Jennifer Rizzotti- Team President

Jennifer Rizzotti is a Connecticut native and the President of the Connecticut Sun of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Widely regarded as one of the most respected leaders in women’s basketball, her distinguished career spans success as a player, coach, and executive. A member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, she first rose to prominence as the starting point guard at the University of Connecticut, where she helped lead the Huskies to their first NCAA National Championship in 1995 with an undefeated 35–0 season. She went on to sweep nearly every major postseason award in 1996—including Big East Player of the Year, Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Associated Press Player of the Year, the Honda-Broderick Cup, the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, and the Wade Trophy. Rizzotti graduated as UConn’s all-time leader in assists (637) and steals (349).

Known for her leadership, toughness, and basketball IQ, Rizzotti played eight seasons of professional basketball after college. She spent five seasons in the WNBA—two with the Houston Comets, winning two WNBA championships, and three with the Cleveland Rockers. She also competed for three seasons with the New England Blizzard of the American Basketball League, earning ABL All-Star honors twice.

Rizzotti transitioned seamlessly into coaching, spending 17 seasons as head coach at the University of Hartford, where she won five conference championships, four regular-season titles, and earned America East Coach of the Year honors in 2006, 2007, and 2010. She later served as head coach at George Washington University, amassing a 388–290 overall career record.

Her influence extends deeply into international basketball through long-standing involvement with USA Basketball. She led the U18 team to gold at the 2010 FIBA Americas Championship and the U19 team to a world title in 2011, earning USA Basketball National Coach of the Year that same year. She served as a team scout during the 2014 FIBA World Championships and the 2016 Rio Olympics and as an assistant coach for the 2018 FIBA World Championships and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games during all four of the USA Women's National Team gold medal runs. In 2023, she guided the USA Basketball 3x3 Women’s National Team to multiple gold medals—at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, the Pan American Games, and the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup—earning 2023 USA Basketball 3x3 Coach of the Year. She led the U.S. 3x3 Women’s National Team again in 2024 at the Paris Olympic Games, where the team captured a bronze medal, and she was recognized as the 2024 USA Basketball 3x3 Coach of the Year.

Today, as President of the Connecticut Sun, Rizzotti oversees business operations and strategic growth for one of the league’s most competitive and community-focused franchises. Under her leadership, the Sun continue to elevate their impact on and off the court, championing innovation, community engagement, and the advancement of women’s sports.