OT: Jen Rizzotti out at GW

[HopJim]

In a later article, it was stated she changed her mind and enjoyed coaching again. Besides, she's a prize recruiter.

ot

BINGO!! You could be the greatest coach since the dawn of man, if you don't/can't recruit good/great players to your program, you're not going to move the needle. Why does UConn, Baylor, Stanford, Maryland and Louisville CONSISTENTLY win year in and year out? You know why. They attract the best recruits from each class. The best top ranked players don't go to unranked mid-major programs. Mid-major coaches are realistic. They don't go after the same recruits the elite programs do. They know they have no chance of landing them. It would be a waste of time and resources.

Look at the destination of the Hoopgurlz class of any year. Note the programs they commit to. Players that could really help Jen were not interested in committing to Hartford or GW. She, like the rest of the schools in her conference had to settle for whoever she could get. Top tier players that can really ball, don't go to GW. You get players at THAT level that basically none of the top tier D1 programs wanted.

No doubt GW will find an up and coming assistant coach, or a D-2/D-3 coach looking to move up to a higher level program, that comes in with the enthusiasm and desire to build a program from scratch. It starts and ends with recruiting. The best programs have and are able to attract the best players consistently. Jen will land on her feet somewhere. When one door closes, another one always opens.

Agree and would expand your thoughts to including the recruiting of assistant coaches. Feedback from some that have followed her programs is that Jen had the skills but was not successful building a team of coaches that could help her attract players and develop winning in game strategies.

 

[bluedevil]

Just a gut opinion and nothing else but I don't think Shea will follow Geno as the next head coach. I think it will be someone who has been a head coach...who that is I have no idea but I think it will be a female...

 

[Superhuskies]

Jen R. can be Dee's assistant....

 

[huskeynut]

Jen R. can be Dee's assistant....

Dee has said she does not want to coach.

 

[DefenseBB]

Jen may have to rebuild her brand as an assistant on P5 or top mid-major program. She should have enough USA Basketball connections. I wonder if she knows anyone who would vouch for her that has a lot of sway?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Athletic department cleans house on women’s basketball coaching staff

Rizzotti tallied a 72-74 overall record in her five seasons with the Colonials, winning one Atlantic 10 Championship in 2018.

www.gwhatchet.com

“But 10 of the team’s 12 current members released a joint statement Monday saying the firings came as a “complete shock” to the program.

“Our coaching staff put us in the best position to be successful on and off the court, and as players the wins and losses are on us more than anyone” the players said in the statement. “This season our coaches encouraged us to use our platforms for topics bigger than basketball, in ways that were unmatched within our athletic department.””

Well, it wasn't a surprise to anyone watching the (lack of) success. It doesn't mean Jen wasn't a great coach to her team, it means she didn't produce "W"s on the court.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Tweet from Jen, today

 

[baggerbob]

bluedevil: One of the reasons that Jen probably noticed GW was that the previous coaching regime -- led by Jonathan Tsipsis and two assistants (in particular) -- had one "near great" (now, perhaps "great") player named Jonquel Jones.
And Ms. Jones was joined almost immediately by a cadre of some good players, including forwards Ciara Washington and Lauren Chase and guards Hannah Schaible and Shannon Cranshaw, among others.

For Tsipsis' first two years, his recruiting was headed by none other than Megan Duffy, who came from St. John's to take a step up in responsibility. She was joined by Diane Richardson, who spent years heading the Riverdale Baptist program, where she got to know Jones. When Jonquel wasn't happy at Clemson, GW became a natural next place to transfer.

Jones was obviously a super best-case scenario for a mid-major program, but I'd argue that Jen never got close to the players I mentioned above that supported JJ. That supporting cast -- paticularly Washingston and Shaible (who was a Duffy clone) were the core of the team that reached the NCAA and NIT teams in JR and Sully's first two years at the helm.

When Tspisis left for Wisconsin, I remember a number of folks pushing for Richardson to take a step up to the HC job; in part because of her background in the HS and AAU communities around D.C. Obviously, she didn't get it, but she did get a HC job shortly. In 2018-19, she guided Towson State to the CAA Championship.

So, Tsipsis pulled together a good coaching staff who delivered the right mix of players and struck gold with one.
Wonder where GW goes to replicate that run?

A school like that gets a once in a lifetime player. It probably will never happen again.

 

[Blueballer]

I always thought Harry Peretta was an example of a great coach who couldn't translate his vision to the court because he just couldn't get the players to do it. After all even Pat Summit went to him for help. He kept his job for a long time without enormous success. There are a lot of wonderful coaches out there and it's hard to judge just how really good they are. With the newer coaches lots of programs are looking for that "Name recognition". Jen had it when she first started coming off her career in the pros. Not so much anymore. She probably waited too long to jump from Hartford to a bigger conference. Too bad.

 

[Blueballer]

Tweet from Jen, today

Sounds like Jen thinks she should have gotten a “mulligan” because of COVID this year. I thought she should have too.

 

[Striper69]

Might want to take a year off.
Northeastern jobs that are open: Army, Dartmouth, Monmouth

Monmouth is a good place. I went there myself. Nice new athletic venue.

 

[DefenseBB]

Sounds like Jen thinks she should have gotten a “mulligan” because of COVID this year. I thought she should have too.

Well, it definitely states she thought so. However, let's review her credentials- last 3 years at Hartford, she was 40-54 placing 5th twice and 6th. Her last 3 years in the A-10, she was 33-50. She inherited the best team in the league at GW when she arrived and went 20-10, went to the WNIT. The next year, they slipped to 19-14, but went to the NCAAT, the 3rd year she went 10-20, finishing 8th, then 14-16 tied for 7th, then 9-14 tied for 10th.

Yes, we all loved her as that fiesty point guard, yes, she put Hartford WCBB on the map and then let it slip, she went to GW and immediately lost esteem and standing. So no, Jen did not deserve a "mulligan" on this year. She's in D1 coaching who left a lower mid-major to take a role at a high profile mid-major, so I find it a bit disingenuous that she now wants to claim she will measure her success by things bigger than basketball, which if she stayed at Hartford I would entirely applaud and agree but she did depart Hartford for greater glory and did not succeed in keeping their winning tradition. So, count me dubious as she sounds a tad out of touch with what I (and many others) see as the situation.

Best of luck to her and hopefully she does find something to drive her, just not as a HC of a D1 school. Sorry to offend any loyal supporters.

 

[Vowelguy]

Well, it definitely states she thought so. However, let's review her credentials- last 3 years at Hartford, she was 40-54 placing 5th twice and 6th. Her last 3 years in the A-10, she was 33-50. She inherited the best team in the league at GW when she arrived and went 20-10, went to the WNIT. The next year, they slipped to 19-14, but went to the NCAAT, the 3rd year she went 10-20, finishing 8th, then 14-16 tied for 7th, then 9-14 tied for 10th.

Yes, we all loved her as that fiesty point guard, yes, she put Hartford WCBB on the map and then let it slip, she went to GW and immediately lost esteem and standing. So no, Jen did not deserve a "mulligan" on this year. She's in D1 coaching who left a lower mid-major to take a role at a high profile mid-major, so I find it a bit disingenuous that she now wants to claim she will measure her success by things bigger than basketball, which if she stayed at Hartford I would entirely applaud and agree but she did depart Hartford for greater glory and did not succeed in keeping their winning tradition. So, count me dubious as she sounds a tad out of touch with what I (and many others) see as the situation.

Best of luck to her and hopefully she does find something to drive her, just not as a HC of a D1 school. Sorry to offend any loyal supporters.

I think 3.5 years at any school is pretty quick, unless things are going disastrously (which is a relative term). Particularly at a mid major. GW had the freshman of the year this season. Maybe things were starting to look up?

Am I outraged? No. Absolutely she had not had the record so far. I do wonder though what the expectations are or should be at mid majors.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

Wonder how Jen would have fared if she and not Dawn (another former player) had inherited SC.

This seems to suggest that SC made Dawn successful rather than the other way around.

Folks may have forgotten than Dawn had great success at Temple - success that was not
sustained after she left.