Purdue Women's Basketball Makes Schedule Announcement, Will Welcome Back Boiler Icon

Purdue will host UT-Arlington during the 2024-25 women's basketball season. The coach of the Mavericks is former Purdue star Shereka Wright.
Purdue Boilermakers women's basketball coach Katie Gearlds watches her players
Purdue Boilermakers women's basketball coach Katie Gearlds watches her players / Noe Padilla/Journal & Courier / USA
In this story:

Shereka Wright will be making a return to Mackey Arena during the 2024-25 women's college basketball season. This week, Purdue announced that it will host UT-Arlington during the nonconference portion of the schedule. Wright has been the coach of the Mavericks since 2020.

The Boilermakers announced that they'll host UT-Arlington at Mackey Arena on Nov. 24. Last season, Wright led the Mavericks to a 17-16 record.

Purdue coach Katie Gearlds played with Wright during the 2003-04 season, leading the Boilermakers to a 29-4 record and reaching the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Wright averaged 20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists that season. Gearlds averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest as a freshman.

Wright is the only women's basketball player in Purdue history to receive All-American honors three times in her career. She ended her time in West Lafayette with 2,251 points, ranking second in program history.

Wright was also a member of Purdue's 2000-01 team that finished the season as the national runner-up, falling to Notre Dame in the National Championship Game.

In her four seasons at UT-Arlington-Wright has guided her program to a 64-48 record. At the end of the 2021-22 campaign, the Mavericks went 20-8 and earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament after claiming the Sun Belt Tournament championship.

Gearlds will be entering her fourth season in West Lafayette in 2024-25. The Boilermakers are 51-45 under Gearlds, appearing in two WNITs and reaching the NCAA Tournament field once (2023).

Purdue now knows five of its nonconference opponents for the 2024-25 season: UT-Arlington, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and South Carolina.

Related stories on Purdue women's basketball

PURDUE CONFIRMS NOTRE DAME MATCHUP: Purdue and Notre Dame will play the second game of a home-and-home series at Mackey Arena this season. It's the first matchup in West Lafayette since 2011. CLICK HERE


Published
Dustin Schutte

DUSTIN SCHUTTE