McKeesport native Johnasia Cash to join Penn State women's basketball program

Former McKeesport girls basketball standout Johnasia Cash will play her final collegiate season a little closer to home.

Penn State announced Wednesday afternoon that Cash, a cousin of former WNBA star Swin Cash, will join the Nittany Lions after three seasons as a starting forward at Southern Methodist University.

Because of NCAA transfer rules, Cash will sit out the 2020-21 season.

“I wanted to be closer to my support system and my siblings in hopes to motivate them to do big things in life,” Cash said in a release announcing the transfer.

“When I first heard from Penn State, I immediately fell in love with the coaching staff, especially coach (Carolyn Kieger). I got to meet some of my future teammates as well, and I absolutely loved the chemistry between them all. I always say home is where the heart is, and my heart is closer to my family here at Penn State.”

Cash entered the NCAA transfer portal in July shortly after she made remarks to the Dallas Morning News critical of SMU and how the team and athletic department was handling player safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

In 87 games at SMU, which included 55 starts, Cash averaged 7.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a contest.

Last year, she led the Mustangs and ranked 20th in the American Athletic Conference in scoring at 11.1 points per game. She added 9.4 rebounds.

She started 28 of 29 games and recorded 11 double-doubles as SMU went 13-16 overall and 7-9 in the AAC.

“We are thrilled to welcome Johnasia to the Penn State family,” Kieger said. “She is a tremendous fit for our program as a person, student and player. She fills an immediate need for us as a versatile forward who can play with her back to the basket or stretch the floor. An aggressive rebounder who runs the floor and can alter shots is exactly what our program needed.”

At McKeesport, Cash was a four-time all-conference selection and led the Tigers to a pair of WPIAL playoff appearances. McKeesport made the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals her senior year in 2017.

The three-sport star at McKeesport also was a member of the Western Pennsylvania Bruins AAU team that captured the championship of the Adidas Gauntlet Series.