Jennifer Rizzotti

Jennifer Marie Rizzotti (born May 15, 1974) is an American former collegiate and professional basketball player, and former Division I coach at George Washington University. She is the president of the Connecticut Sun. Rizzotti was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

Early life Rizzotti attended New Fairfield High School in New Fairfield, Connecticut. The basketball court at the New Fairfield town park was named after Rizzotti in honor of her achievements. She also attended ASIJ in Tokyo, Japan.

College career From 1992 to 1996, she was one of the stars of the women's basketball team at the University of Connecticut. She was the starting point guard on the Huskies first national championship team in 1995, which recorded a perfect season, winning all 35 games. Rizzotti's picture was on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in recognition of the perfect season. Jen received the Honda-Broderick Cup for 1995–96, presented to the athlete "most deserving of recognition as the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year." She was named the 1996 Associated Press Player of the Year. Rizzotti was a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program. Rizzotti won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award during the 1995–96 basketball season. 2013—Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Professional career She began her career as a professional basketball player playing for the New England Blizzard of the now defunct American Basketball League. During that time she was a two-time All-Star, and played for the Comets in 1999 and 2000. The Comets won the League Championship both seasons. In 2001, she was traded to the Detroit Shock, but a month later, she was traded to the Cleveland Rockers.

Coaching career Rizzotti was recently the head basketball coach at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. In 2010 Rizzotti guided Hartford to an undefeated regular season in the America East Conference and was one of the 10 finalists up for the Kay Yow Coach of the Year.

Rizzotti served as the head coach of the USA Basketball U18 team, at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women in June 2010 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs CO. She previously served as an assistant coach of the U18 team, assisting head coach Doug Bruno in 2006, when the team went 4–0 to win the gold medal.

In 2011, Rizzotti was named USA Basketball National Coach of the Year. She was the head coach for the USA U18 team, which won the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. She continued as head coach of the U19 team and guided the team to another gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championship games held in Chile.

Rizzotti was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall Of Fame in 2001.

Rizzotti married University of Hartford assistant Bill Sullivan in July 1999. The two welcomed their first child, Holden Thomas Sullivan, born . The couple's second child, Conor, was born on .

Rizzotti was honored by her alma mater, the University of Connecticut, as the winner of the Red O'Neill Award, an award given annually to a former student athlete who has "gone on to distinguish themselves in their chosen career."

Rizzotti was honored by The University of Hartford in 2010 as commencement speaker. Additionally she received an honorary doctorate degree from the university.

Career statistics

WNBA Regular season

Playoffs

College Jennifer Rizzotti Statistics at University of Connecticut Year G FG FGA PCT 3FG 3FGA PCT FT FTA PCT REB AVG A TO B S MIN PTS AVG 1992–93 29 116 288 0.403 53 142 0.373 73 118 0.619 125 4.3 104 116 1 60 1006 358 12.3 1993–94 33 110 239 0.46 54 126 0.429 52 78 0.667 111 3.4 150 90 4 80 992 326 9.9 1994–95 35 156 308 0.506 57 138 0.413 69 94 0.734 97 2.8 161 86 2 98 905 438 12.5 1995–96 38 148 335 0.442 43 158 0.272 79 112 0.705 126 3.3 222 115 2 112 1230 418 11.0 Totals 135 530 1170 0.453 207 564 0.367 273 402 0.679 459 3.4 637 407 9 350 4133 1540 11.1

Head coaching record Source: