Jill Pizzotti has been elevated to the title of associate head coach of DePaul women’s basketball, head coach Doug Bruno announced Monday.
“It’s really nice,” Pizzotti said. “I feel very blessed to be on this coaching staff.”
Pizzotti joined DePaul prior to the 2011-2012 season, stepping in to the role of recruiting coordinator. Since then, DePaul has made three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including their 2014 appearance in the Sweet Sixteen.
“Through my years coaching at DePaul, I have been blessed to have worked with many excellent assistant coaches,” Bruno said in a news release. “My most recent staff is extra special, and Jill leads this staff.”
The title elevation will not bring about much change to Pizzotti’s primary responsibilities. Her and the assistant coaches will be working this fall to prepare the team for the 2014-2015 season while Bruno is acting as an assistant coach on Team USA during the 2014 FIBA World Championships. She says that they all have their areas in which they are primarily responsible for.
“I don’t anticipate my role on the staff changing much,” Pizzotti said. “We all have our areas we are primarily focused on.”
“Our DePaul women’s basketball success has always been the result of great administrative support, great assistant coaches and most importantly special players who have also been great people,” Bruno said in the news release.
Prior to DePaul, Pizzotti was the recruiting coordinator at West Virginia, helping the Mountaineers bring in the 13th best class in the 2010-2011. She had been the women’s basketball manager at Nike for five years before signing on at West Virginia, acting as a liason between Nike and several top women’s programs, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and USA Basketball.
She also has head coaching experience, manning the helm at Saint Louis University from 1996-2005. She helped bring the Billikens to their first postseason play in their history, making the WNIT in 2003.
DePaul women’s basketball opens their season Nov. 14, taking on Texas A&M in a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 match.