Coquese Talks Penn State, Comets and WNBA

ST. LOUIS, MO -- After today's Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) players' luncheon, I had a chance to speak with Coquese Washington - current head coach at Penn State University and former point guard of the Houston Comets.

The entire interview can be heard at this link.

However, I want to wrap up my gathering comments about the disbanding of the Houston Comets; so, here is that part of the interview:

HRR: Give me your thoughts when you heard the Comets were disbanding.
Coquese: When I first read it in the paper, I was devastated because I have so many, so many fond memories. I spent the majority of my time in the WNBA playing for the Comets - obviously, winning the championship there. My family moved down there. I have a very warm spot in my heart for Houston.

It's definitely one of the pioneering teams in the WNBA. When you think about the WNBA, one of the teams that comes to your mind is the Houston Comets -- Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, the four championships, Kim Perrot - so much history there. So much of the WNBA is synonomous with the Houston Comets; so, I was really devastated and disappointed to find out that a large chunk of the league history was gone away. But, hopefully, somebody can rally and we can an ownership group or somebody can come back in another year or two and revive and resurrect the franchise.

HRR: Had you heard any rumblings at all that they might not exist anymore?
Coquese: I had heard a little bit; but, not much to get me worried. You kind of hear about that in the last few years with the WNBA that there a few teams that may not make it; move; or something like that. But, I never really thought that it was that serious. I thought that somebody would come and buy the franchise because it had such a strong legacy and history. So, I was a little surprised that all of a sudden the team was just gone.

HRR: What are your thoughts on the future of the WNBA?
Coquese: I think that given this economic climate, it's in a tough position; and, we definitely have to keep our eyes and ears open about whatever kind of changes that can be made in terms of the structure of the league; the ownership of the league; how the league is run.

When I was in the league and active with the Players' Association, that was something that we talked about year in and year out -- the health of the league; the financial health of the league. What things can we do collectively with the players and the ownership to make sure that the league is structurally and financially sound. I'm sure they're going to have that kind of dialogue. If there are changes that need to be made, hopefully for the good of the league, the right people will make those decisions.