Sports
WNBA All-Star, Scarlet Knights Alum Kahleah Copper Named … – Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Women’s Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women’s basketball has officially announced the addition of three-time WNBA All-Star and Scarlet Knights alum, Kahleah Copper, to round out its 2023-24 coaching staff. Copper played for Rutgers from 2012 to 2016, was picked No. 7 overall in the 2016 WNBA draft and has since gone on to be a WNBA Champion, WNBA Finals MVP and one of the league’s most dynamic players.
Copper will serve as the Director of Athletic Culture & Professional Development with a focus on helping student-athletes continue to grow and develop for careers on the next level. Copper will aid in recruiting efforts, alumni events, fundraising as well as community outreach opportunities. An eight-year veteran of the WNBA, Copper will also assist with on-court workouts and share her professional basketball experience.
"Having Kahleah Copper join our program is a truly amazing opportunity for us," said head coach Coquese Washington. "Kahleah is an unquestioned winner and one of the best players in the world. Bringing her championship knowledge and experience to our gym on a daily basis is something our players are eager to soak up. Kahleah absolutely loves Rutgers, and we can’t wait to have her back On the Banks helping to elevate this program to national prominence. It’s exciting to imagine all the ways Kahleah will positively impact our program."
The 2016 WNBA Draft pick spent her first season in the league with the Washington Mystics before joining the Chicago Sky via trade in 2017. Since then, Copper has played a pivotal role in leading the team’s rise to success, becoming a three-time WNBA All-Star and leading the team to its first WNBA Championship in 2021 as the Finals MVP.
"My blood runs Scarlet, and I can’t wait to be back home on campus helping this program that is so important to me," Copper said. "I’m grateful to Rutgers and the coaching staff for entrusting me with this responsibility, and I will pour everything I have into our players and lean in on everything that I have learned in my career to help them reach their highest level both on and off the court."
Copper has played 254 games, fourth most in franchise history, over her seven-year career in a Sky uniform. She ranks top-five in multiple statistical categories including fourth in scoring (2,676 points), tied for third in 25-plus point games in a single season with seven in 2023 and fifth in total rebounds (799).
Copper returns "On The Banks" after wrapping up a 2023 WNBA season in which she led the Sky to the playoffs. The Philadelphia-native paced the Sky in scoring, averaging 20.0 points per game in addition to pulling down 7.5 rebounds per game. This past September, Copper signed a multi-year contract extension to keep her in Chicago through 2025.
Prior to her professional career, Copper was a standout for Rutgers, playing four seasons under legendary head coach C. Vivian Stringer. She finished her collegiate career third on Rutgers’ all-time scoring list with 1,872 career points, only Sue Wicks and Cappie Pondexter ranked higher at the time. She led the Scarlet Knights in scoring during her final three seasons.
Copper led RU to a 2014 WNIT Championship and was named the MVP of the tournament as a sophomore. That same season, she was also selected to the American Athletic Conference First Team. Copper also guided the Scarlet Knights to the Second Round in the NCAA Tournament in 2015. She was a two-time Second Team All-Big Ten selection, by both the coaches and media.
Copper’s accomplishments earned her praise from across the nation during her senior season as she was among those selected to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List, Naismith Trophy Early Season Watch List and Dawn Staley Mid-Season Watch list.
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