Coquese Washington had twice the losses as she had wins at Rutgers. So, after 4 years, the program moved on. When it came to hiring their new leader, the management turned to the school of thought of one of the most successful programs in the country: Kim Mulkey’s LSU. They hired LSU assistant Gary Redus as their next coach. And almost immediately, one of their players has hit the portal. 

Redus was key for Kim Mulkey. He played an important role in recruiting two No. 1 ranked classes  in both the 2023 and 2025 cycles. He brought in talents like Jada Richard, the No. 1 ranked prospect in Louisiana in the 2024 Recruiting Cycle along with Mikaylah Williams and Grace Knox. Just as he arrives to the Scarlet Knights, almost counterintuitively a player has hit the transfer portal. 

“Rutgers’ Antonia Bates plans to enter the transfer portal,” reported Talia Goodman of On3. “The 6-3 senior averaged 2 ppg, 5 rpg and 1.9 apg last year and was a major glue player for Rutgers. She was also a disruptive presence on the floor, averaging a steal per game last season.”

Bates was the only player to play for four years under former head coach Coquese Washington. She was originally recruited by former Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer. During her time with Rutgers, Bates struggled with injuries. She had a surgery during the 2024-25 season, which was a result of an injury she sustained out of highschool. 

“I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a fix for it for me or what that was going to look like,” Bates had said. “I would dislocate it, say in practice multiple times or even in just daily life it would come out of place. And it would just cause me so much pain. I’d be playing in pain. Every time I stepped on the court, it was painful.”

Her best season came as a sophomore in 2023-24. She registered the third-most blocks in the Big Ten with 46 (1.5 per game). She was also one of the team’s top playmakers, ranking 14th in the Big Ten in assists (95) while averaging 3.2 per game.

Gary Redus could most likely want to start with a clean slate, so expect more movement from this current squad. He could keep and  bring in players that fit his vision. He has a job to do: to revive the struggling program. Rutgers fired Washington after a 1-17 mark in Big Ten play this past season, its worst ever in the conference.

The Scarlet Knights used to be one of the top programs in women’s basketball under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer, going to two Final Fours and winning four Big East championships. Stringer retired in 2022 and it has been downhill since. Now, Redus has the responsibility to take them back to where they belong.  As he embarks upon this journey, he has received an encouraging message from his former student and WNBA star Angel Reese.

Angel Reese Sends Her Wishes After Gary Redus Departs LSU For Rutgers

One of the players Gary Redus was influential in signing was Angel Reese. After 2 seasons at Maryland, Reese hoped to move to a different program. After hitting the portal, she quickly became the top player available. Top programs like South Carolina and Tennessee recruited Reese but she landed at LSU, choosing to play for Kim Mulkey. After a dinner with the coach, Reese was fully convinced and the rest, as they say, is history.

Even though Reese is out and about having her adventures in Unrivaled and now at Team USA she took time to wish her former coach well in his new position. “So deserving! Proud of you, my guy!!” she wrote on X. 

LSU loses significant recruiting power after this departure, which is crucial in today’s transfer portal era. “Coach Redus is well known as one of the top recruiters in the country, with an exceptional ability to create relationships and attract elite talent,” Rutgers Director of Athletics Keli Zinn said. Retaining players is exponentially more important and often your homegrown recruits are easier to do so. Regardless, Mulkey remains one of the top coaches in the country, which brings its own pull but Mulkey must act to fill Redus’ void as well.