Penn State showed up with a clear identity at Big Ten Media Day: this is Tanisha Wright’s program now, and she wants everyone around her to know exactly what that means.
The 2026 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Media Day was held Wednesday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, and Penn State was represented by Wright, Petra Bozan and Devyn Quigley. With a roster loaded almost entirely with newcomers, the Lady Lions spent plenty of the day talking about chemistry, accountability and the defensive edge Wright is building into the team.
That starts with the people on her bench and around the program. Wright was asked whether bringing former Penn State players back to work with her was deliberate, and she didn’t leave much room for doubt.
“Of course it’s intentional. Penn State is a special place, it really is, and you have to have a great understanding of what Penn State is and what Penn State isn’t, so bringing back people who understood what it was and what it is was really, really important because they don’t have to learn about it, it’s a feeling, it’s an aura that they can just share from their lived experience, and I think that’s really important as we move forward and we try to bring in other student-athletes and people who fit our program, so us to be able to identify who fits for Penn State and who fits with me, but it’s really important that we have people around us that understand the Penn State way.”
Wright, who starred at Penn State from 2001-2005, has already surrounded herself with familiar faces. Kelly Mazzante, the former teammate and Penn State’s all-time leading scorer from 2000-2004, is on the staff as an assistant coach.
Nevaeh Tot, the daughter of former Lady Lion Helen Darling, is serving as Graduate Assistant. Angie Potthoff, a former player from 1992-1997, is the team’s Chief of Staff, and Susan Robinson Fruchtl, who played from 1988-1992, is the Senior Director of Advancement and Strategic Relations.
On the floor, the message is just as direct. Bozan, the 6-foot-4 junior transfer from Nebraska, said Wright’s reputation as a defender is already shaping everything the team does. Wright won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year three times while at Penn State in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and Bozan said that defensive mindset has been central in practice.
“We have a huge highlight on the defensive part, but she wants us to play good both defensively and offensively, but you can just expect a lot, a lot, a lot of defense from her. Our practices are a majority of defense, which we need, and in the Big Ten that’s the most important part so we really appreciate that.”
Quigley, a 5-foot-10 junior guard who transferred in from NC State, was asked about chemistry on a team where nobody has played a minute of college basketball together. Her answer suggested that the group is already settling in fast.
“You can’t even tell that we are a new team…we love being around each other. In each and every way we’re all leaders, we lead each other, even the freshmen they have a voice and that’s important for everyone to have a voice and feel like they can take that leadership role, because a leader is defined by what you’re willing to do and how you help bring up other people with motivation.”
When asked to boil the team down to one word, Bozan went with “Details” and Quigley chose “Discipline.”
Penn State’s roster includes ten newcomers - seven transfers and three freshmen - along with one returning player, Vitoria Santana. The Lady Lions are entering a Big Ten that was loaded last season, with 12 teams making the NCAA Tournament and eight finishing in the final AP Top 25: UCLA (1), Michigan (7), Minnesota (15), Iowa (16), Ohio State (17), Maryland (20), Michigan State (22) and Washington (25).
In Other News...
Penn State Faces A Bigger Problem Than Its Slow Start
Penn States slow start has been frustrating enough on the field, but the ripple effects are reaching well beyond the scoreboard. A program that usually relies on Beaver Stadiums size and noise as a weekly advantage is now dealing with empty seats, cheaper tickets and a fan base that looks more hesitant than hostile, all while the football operation remains the financial engine for much of the rest of the athletic department.
The timing makes the upcoming USC game feel especially significant, not just as a chance to steady the season but as a measure of whether the atmosphere around the program can rebound with it. Matt Campbell is already under scrutiny in his first stretch on the job, and if Penn State cannot generate momentum soon, the bigger concern may not be one loss or one bad month, but how quickly the strain starts to show everywhere else. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces A White Out Turning Point With Offense Under Pressure
Penn State heads into its third conference game of the 2026 season with USC arriving for the annual White Out, and the timing hardly could be more interesting. The Nittany Lions are trying to steady an offense that has not found enough rhythm on the ground, while the defense is still searching for sharper tackling as the schedule tightens and the stakes keep rising under the lights.
Matt Campbell has already settled on Rocco Becht as the starting quarterback for the stretch run, giving the offense a clear direction as the team tries to put more together in a matchup that always feels bigger than a single Saturday. The White Out has a way of exposing what a team is and what it still has to become, and for Penn State this one looks like a checkpoint for an offense under pressure and a defense that needs to clean up the little things fast. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State White Out Could Test Thin Spots Fans Are Watching
Penn States first Big Ten availability report of the week offered a familiar mix of good news and lingering uncertainty ahead of USCs visit, with the White Out spotlight already fixed on the Nittany Lions depth. Linebacker Alex Tatsch and defensive lineman Armstrong Nnodim were both listed as questionable because of prior injuries, while Cam Smith remains out and receiver Koby Howard is set to miss his third Big Ten game.
USC brings its own injury wrinkle into the matchup, with receiver Trent Mosley also marked questionable after sitting out previous games. For Penn State, the bigger issue is less about the headline names than the spots behind them, where absences have already started to stretch the rotation and could matter even more in a game with this kind of stage and pace. [Read more 🡒]