Rutgers women’s basketball to honor C. Vivian Stringer with pregame ceremony

C. Vivian Stringer set to be honored by Rutgers basketball.

Less than a month after being named a 2024 Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Basketball Award Winner, C. Vivian Stringer is being honored by Rutgers. The ceremony is set to take place on Jan. 5 when the Scarlet Knights take on Iowa.

While Stringer’s legacy spans multiple programs, Rutgers was where she made history. During her 27-year stint as the women’s basketball head coach, Rutgers won 535 games and qualified for 17 NCAA Tournaments. That includes a pair of Final Four appearances in 2000 and 2007.

Additionally, Stringer etched herself into the record books in 2000 when she became the first men’s or women’s basketball coach to lead three different programs to the Final Four. She played in the first NCAA Championship Game with Cheyney State in 1992 and led Iowa to the national semifinals in 1993.

 

Stringer’s latest accomplishment adds to her remarkable career. In 2020, she was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame alongside Eli Manning, Rick Barry, Ed Harris, and Anne Hathaway. Last season, Rutgers ensured she would never be forgotten by naming the court at Jersey Mike’s Arena in her honor.

During her time at Rutgers, Stringer also surpassed the 1,000 career victory mark in November 2018. The game against Iowa is expected to be sold out as Rutgers fans from various generations will see why Stringer is an all-time great.

Former Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer named 2024 Naismith Outstanding Contributors to Basketball Award Winner

C. Vivian Stronger gets a national honor.

A legend in Rutgers basketball history was recently recognized for her impact on the sport. On December 7, former Scarlet Knights coach C. Vivian Stringer was named a 2024 Naismith Outstanding Contributors to Basketball Award Winner. It is an honor that cements Stinger’s impact on the game she dedicated her life to.

Success followed Stringer wherever she went during her coaching career. She led three programs to the NCAA Final Four in Rutgers, Cheyney State College and the University of Iowa. When Stringer retired in 2022, she was the fifth-winningest coach in women’s college basketball history with 1,055 victories.

While Stinger’s career has been full of unforgettable moments, this is one accomplishment that will always hold special meaning.

 

“The honor of the 2024 Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Women’s Basketball Award acknowledges what I have worked to achieve,” Stringer told the Media. “I am so grateful for this special recognition and am, likewise, humbled by it. If I represent the tenets of the award, ”character, integrity, and dignity,” I hope that I have shared the same with my players and coaching staffs over the years. They continue to inspire and uplift me.”

Although Stringer’s career touches campuses nationwide, her time in Piscataway lasted over two decades. She was Rutgers women’s head basketball coach from 1995-2022. The Pennsylvania native also made history during her time at Rutgers as she recorded her 1,000-career win in 2018.

Her latest award is an impressive achievement to add to her remarkable collection.

Can Rutgers women’s basketball team crack Top 25?

After a nice 73-68 victory over Hofstra University last night, are fans slowly starting to hope that this season is a bounce-back year for the Rutgers women’s basketball team? Can head coach Coquese Washington return the Scarlet Knights to their once powerhouse form?

After a nice 73-68 victory over Hofstra University last night, are fans slowly starting to hope that this season is a bounce-back year for the Rutgers women’s basketball program? Can this team begin to stack wins in not just out-of-conference play but in a deep Big Ten?

Granted it is only one victory but getting off on the right foot is an excellent confidence booster. The next test for the Scarlet Knights will be this Friday night, November 11, 2022, against the Seton Hall Pirates. The last time the two local New Jersey universities faced off was back in December 2017, when the Scarlet Knights defeated the Pirates 70-45. The Pirates are going to give the Scarlet Knights more of a challenge than Hofstra, especially since Hofstra hasn’t had a winning season in the last six years.

After the retirement of legendary head coach C. Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers women’s basketball program was left wondering. Wondering if the once-successful program can return to the top. With the victory over Hofstra, the women Scarlet Knights ushered newly head coach Coquese Washington to the win column.

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Can Washington return the Scarlet Knights to their once powerhouse form? Watching the game last night, it was nice to see the Scarlet Knights put up points, something they lacked all last season.

Hopefully, Washington can carry on Stringer’s defensive mindset, something she implemented in her program for many years. In the years leading up to Stringer’s retirement, Rutgers had issues scoring, but would win games because of their strong defense. Stringer always made a case that a strong defense is a good offense, but nowadays that doesn’t work, since many teams have elite scoring. If Washington can get her girls to play tough defense and continue to run an efficient offensive scheme, Rutgers can make a tremendous improvement from last season, possibly cracking the NCAA Women’s Basketball top 25 rankings.

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Social media reacts to the retirement of C. Vivian Stringer as Rutgers women’s basketball head coach

The world reacts to the news that Rutgers women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer has retired.

The level of recognition for C. Vivian Stringer and her legendary career as a college basketball coach is staggering, a point underscored this weekend with the news that the Rutgers women’s basketball head coach is retiring.

Stringer announced her retirement from the game on Saturday morning and within minutes, tributes attesting to her impact on and off the court began to pour in.

Prominent names in sports and politics celebrated her coaching career and wished her well on the next stage of her life’s journey.

She retires with 1,055 wins. Her time at Rutgers was the longest of her storied career. Her legacy at Rutgers will include turning the program into a national title contender on a regular basis.

Rutgers, under the watch of Stringer, became a destination location in women’s college basketball. Now, they will have a national search for her replacement.

Four times she led Rutgers to the Final Four and three times they were Big East regular-season champions. In 2014, prior to their first season in the Big Ten, they won the WNIT.

Three times since joining the Big Ten the Scarlet Knights have made the NCAA Tournament.

As part of the celebration of her retirement, Rutgers announced that all basketball games at Jersey Mike’s Arena will be played at C. Vivian Stringer Court.

Check out some of the heartfelt emotional posts to the news that C. Vivian Stringer has announced her retirement.

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The Rutgers Women’s Basketball Big Board: Who will replace C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers?

The big board for names to replace C. Vivian Stringer as Rutgers women’s basketball head coach.

Pat Hobbs has a pretty fascinating track record when it comes to his head coaching hires, the Rutgers athletic director having picked some strong resumes over the past few years.

And while the hiring of head football coach Greg Schiano was certainly a layup given Schiano’s previous stint here, there is no denying that Hobbs making hires such as baseball head coach Steve Owens and basketball head coach Steve Pikiell were absolutely massive moves.

Now with Saturday’s news that C. Vivian Stringer has retired, Hobbs has a hire that he simply must get right.

Stringer retires as a legend not just at Rutgers but also in college basketball. She amassed 1,055 wins along with two Final Four appearances under Stringer (2000, 2007).

In 2007, they were the NCAA Tournament runners-up.

Now Hobbs has to fill Stringer’s job, a head coach who cast a giant shadow upon the program.

A look at the candidates for the position and where Hobbs might turn for the next Rutgers women’s head coach.

C. Vivian Stringer announces her retirement as Rutgers women’s basketball head coach

Rutgers women’s basketball head coach C. Vivian Stringer announces her retirement.

C. Vivian Stringer, the face of the Rutgers women’s basketball program since 1995, announced her retirement on Saturday morning. The Hall of Fame basketball coach leaves behind a tremendous legacy of success.

A success that she in large part built with her vision and undeniable work ethic.

In times of adversity that affected her program from the outside, Stringer showed class and always defended her team.

Such was the level of respect that Stringer earned that early on in her Rutgers career players committed to play for her and not necessarily the university.

But make no mistake about it, despite the struggles last year in her absence, Stringer leaves behind a program at Rutgers that has a strong track record of success over the past two decades.

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In a statement released by Rutgers on Saturday morning, Stringer explained her decision:

“I am officially announcing my retirement,” said Stringer. “My life has been defined by coaching and I’ve been on this journey for over five decades. It is rare that someone gets to do what they love for this long and I have been fortunate to do that. I love Rutgers University for the incredible opportunity they offered me and the tremendous victories we achieved together. There’s always a soft spot in my heart for the University of Iowa and Dr. Christine Grant for giving me my first major coaching position, when me and my husband trusted her to move our family to Iowa. She was a strong believer in women’s rights and that’s a responsibility that I have championed and will continue to take up the fight for.

“After recently celebrating the first women’s Final Four team at Cheyney State University, where it all started, it sat with me that I have been at this for a long time. It is important to step aside and challenge others to step up and take this game forward. I am forever indebted to all the coaches who I worked beside. Some were former players, some were colleagues, but all were friends and family at the end of the day and were my most trusted relationships. To the young ladies that I was fortunate to have coached and mentored into the women and leaders of today, keep pushing the barriers, keep pushing for your spot at the table, and always know who you are.

“This was the hardest decision of my life, but I thank God he has allowed me to do the thing I love most. I am ready to start my new journey and spending more time with my family, children, and grandchildren. I am truly blessed to have had so many wonderful people in my life.”

She retires with 1,055 wins. Her time at Rutgers was the longest of her storied career.

Stringer did not coach this past season. Her assistant, Timothy Eatman, served as the interim head coach.

Four times she led Rutgers to the Final Four and three times they were Big East regular-season champions. In 2014, prior to their first season in the Big Ten, they won the WNIT.

Three times since joining the Big Ten the Scarlet Knights have made the NCAA Tournament.

As part of the celebration of her retirement, Rutgers announced that all basketball games at Jersey Mike’s Arena will be played at C. Vivian Stringer Court.

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Offseason was a season of growth for Rutgers women’s basketball

Rutgers women’s basketball got some much-needed growth this offseason.

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Rutgers women’s basketball assistant coach Tim Eatman spoke at Big Ten Media Day last week ahead of what will be a year of transition for the Scarlet Knights. Eatman is optimistic about a team that he sees is coming together and looking to build on last year’s NCAA Tournament appearance.

Legendary head coach C. Vivian Stringer has not been with the team as she navigates the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (as reported by NJ Advance Media’s Keith Sargeant). Eatman and the rest of the staff have needed to step in and contribute to Stringer’s usual duties.

“The one thing that coach always believes in is that you can only have one voice because you don’t want to have confusion with the players,” Eatman told reporters at Big Ten Media Day.

“Her favorite statement is, when you ask her, ‘Coach, when do you want me to do this,’ she always looks at you and says, ‘Yesterday.’ We want coach back yesterday, but we understand that she’s trying to find a way through this pandemic. Our best bet is to continue to move forward, but continue to do the things that coach will always do. Our staff is really excellent in the fact that we never dilute what coach wants done and we never pollute what coach wants done.

“Whether it’s tomorrow, whether it’s next month, or whether it’s for the first game, coach has an opportunity to do what she needs to do because she knows she has a staff at home that’s going to take care of business.”

Last season, Rutgers went 14-5 and 10-3 in a tough Big Ten. They lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a sixth seed.

Because of COVID-19, summer workouts last year were canceled for winter sports. Eatman believes that the benefits of offseason workouts and court time will greatly benefit this team.

“We’re so excited about this year’s team. Glenn Cain, our strength and conditioning coach, has done an amazing job with our players this summer and in fall workouts,” Eatman said.

“Thirteen of our kids have never had an opportunity to do a summer workout and a fall workout at Rutgers. Last year coach Stringer decided not to bring our team back until mid-September because she wanted to be sure that all of our players were safe.”