Anne Donovan is resigning as Seton Hall's coach to be the new head coach of the Connecticut Sun.
The best run down on this situation is from the Seattle Times - the city where Donovan last coached in the WNBA:
Donovan was hired by Seattle in 2003. She made risky offseason moves in free-agency to form a championship team in 2004. However the roster, which included stars Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird and Finals MVP Betty Lennox, began to deteriorate after the title. Donovan abruptly resigned via email in November 2007. She had one year remaining on her contract, prohibiting her from coaching elsewhere in the WNBA in 2008.
Donovan resurfaced in the league as an assistant for the New York Liberty in 2009. She was named interim coach midway through the season and finished 7-10 that summer. Elevated to coach for the 2010 season, the Liberty was 22-12 and were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals by Atlanta.
“It was pretty abrupt,” said WNBA MVP Jackson in 2009 of Donovan’s Storm resignation. They reunited at the 2008 Beijing Games, Donovan coaching Team USA to gold and Jackson as Australia’s star center.
“After they beat us (in the Olympics), we sort of hugged it out, but never really had a conversation about her departure from here,” Jackson continued. “I don’t think anyone did. It was just one of those things that was kept fairly well in-house, and we have no idea what really went down.”
Donovan has a losing record at Seton Hall, which means she technically hasn't seen coaching success since the Storm's 2004 championship. Is she the right person for the job in Connecticut?
ESPN says the league's Eastern Conference is on the rise now.
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