Rizzotti named to national team post

Jen Rizzotti, the starting point guard on UConn’s first national championship team, was named as one of the assistant coaches on the 2018 U.S. Women’s Senior National team.

Rizzotti, a former head coach at Hartford who guided George Washington into the NCAA tournament in her second season at the helm, was named the 2011 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year when she coached the U.S. to the FIBA U19 World Cup title.

Rizzotti has been a member on six USA Basketball coaching staffs and she was an advance scout and court coach on the gold medal winning 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2016 Olympic staffs.

WNBA head coaches Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) and Dan Hughes (Seattle Storm) were also appointed to Dawn Staley’s coaching staff.

Staley and her newly appointed staff will look to lead the U.S. to its third straight FIBA World Cup title in September.

AURIEMMA, SAMUELSON FINALISTS FOR NATIONAL AWARDS

UConn’s Geno Auriemma joined Kelly Graves of Oregon, Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame and Mississippi State’s Vic Schaefer as finalists for the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year.

Auriemma has guided UConn to a 32-0 record marking the ninth time the Huskies will enter the NCAA tournament undefeated.

Auriemma has won the award eight times.

The fan vote accounts for 5 percent of the selection process and fans can vote from Mar. 19-30 with the winner being announced on Mar. 31.

Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn’s top scorer, joins Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescsu, Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State and South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson as finalists for the Wade Trophy.