George Mason University women’s basketball head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis has announced that Niki Washington will join her staff as associate head coach.
An 18-year veteran of the coaching profession, Washington brings a wealth of experience to Fairfax.
“I always admired Niki’s professionalism,” said Blair-Lewis. “She embodies a strong knowledge for the game and an intense passion for preparation. Her attention to detail is like no other. She brings such ingenuity and analytics to how we prepare and defend against our opponents. Her work ethic is unmatched. She has a standard of excellence that she continuously impresses upon our ladies to operate in and expects nothing less. It is a wonderful opportunity for our program to be able to continue to glean from a seasoned, veteran and former head coach.”
Part of a championship in each of her previous three seasons, including Bethune-Cookman’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018-19, Washington recently served as associate head coach of the Wildcats.
“I am beyond words when I think about this opportunity to be at George Mason and to be coaching with people who I consider my family,” said Washington. “Coach Blair-Lewis talks a lot about family, like many other coaches all over the country, but she walks it out every day. She’s not only betting on herself but she believes in this staff; that we can help her build Mason women’s basketball and get back to winning ways. We want to make the Mason and Fairfax communities proud!”
Washington’s 18-year career includes stops at Florida A&M, Illinois State and Lynn University, serving six seasons as head coach (2009-15) at the Boca Raton, Florida school. She’s coached four junior college All-Americans, two Division II All-Americans and four Division I All-Americans.
At Lynn University, she led the team to a Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship and a NCAA Division II Tournament bid. During the 2013-14 season, Washington became Lynn’s all-time leader in overall and league victories. Under her guidance, three players reached 1,000 points in their careers while two set records for three-point shooting in a season and career.
Prior to arriving in Boca Raton, Washington served as the assistant coach for Florida A&M for six seasons in addition to stints at Seminole State and Illinois State.
A prep phenom at Sanford Seminole (Fla.) High School, Washington was named the Gatorade Florida High School Player of the Year in 1993 and earned high school All-America notices from Street and Smith Magazine as well as from Converse. She signed with the University of Houston in 1993, where she was part of a recruiting class that ranked fourth in the nation. However, injuries her freshman year at Houston prompted a move back home, where she enrolled at Seminole Community College.
She was named to the 1995 NJCAA Mid-Florida Conference All-Star team before continuing her playing days at Southern Illinois. Washington played professionally overseas in Denmark before embarking on her coaching career.
Recently, she was enshrined in Seminole High School’s inaugural Hall of Fame Class that also included the likes of Major League Baseball legend Tim Raines, former NFL quarterback Jeff Blake, golfer Matt Kuchar and 2006 World Series MVP David Eckstein – her high school classmate.
A 1999 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, she holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communications and interpersonal communications.
