Robin Pingeton, the new head coach of the Wisconsin women's basketball team, has a mountain of doubt to overcome. Some of that doubt is not even on her, as it is on the perception that the UW administration does not want to spend money on women's basketball. Other doubts are squarely on her shoulders as fans are worried about her last seven years of being unsuccessful in the SEC. However, at the introductory press conference today, she may have overcome some of those doubts.
The average Wisconsin women's basketball fan was impressed with what she said at the press conference. She will still need to prove it on the court, but she's saying the right things at the right time.
At the BARE MINIMUM, Pingeton seems to understand the assignment here. Too much talent is leaving the state while the program continues to flounder.
— Kedrick Stumbris (@KedrickStumbris) April 1, 2025
Acknowledging that at the outset is worth something. https://t.co/wQWBM5fq2c
Robin Pingeton wants to lock down recruiting in Wisconsin and keep talent home
There were many takeaways from Pingeton's press conference, but one of the early big impressions was that she wants to make sure Wisconsin keeps its own talent. That's something that she thinks is a must at UW. "We have to work hard to keep the best players in the state, for this is a great state for women's basketball... We want this place to be a destination."
We also heard from Chris McIntosh that the Wisconsin administration is committed to women's basketball and has committed seven figures to bringing in players and staff to compete in the Big Ten.
NGL she won me back. Love how she's already hitting the ground running and seeing how hard we are in the portal already is promising. https://t.co/8yxMxtH5Sx
— Badger WBB HQ (@BadgerWBBHQ) April 2, 2025
Those two statements alone, one from the coach and one from the athletic director, were very important for Badger fans to hear. Now, fans will be paying close attention to see if they walk the walk and not just talk the talk. The entire press conference is below. Is there anything that fires you up as you hear her talk, or are you still left with tons of doubts that she was the right hire?