a time but her cancer came back in 2018 and
then the prognosis given for her was not good guys then Nikki would make her
trips back home from Norfolk Virginia where she was coaching at Old Dominion
she would make the trip from there back home to Collierville Tennessee to care
for her mom so she would make those trips there and that was during that
first season so now you kind of understand you know the record and so forth
in that regard Sally would pass four months later after the diagnosis so her
mom passes in 2018 now Nikki's cancer came back later and during about with
pneumonia Nikki would pass away July 7th in the evening in a hospital is where
Nikki McCrae-Penson would pass away she was 51 years old at the time of her
passing so of course condolences to the family for losing Nikki in such a way so
guys that is her story pretty much I'll give you her accolades of course and
then I'll give you in her words and then I'll give you in words of others let's
get into her accolades a two-time SCC player of the year a three-time all
SCC player twice on the first team and then once on the second team two-time
Kodak all-American two-time Naismith all-American she was also named to the
NCAA all final four team in 1995 and she was also named the NCAA Mideast region
most outstanding player also in 1995 as I mentioned when she was in the ABL she
was named the MVP of the league that was in 1996-97 she was a three-time all
star in the WNBA and all three times was with the Washington Mystics team she's
a three-time gold medalist first in 1996 in the Atlanta Olympics and then in
1998 with the World Cup team playing in Germany she would get a gold medal there
and then in 2000 with the national team that played in the Sydney Olympics that
summer also she won a FIBA America's championship in 1993 that was her first
taste of international play by the way guys as a coach she was the conference
USA's coach of the year in 2020 that's the year that her team went 24 and 6 but
did not have a postseason she also was one of the coaches with the USA under
19 and Pan Am Games team trials in 2019 and there she reunited with D'Leisha
Milton Jones who was also a coach on that squad as well so she was chosen to be a
keynote speaker by the Library of Congress for the Women's History Month
Address in 1999 and in 2000 President Clinton selected Nikki to the
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports her inductions include the
Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall
of Fame in 2004 the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame she was part of the class
of 2012 the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 the National High
School Hall of Fame in 2015 and upon her passing and she actually agreed to this
prior to her passing she spoke with Mike Tibbalt of the Washington Mystics and
she will be inducted into the Washington Mystics Hall of Fame this coming
August actually on August 20th she will be inducted into their Hall of Fame so
guys that's all the accolades for Nikki McCrae-Penson next I will give you in
her own words and then I'll give you the words of others this is from her Twitter
account when she was dealing with all she was dealing with and this was October
13th 2021 this was shortly after she left the Mississippi State job thank you
for all the prayers truly grateful for all the support I'm doing great to God
be the glory that's what Nikki wrote on her Twitter account and she did a
retweet of a quote which pretty much tells you about the resilience of Nikki
McCrae whatever's worrying you right now forget about it take a deep breath be
positive and know that things will get better and that's on Twitter which was
done May 22nd of this year so Nikki always saw herself as a servant leader
as a coach she always wanted to serve those young ladies and be there as a
mentor as a guide as they further their athletic career and also their
academic career so she was one of those type of mentors guys she also would say
you can't let cancer define you and she was one who never let that be the
definition of who she was great teams are built on trust communication in a
shared vision also character and integrity are just as important as skill
in talent success comes from hard work dedication and a relentless pursuit of
excellence here's another quote from her when you play for a great coach and
they impact your life in so many ways now there are a lot of her players that
coach in this league and a lot of her players who coach in general she's left
a legacy and women's basketball in a tree of coaches who carry on her tradition
and this was Nikki McCrae speaking about her late coach Pat Summit now this is
her speaking on her time at the University of South Carolina being able
to be in the midst of that and being able to learn from every opportunity you've
been given and to be able to grow and be in a position to facilitate that that to
me has been wonderful now this is her speaking on the sneaker with her name
on it the feline Nikki Delta it was about impact I recognize how Cheryl shoe
really impacted the lives of young girls and boys it was just so inspiring
because you saw trends changing it was a amazing feeling to finally put my
signature shoe on in a game and then the last one this is when she was selected
for the president's council on physical fitness and sports it's an honor to be
named as a member of the council sports have played a significant role
throughout my life and I am excited to have the opportunity to promote the
importance of physical fitness across the country and to be a positive role
model to our nation's youth alright guys so we're gonna have some statements
about her passing from many different people and many different organizations
and so forth so let us get started this is from the town of Collierville in
Tennessee her hometown the town is sat into here about the passing of Nikki
McCrae-Penson Nikki was one of the greatest athletes in the town's history
who started her basketball career at Collierville High School then became a
college all-american WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalists so that's
the town of Collierville this is from Lady Vols basketball heartbroken to learn
of Nikki McCrae-Penson's passing Nikki was a force and women's basketball both
as a player and as a coach and was a beloved member of the Lady Vols
sisterhood our thoughts and prayers are with her family she will be solely miss
so that's Lady Vols basketball our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of a
beloved Lady Vol we also offer our love and sincere condolences to her family
friends and colleagues across the country Nikki had a bright and loving
personality and touched the lives of everyone she met her kind and gentle
spirit will be missed this is a statement from Tennessee women's basketball
head coach Kelly Harper who was previously Kelly Jolly this is from
Samantha Williams Tennessee women's basketball assistant coach and recruiting
coordinator a champions champion my deepest sympathies and prayers and to
Nikki's family she was one of the good ones your Tennessee family loves you and
will miss you thank you for being a friend hashtag L V F L which means Lady
Vol for life now this statement here is from Nikki McCrae-Penson's Lady Vol
teammate Michelle Marciniac I have such great memories of Nikki but it is as my
teammate first and foremost I got to experience the real Nikki McCrae she was
fiercely competitive but she always had a smile on her face I'm always going to
consider her a bright light in my life we had these 4 30 a.m. track workouts where
we had to qualify for the mile I always tried to stay with Nikki as much as I
could I finally got in the kind of shape where I said I'm gonna stay with her
today I was doing well and hanging with her through two and a half laps of the
four we had to run she turns and says you good Shelly shell I said yeah I'm
great Nick she said okay I'll see you at the finish she then went into another
mode and I was huffing and puffing and I still finished about two minutes behind
her she loved to run so did I but I couldn't run like Nikki there was a
reason she was a two-time Olympian three-time WNBA all-star and two-time
SEC player of the year she knew how to compete and push her teammates to be
their best this is a sad day I'm really going to miss her and that is Michelle
Marcini act her teammate at the University of Tennessee here's another
teammate of hers Abby Conklin this is such sad news it breaks my heart to
hear this Nikki was such a wonderful person she took me under her wing the
summer going into my junior year and she had such a huge impact on my playing
career she took me to the gym with her to do her non-stop run everywhere
shooting workouts I remember a few times we went she ran my behind around that
court I felt like I was running in place and couldn't lift my feet off the ground
she would laugh at me but I started getting it and she made me so much better
in true McCray fashion she had already run three miles lifted weights and done
whatever else before we came to the gym to work out and she still ran me into
the ground but she was special like that she was one of the best to play the
game I love being her teammate and looking up to her as a younger player
and that is from Abby Conklin this is from former Tennessee women's basketball
head coach Holly Warwick who actually recruited and coach Nikki while she was
assistant with Pat Summit it's really a sad day and I'm trying to get past the
shock of it Nikki was one of the best high school players in Tennessee history
and she had to overcome adversity just to play college basketball she had a lot
of God-given talent but she was an incredible worker and played the game
hard in both practice and in games you don't always see that she was resilient
and was a great leader especially by the examples she set on a daily basis that
included her infectious smile which was always present and made you think she
never had a bad day even when things might have been tough I remember Nikki
for every one of those reasons and that is from coach Holly Warwick next quote
is from social media posts from Tennessee forward Ricky Jackson who previously
played for Nikki at Mississippi State but she ended up transferring to Tennessee
my heart is so heavy one of the most beautiful souls I've ever met the one
who genuinely went out of their way to understand me when I was so misunderstood
the one who was always there you fought so hard and long and I am grateful to have
known you I love you rest easy and that is from Ricky Jackson this is from
Tennessee women's athletic director emeritus Joan Cronan the University of
Tennessee and the world has lost a special lady our prayers are with her
husband Thomas son Thomas and her extended family Nikki was not only an
outstanding player but she was a great leader coach teacher and mother I can't
say enough wonderful things about what she gave to the world and how we all
benefited from her presence all of us in the UT community are deeply sat in by
Nikki's passing and she'll always have a special place in our hearts and that's
from Joan Cronan this is from Laquisha Sutton a former South Carolina player
from 2008 to 2012 amazing player beautiful person so passionate so caring
going to miss you so much coach Nikki McCrae at WNBA at USA basketball was
lucky to have you and that is from Laquisha Sutton this is from Tiffany
Mitchell another former South Carolina player from 2012 to 2016 wearing pink
was more than a color really watching her fight and still have the energy to
coach and give to others will never forget the impact she's had on my life
rest easy coach and that's from Tiffany Mitchell this is from Asia Wilson of
course another former South Carolina player and that was from 2013 to 2017
part of that championship ball club and currently WNBA MVP as well as champion
my heart hurts like crazy over this one broken heart emoji such a fighter in a
warrior with the sweetest gentle soul coach McCrae you've helped me in many
many ways and you were a true gift from God truly will be missed no more
suffering no more pain God got a good one heart emoji hashtag oranges and
that's from Asia Wilson this is from Stanford women's basketball head coach
Tara Vanderveer who coached her during the 1996 Olympics I am devastated by the
passing of Nikki McCrae she was an outstanding competitor and teammate she
won a gold medal in the Olympics but more importantly she was a gold medal
person my thoughts and prayers are with Thomas and her family now this is from
now Fortner Georgia Tech's women's basketball head coach and she was Nikki's
2000 Olympic team head coach the sadness of today after learning of Nikki's
passing has been incredibly hard to reconcile Nikki McCrae was one of the
most dynamic athletes I have ever coached she had quickness whether she was
running up and down a basketball court or lateral lead defending and shutting down
some of the world's best female basketball players her quick smile beautiful
singing voice and competitiveness are attributes I will remember forever rest
in sweet peace Nikki and that is from coach Nell Fortner here's another coach
Suzy Merchant a retired coach at Michigan State actually they coached together on
that 2019 USA basketball trials team heartbreaking to hear this news had the
honor of coaching the 2019 USA basketball team with this beautiful soul
Nikki McCrae-Pinson a smile that lit up the gym full of passion and love for our
game and everyone she met sending thoughts and prayers to her entire
family rest easy friend and that's from coach Suzy Merchant this is from Kyra
Elsie a former University of Tennessee player and current University of Kentucky
head coach my heart is heavy broken heart emoji heaven gained a true angel
please keep Nikki's family in prayer rest in peace to one sweet and beautiful
soul and that's from Kyra Elsie this is from Natalie Williams a teammate of
hers former UCLA and WNBA baller now she's in the front office with the Las
Vegas aces and she was Nikki's teammate on the 2000 Sydney Olympics team such a
special soul a great teammate and friend rest in peace Nikki heart emoji and
that's from Natalie Williams this is from coach Sheo as she's known but she's
Yolette McEwen I've been struggling to find the right words with the passing of
my friend and sister Nikki McCrae this woman has been a beacon of light and
hope and I will be forever grateful for her lessons prayers and love we lost a
great person and gained the angel rest in heaven flying dove in broken heart
emoji too soon and that is from coach Yolette Keon the University of
Mississippi head coach women's head coach that is this is from Jennifer Az
former Stanford standout and champion as well as Nikki's former Olympic teammate
is taking all day to get my head around the unbelievable loss of Nikki McCrae
I prayed tonight with my son and he couldn't understand why she went to
heaven neither can I Nikki was the best teammate and all I could see is her
smile I'm just in shock I love you Nikki praying hand emoji and that is from
Jennifer Az this is from coquise Washington Rutgers head coach and Nikki
McCrae's former teammate with the ENF fever and also Nikki was on her staff at
Rutgers Nikki touched the lives of many because she made it her mission to
uplift others and help them achieve whatever dreams and goals they expressed
she was so devoted to her husband and son and still gave all of herself to
everyone in the program we will miss her dearly but we'll keep Nikki's memory
alive in our hearts and that's from coach coquise Washington this is from
South Carolina women's basketball that's their page on Twitter our program
our sport and most importantly her family has lost an amazing woman mother
wife daughter sister friend coach mentor today Nikki McCrae penson was part of
our foundation and made us the program we are one personal rate one personal
relationship at a time and that is from South Carolina women's basketball this
is from her good friend South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn
Staley who was her teammate in Olympics twice and of course her assistant
head coach at the University of South Carolina is with the heaviest of hearts
I have to post this thank you my little sister my friend my Foxhole partner my
teammate my fast food snacker my basketball junkie my fellow Olympian
my gold medalist and now my angel God's got you now suffer no more Nick Nick
heart emoji it's hard to think about Nikki's passing because all I can see is
how she fully lived from her days as a brash rookie in USA basketball to becoming
my friend and colleague to the way she meant her young players Nikki did
everything with her whole heart every teammate every coach every player who
spent time with her knew first that she cared about them as a person and
everything else came from that place her presence was something you could feel
before you saw her because she had such a light such a positive energy inside
her no matter what was going on I am heartbroken that cancer has taken that
light from us but I know that she will want us to be the ones to carry it on
in her absence I pray we all have the strength to do that for her and her son
little Thomas and that is from coach Dawn Staley and then one of the things
that Nikki did and this was about couple months after she got the Mississippi
State job as the head coach she gave this courageous speech at the Mississippi
State Capitol advocating for the removal of the state flag which was the
Confederate flag she had only been a head coach over there for a few months but
she stood in the moment and stood tall in the moment and that was written by
Sean Hurd of ESPN he's a women's basketball writer and he chronicled
that moment and the last quote I'll leave you with is from Dawn Staley just
talking about Nikki McCrae and her desire that was instilled in her from her
days under the wing of coach Pat Summit. Nikki's hungry for success and that comes
from playing at Tennessee where the coach never settles for anything less than
being number one at whatever she's doing that mentality is instilled in Nikki and
I want people like that around me she is energetic confident and engaging all the
qualities that you need when you're coaching and recruiting we spent two
Olympic games together and have shared being successful in the very best arena
there is to test yourself and that is from her colleague in coaching and her
good friend as well as Olympic teammate coach Dawn Staley I thought I'd leave
that as the last quote with that said Nikki McCrae-Penson we salute you you
one of the best two-way players that I've seen way you defend it in those
Olympics I watched those Olympics every single game in 1996 your defense
especially in that Brazil game between you and Rufi Bolton y'all put the clamps
down on them guards over there so salute to you all you've accomplished and I
mean this lady she was not only talented on the court but off it she could
sing I remember her and Rufi Bolton actually singing the national anthem
together before one of their games she was just such a talent and the impact
she's had on these young ladies you heard me read the quotes from these former
players of hers how she's impacted the lives of women and as I went on a
Twitter page she would just represent whatever college she was affiliated with
she was just retweet stuff about them wasn't just women's basketball by the
way it was women's sports it was even men's sports as well she was just a
lover of sports a lover of raising people up just getting the best out of
others that servant leader that she truly was she is a bright light that will
be missed but as dawn said we have to just carry on that light and just do it
because that's what Nikki would want us to do so may she rest in eternal bliss
no more pains no more aches just resting in the heavenlies and I just was
thankful I was able to see her be able to know that I saw such a great player
like her play the game so with that said guys that is it like I said this was a
special one I had to do with the passing of Nikki McCrae-Pinson we sent all
condoses out to husband Thomas as well as her son Thomas and we just salute you
alright so that's going to do it for this broadcast guys I thank you for
listening as always and we'll talk soon so my peeps if you like what you're
listening to you can go to my website www.allthingsbasketballwithgd.com
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podcast you can go to my paypal and that email is that sportsduegd at gmail.com
also on my anchor page I have a support button there that you can also use to
help the podcast I'm on all the major platforms like anchor, spreeker, Google
podcast, Amazon, SoundCloud, YouTube, Castbots, Radio Public, PodChaser just to
name a few and also you can find me on social media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
TikTok, Clubhouse and fanbase so once again I thank you for listening and
supporting this podcast and take care and be safe