The Wisconsin women’s basketball team will officially name Jonathan Tsipis as the new head coach Thursday.
Tsipis, the former George Washington University head coach, brings an excellent track record as both an assistant and head coach in women’s college basketball. He will look to provide the program, which has been highly unsuccessful over the past several years, with a much-needed jolt of energy.
The former head coach Bobbie Kelsey was fired earlier this month after five lackluster seasons.
Here is what you need to know about the newest member of the UW family:
Rebuilding is nothing new for Tsipis
Tsipis inherited a GWU team that went 11-18 the previous season and was among the worst teams in the Atlantic 10 conference. It took the head coach no more than two seasons to turn the program back into one of the conference’s best. After going 14-16 in his first season, the team posted a 23-11 record in his second.
From there, things only went up for Tsipis and the Generals, going 55-11 over the next two seasons. They earned at least a share of the conference and a trip to the NCAA tournament in each.
Tsipis now faces a similar situation with the Wisconsin team, which went 7-22 in the 2015-16 season. With a large group of seniors departing, the new head coach will have a tough task ahead.
Women’s basketball: Head coach fired after five lackluster seasons
Tsipis has found success at a larger program too
Before being named the head coach at George Washington, Tsipis served as both an assistant and associate head coach at Notre Dame, which has one of the most successful women’s basketball programs in the entire country.
During his time there, the team went 228-77, reaching the NCAA tournament every year. They also managed to reach the Sweet 16 three times and National Championship game twice.
The highlight of his time at Notre Dame came during the 2008-09 season, when Tsipis was one of five coaches to receive the BasketballScoop.com Coach of the Year honor. This award recognizes the best assistant coaches in the country.
Tsipis has earned high praise from those he has worked under
In his time at Notre Dame, Tsipis worked under Muffet McGraw, one of the most successful head coaches in women’s college basketball history.
McGraw had nothing but good things to say on UND.com about Wisconsin’s newest head coach during his final season on the Fighting Irish Staff.
“[Tsipis] has done a tremendous job as our recruiting coordinator and his track record in terms of player development and game scouting is among the best in the country,” McGraw said. “I rely on him for his invaluable insights, passion and drive, and I’m looking forward to having him on the bench as we continue making our move back to the top of college basketball.
“He’s a great teacher who stresses the fundamentals above everything else. His scouting reports and game preparation skills are also excellent, and he’s very poised and confident under pressure.”
