We thought we’d have her longer.
Nikki McCray, gone at the age of 51, doesn’t seem real. Her funeral is Saturday afternoon in Knoxville and comes 11 years after she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame there.
Her time in Norfolk was so short that many of the stories written about her in the last week don’t mention the three years that she coached at Old Dominion. We remember them well perhaps because it was obvious from the tip that she was a star on the rise, one that a program outside of the Power 5 wasn’t likely to keep long.
We saw her passion here — an intensity and heart for a program that hasn’t been nationally relevant since Wendy Larry’s run of 17 straight NCAA tournaments ended after the 2008 season. McCray didn’t get ODU to an NCAA tournament as the COVID pandemic ended the Lady Monarchs’ hopes of winning a Conference USA title that looked to be theirs after a 24-6 season. There was no postseason, and Mississippi State Athletic Director John Cohen saw what we did: Nikki McCray was someone special.
When Vic Schaefer left for Texas, McCray got hired to coach the Bulldogs, a team that was among the best in the nation, twice the national runner-up (2017-18).
ODU fans hated to see her go only three years after she arrived. She engaged with them; her smile lit up a room and she was personally, likable and warm. We can’t forget the open practice in her first October here, one with so much structure and energy that attendees were wowed well before the Lady Monarchs played their first game. Everyone left that practice knowing ODU had the right coach. The team didn’t win much her first year but make no mistake: McCray was a winner. Right away fans were asking, “How long do you think we can keep her?”
She made believers out of kids who she didn’t recruit, a misfit cast that developed under her direction. Most head coaches are nowhere to be found during pre-game layup drills. McCray often planted herself at the top of the key, arms folded, critiquing technique. Knowing McCray’s roots — a player under Pat Summitt, an Olympic Gold Medalist, a WNBA all-star, a longtime assistant to Dawn Staley at South Carolina, we knew ODU had struck gold.
As decorated as McCray’s resume was, she deflected any questions about her past glory. It was like pulling teeth to get her to recall any of her accolades. She was laser-focused on the task in front of her — building a championship program.
Hired by ODU in 2017, McCray showed no signs of the breast cancer first discovered in 2013. She looked healthy and her energy was contagious.
One year into the job at Mississippi State, we knew it wasn’t good when she made a hasty departure out of Starkville. She later said the cancer hadn’t returned but the pandemic had taken a toll on her, and she didn’t feel 100% when it came to her mental and personal health. When she took the assistant position at Rutgers last season, we had a good feeling the cancer was behind her, but it had returned. A bout with COVID and pneumonia on top of her weakened immune system is said to be what led to her death on July 7.
Our hearts go out to her entire family, especially her 10-year son, Thomas, and her husband of the same name whom she married 21 years ago.
These words from her obituary remind us of her spirit: Nikki loved life and spending time with her two Thomas’s. She was down to earth and a true plain Jane, she liked neutral colors and nothing too flashy. She liked hot fries and had no problem sending them back if they weren’t the temp she desired. She loved Christmas in Louisville Tn in her log cabin decorating her tree by herself as every ornament was strategically placed around the tree. She made the best Christmas breakfast and loved seeing everyone open their gifts. She wanted everyone around her to feel special and not just her family but her teammates and the young ladies she recruited to play on her teams. She had a special genuine touch with players, their families and those she worked with. She will be remembered as a special woman, an amazing coach and a great friend.
When a loss of this magnitude happens, it’s hard to think of the right words. All we can offer is we’re glad we had Nikki McCray while we did.
It wasn’t nearly long enough.
Photo courtesy of Old Dominion Athletics