SMU women’s basketball added veteran coach Coquese Washington as Adia Barnes builds the Mustangs into an ACC contender.
SMU women’s basketball just made a major staff move, adding veteran coach Coquese Washington as an assistant under head coach Adia Barnes ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Washington brings a huge résumé to the Hilltop. She has more than 250 career wins in 16 seasons as a head coach, three Big Ten Coach of the Year awards and two WBCA National Coach of the Year finalist nods.
Barnes called the hire a major fit for SMU’s future.
“We are extremely excited to add Coquese to our Mustang family,” Barnes said. “I have known her for years and know her core values will align perfectly with the culture we are building at SMU.”
Washington most recently spent four seasons as the head coach at Rutgers, leading the Scarlet Knights to the WNIT Great 8 during the 2024-25 season.
She also helped develop standouts such as Destiny Adams, Kaylene Smikle and Chyna Cornwell into All-Big Ten-level players.
Before Rutgers, Washington had two coaching stints at Notre Dame, including time on Muffet McGraw’s staff during the program’s 2001 national championship run. She also helped the Irish reach the Sweet 16 in 2022.
Her best head-coaching run came at Penn State, where she became the first female African American head coach in school history and led the Lady Lions to three straight Big Ten regular-season titles from 2012-14.
“I am honored to join the SMU Women’s Basketball staff, partnering with Adia to build this program into an ACC powerhouse and perennial NCAA Tournament team,” Washington said.
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Washington also played six WNBA seasons, won a title with the Houston Comets in 2000 and helped create the WNBA Players Association as its founding president.
For Barnes and SMU, this is more than an assistant hire. It’s a statement that the Mustangs are serious about building a national-level program.
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