Report: Carolyn Kieger to Return for Penn State Women’s Basketball

Penn State women’s basketball will keep Carolyn Kieger on the sidelines for another year, sources told Jon Sauber of the Centre Daily Times.

Coming off its most successful season in a decade, Penn State went 10-19 in 2024-25, losing its final 10 games. The Lady Lions’ only conference win was against then-No. 9 Ohio State.

At the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign, Onward State’s Joe Lister reported that former players alleged Kieger of misconduct. In the report, 13 players from Penn State and Marquette were quoted describing the coach’s methods as “traumatizing” and “psychotic manipulation.”

Penn State Athletics stated in response to the story saying that the university takes any misconduct allegations seriously and that, “… Based on direct feedback from student-athletes, Coach Kieger and the women’s basketball staff provide a positive and inclusive environment with a focus on their development on and off the basketball court.”

Kieger took over the women’s program in 2019 after three straight NCAA Tournament appearances with Marquette. In her first season at the head of the program, the Lady Lions won just seven games, the second fewest number of wins since the 1981-82 season. In her first three seasons, PSU won a combined 27 games. In the 2023-24 season, Penn State went 22-13 and made its first postseason appearance in six years.

Kieger was a standout player for Marquette, becoming the only player to reach career marks of 1,200 points, 400 rebounds, and 600 assists. She worked in basketball operations for both Miami and Marquette from 2006-2008 before serving as an assistant coach at Miami for six seasons.
She returned to Marquette as the head coach in 2014, leading the Golden Eagles to one Big East Conference Championship and two second-round appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

After taking over in 2019, Kieger led Penn State women’s basketball to an increase in wins every season until 2024-25.