Elliott rediscovering passion for coaching

Jamelle Elliott figured she was done with coaching. At least for the foreseeable future.

She’d spent more than two decades in the industry — first as an assistant with her alma mater UConn (1997-2009) and then as the head coach at Cincinnati (2009-18) — before deciding that, at age 43, it was time to change paths and pursue another passion of hers.

Then came an opportunity to get back into basketball.

Geno Auriemma needed to fill a spot on his staff after one of his assistants, Jasmine Lister, took a leave of absence for personal reasons in January. Elliott, who had returned to Storrs in 2018 to begin the next chapter of her professional career, felt obligated to help.

“Obviously, I have a lot of dedication, and when someone asks me to do something for a program that has done so much for me, I didn’t even hesitate,” Elliott, now 46, said Thursday on Zoom. “I had the opportunity to come in and help in any way that I can towards the end of last season. That was my thought going in, at least come in and do what I can to help finish out the season.”

Turns out, Elliott’s done that and more. She’ll spend this season with the Huskies, too, and beyond, after having the interim tag

removed in July.

“When I came back, I fell in love with being a coach all over again, just having the opportunity to be back on the floor,” Elliott said. “That’s the one thing I look forward to every day, is being out on the floor for those individual workouts at practice or just getting extra shots in.”

Elliott is deeply respected within the program. She played on UConn’s first national championship team in 1995, and in the following season, became the second player in school history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She never missed a game nor even a practice during her four-year career. As an assistant, she was a part of five more NCAA title squads (2000, 2002-04, 2009).

When Elliott was unceremoniously dismissed by Cincinnati in March 2018, Auriemma asked her if she’d stay in basketball. Elliott told him she didn’t want to coach again “for a while, maybe ever,” but she was intrigued by the administrative side of college athletics. And so, a few months later, she found herself back at UConn as associate athletic director of the National C Club, a newly formed organization providing networking, mentorship and internship opportunities for current and former student- athletes.

“I was enjoying the experience and learning a lot,” Elliott said. “But again, I felt the need was there, I enjoyed it, and here I am again this season.”

And Auriemma couldn’t be happier. He admires Elliott’s experience, knowledge of the game, and the ease with which she’s able to connect with players.

“The ability, I think, to interact with the players, that made J so integral to all the success we had when she was here as a player and as a coach in her previous stint, that hasn’t gone away,” Auriemma said. “It’s still there. The players on our team will probably all tell you there’s a way she interacts with them that’s just really unique, and I love it.”

She’s become a calming presence, of sorts, compared to the sometimes-brash, wise-cracking Auriemma.

“We love having Jamelle,” junior guard Christyn Williams said. “When Coach is on us, she’s there to support us. She brings a lot of energy, energy that we need on and off the court. Jamelle’s great, she’s great.

“It’s cool because she played here like (assistant coach) Shea (Ralph), so she knows what we’re going through. She can relate.”

NELSON-ODODA RECOGNITION

Junior Olivia Nelson-Ododa was one of 20 players named to the watch list for the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award, as announced Friday by the Naismith Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Now in its fourth year, the award is given to the best Division I center.

The 6-foot-5 Nelson-Ododa averaged 10.9 points and 8.5 rebounds as a sophomore. She also had 100 blocks, the eighth most by a Husky in a single season. She enters this season as a preseason All-Big East pick.

Previous recipients of the award include South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston (2020), Iowa’s Megan Gustafson (2019) and South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson (2018). This year’s winner will be announced on April 9.

Al Behrman / Associated Press Former Cincinnati women’s basketball coach Jamelle Elliott is back at UConn, where she won a national championship as a player, as an assistant coach on Geno Auriemma’s staff.