I was really excited to hear that the New York Liberty decided to hire Anne Donovan as Assistant Coach to Patty Coyle. Anne will be an excellent addition to the team. She has a stellar coaching resume: WNBA Championship with the Seattle Storm and most recently a 2008 Olympic Gold in Beijing. For more information read the story below which is courtesy of the New York Liberty.
Anne Donovan Named Assistant Coach
WNBA Veteran & Olympic Gold Medal-Winning Coach Brings Winning Resumé to the Big Apple
New York, NY – April 28 – New York Liberty president and general manager Carol Blazejowski announced today that Anne Donovan has been named assistant coach. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“It is a rare and significant moment for any organization when someone of Anne Donovan's caliber joins its coaching staff, and it is particularly true for the Liberty today," said Blazejowski. "With Patty at the helm, Anne's decades of winning experience and a deep and talented roster, we feel we have assembled the components we need to pursue our ultimate goal – bringing New York the WNBA championship it so richly deserves.”
A Ridgewood, New Jersey native, Donovan’s primary responsibilities with the Liberty will include assisting head coach Pat Coyle in player development, game preparation and scouting, as well as planning practices and individual player workouts.
"I have admired Anne Donovan as a player and coach and am thrilled she will be joining me on the Liberty sidelines," said Coyle. "Anne knows how to teach, motivate and inspire players, and she clearly knows how to win. We look forward to her impact on our franchise and an exciting season for our fans."
Donovan began her WNBA career as the interim head coach of the expansion Indiana Fever in 2000, followed by head coaching positions with the Charlotte Sting (2001-2002) and the Seattle Storm (2003-2007). She amassed a regular-season record of 93-77 (.547) with four playoff appearances in Seattle, including the 2004 WNBA Championship title. Her coaching career began at the collegiate level where she was an assistant at her alma mater Old Dominion for six seasons (1989-1995) before taking the helm at East Carolina University (1995-1998).
“It is very exciting to have the opportunity to return to the east coast and join the Liberty family,” said Donovan. “Since the league’s inception, I have been impressed with how well this organization has been run and I look forward to assisting Pat in putting the most prepared and competitive team on the floor each night.”
Donovan owns a remarkable 132-10 (.930) all-time record on the sidelines for USA Basketball. As an assistant coach, she helped the United States capture gold at the Olympics in 1998 and 2004. While serving as head coach, she led the 2008 U.S. Women’s Senior National Team to gold in Beijing and as a result was chosen with Mike Krzyzewski as co-recipients of the 2008 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year award earlier this year. As a player, she won gold as a member of the 1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympic Teams, 1983 and 1987 Pan American Games Teams, 1986 World Championship Team and the 1978 and 1979 U.S. Olympic Festival East Teams.
A Naismith Award winner and three-time All-American selection at Old Dominion, Donovan was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA on May 15, 1995. She was one of the twenty-six inductees in the inaugural class of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in June of 1999. Additionally, she is a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the Old Dominion Sports Hall of Fame and the CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame.
