DePaul promotes Jill Pizzotti to replace longtime women's coach Doug Bruno
Pizzotti was hired by DePaul in 2011 and served as interim coach with Bruno missing this season because of health issues. The Blue Demons went 13-19 overall and finished sixth in the Big East Conference at 8-10.
'This season, I had the opportunity to see Jill in a new light as Interim Head Coach, and I was especially impressed by her ability to teach, lead, and build consensus among the young women in our program,' athletic director DeWayne Peevy said in a statement. 'She knows exactly what it takes to compete at a championship level, and she has the recruiting ability, player development expertise, and motivational leadership to bring the best to Chicago and keep them here. Jill understands the direction this program needs to go, and I have full confidence in her ability to continue the championship standard we've come to expect for our women's basketball program at DePaul.'
DePaul has made the NCAA Tournament 10 times and advanced to the Sweet 16 twice since Pizzotti's arrival. The Blue Demons have won six Big East regular-season championships and five conference tournaments in that time. She was elevated to associate head coach in 2014.
'Working to fulfill the vision of legendary coach Doug Bruno is an honor,' she said. 'We want to bring DePaul women's basketball back to national prominence and use the energy and momentum in our great sport now to reach new heights.'
A Chicago-area product, Pizzotti has three decades of coaching experience. She was head coach at Saint Louis University from 1995 to 2005 after working as an assistant at Northern Kentucky and Indiana. From 2005 to 2010, she was Nike's manager of women's college basketball, serving as the liaison with the nation's top teams as well as the Women's Basketball Coaching Association and USA Basketball. She was an assistant at West Virginia for the 2010-11 season, when the Mountainers finished 24-10 and made the NCAA Tournament.
Pizzotti has big shoes to fill at DePaul.
Bruno played for Naismith Hall of Fame coach Ray Meyer. He led the women's team to 786 wins, 25 NCAA Tournament berths and 19 conference titles over 39 seasons and two stints after initially being hired in 1977. He was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
Bruno is staying at the school as the special assistant to the vice president/director of athletics for women's basketball.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How Royals' John Rave prepared for stand-in role against White Sox on Saturday
Kansas City Royals outfielder John Rave was quick to grab his ball cap and glove from the dugout on Saturday night. His number was called. In the second inning, Rave raced to left field as a defensive replacement against the Chicago White Sox. He entered the game due to first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino exiting with a heat-related illness. 'I was told, 'Hey, if he can't go the rest of the at-bat, it's gonna be you,'' Rave said. 'So I started moving around again and started moving in the cage. Then, he finished the at-bat and I went out on defense. I came back in and took more swings in the cage and got ready pretty quickly.' Pasquantino was unable to continue after his first at-bat. This shifted Nick Loftin — who started in left field — to first base while Rave was next in line to help the team. Rave did just that. He finished 2-for-3 and hit a solo home run in the Royals' 6-2 victory at Kauffman Stadium. 'It's not always going to work out like that,' Rave said postgame. 'But yeah, just putting in the right work and try to be prepared as possible for when you get your at-bats and make them count.' Rave belted his fourth career homer off White Sox starter Sean Burke in the third inning. He saw two curveballs before connecting on a 93.9 mph fastball. It was his first home run at Kauffman Stadium. He has hit safely in his last five games with an at-bat. 'Stayed on the heater and got one down in the zone and was able to drop the barrel to it,' Rave said. 'And put a good swing on it.' This season, Rave has carved out a bench role with the Royals. He demonstrated his versatility by homering early, reaching on a sacrifice bunt and displaying smart baserunning by scoring from first base on a double. The Royals needed it Saturday. KC (62-61) climbed one game above .500 for the first time since June 10. 'He was ready,' Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. 'I mean, as soon as he saw us go out there, I knew he was ready to go. … He wants to get in there every opportunity he can.' Pasquantino agreed. He felt Rave did a great job filling in and helping the team secure a victory. 'I thought, obviously, the first at-bat was phenomenal and then laying down the bunt and scoring from first on the double, that's huge,' Pasquantino said. 'So him being ready like that, that to me shows the character of him, this team and everything. Just being ready to go like that is huge for us.' Rave has appeared in 56 games this season. He made his MLB debut on May 26 against the Cincinnati Reds and now has added another hallmark moment during his rookie campaign. 'All of it happened kind of fast, but I try to show up to the park every day and prepare the same way, whether I'm in there or not,' Rave said. 'I had taken swings today and been moving around a little bit. So it usually doesn't happen that early in the game. Yeah, I was ready to go.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
10 Biggest UFC 319 Winners and Losers, Including the New King of 185-Pounds Khamzat Chimaev
On Saturday night, the UFC returned to pay-per-view with UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The card featured several nasty knockout wins and fast-rising star Khamzat Chimaev attempting to win UFC gold for the first time. Let's look at the 10 biggest winners and losers from the much-hyped event. Khamzat Chimaev Utter domination. That is all you can say about Khamzat Chimaev. He was a sizable favorite going into the bout and proved why. Dricus Du Plessis had absolutely no answers for the young star and was mauled for five rounds. Whle he did not get the finish, 'Borz' showed why he is one of the scariest fighters in the UFC right now. Dricus Du Plessis Du Plessis was a big underdog going into the UFC 319 main event, and he did not prove odds makers wrong. As always, the South African showed tons of toughness and grit, and never lost confidence in himself. However, he was completely overwhelmed by the wave of dominance that is the new champion's wrestling attack. He had no answer for the challenger on Saturday and won't get an immediate rematch after that performance. Winner: Lerone Murphy Despite being an elite featherweight, Lerone Murphy was surprisingly an underdog in his UFC 319 clash against newcomer Aaron Pico. While he seemed overwhelmed early, he absolutely quieted all the doubters with one of the best KOs of 2025 in the co-main event. The Englishman should be in line for a title fight in his Octagon return. Loser: Aaron Pico Aaron Pico is a very talented athlete. It is why the world-class wrestler was hyped as the next great star in the sport when he turned pro in 2017. During his career, he has delivered highlight reel moments, for better and worse. The worst showed up again at UFC 319. After looking very good early against Lerone Murphy, he got hit with a nasty spinning back elbow that put him to sleep immediately. He was finished in Round 1 in his MMA debut, and gets similar treatment in his UFC debut. Winner: Carlos Prates Carlos Prates has been outstanding inside the Octagon. While he lost to fellow rising star Ian Machado Garry in April, he fought well and impressed fans. At UFC 319, he was able to bounce back from the setback with a devastating KO win over veteran Geoff Neal. He is now 5-1 in the UFC with all of them being knockouts. The Brazilian is turning into one of the division's most exciting fighters. Loser: Jared Cannonier Jared Cannonier has been an elite fighter in the middleweight division for the last five years. However, age is the greatest enemy of fighters, and Father Time never loses. While Cannonier was nearly able to steal a win late against Michael Page, he still came up short. He has now lost three of his last four, and this confirmed his days as a title contender are officially over. Winner & Loser: Michael Page Former Bellator star Michael Page looked good over the first round and a half of his clash with Jared Cannonier. And it seemed like he might cruise to an easy win. However, his consistent weakness when it comes to his grappling reared its head again on Saturday. While he was able to eke out the victory, he was very close to blowing a big win at UFC 319. Loser: Kai Asakura Kai Asakura had a lot of hype behind him when he entered the UFC last year. When he took an L to reigning champ Alexandre Pantoja in his debut, it was understandable. However, his submission loss to Tim Elliott at UFC 319 was a stunning outcome. It will have many wondering if he is capable of making an impact in the Octagon. Winner: Tim Elliott Veteran flyweight was a sizable underdog heading into his fight Kai Asakura. And early on, those numbers seemed warranted as the Japanese fighter's hand speed was giving him serious trouble. However, he used what made him a star and pushed forward and used his grappling. Eventually, he scored a big takedown and was able to lock in a fight-ending Guillotine choke. It was a massive win for the 38-year-old that should get him back into our UFC flyweight top 10. Loser: Jessica Andrade Jessica Andrade is a UFC strawweight legend. However, like many greats before her, she is in the midst of a nasty career decline. On Saturday night, she was handed a third straight loss by Loopy Godinez. She has now come up short in six of her last eight, and four times she has been finished. At 33, the 41 fight veteran may need to consider retirement or put her long-term health in more jeopardy.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cubs and Pirates meet in series rubber match
Pittsburgh Pirates (52-72, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (69-53, second in the NL Central) Chicago; Sunday, 2:20 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Carmen Mlodzinski (2-7, 4.20 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 62 strikeouts); Cubs: Javier Assad (0-1, 9.00 ERA, 2.25 WHIP, two strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -199, Pirates +164; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates meet on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series. Chicago is 69-53 overall and 37-23 at home. The Cubs have the fourth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .252. Pittsburgh is 18-43 on the road and 52-72 overall. The Pirates have a 36-22 record in games when they did not allow a home run. The matchup Sunday is the 10th time these teams match up this season. The Cubs have a 6-3 advantage in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Nico Hoerner has a .294 batting average to lead the Cubs, and has 20 doubles, three triples and four home runs. Dansby Swanson is 10 for 38 with a home run and an RBI over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 4-6, .226 batting average, 2.83 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs Pirates: 3-7, .223 batting average, 5.86 ERA, outscored by 29 runs INJURIES: Cubs: Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (ankle), Mike Soroka: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow) Pirates: Oneil Cruz: 7-Day IL (concussion), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
