Jennifer Azzi
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Oak Ridge, Tennessee | August 31, 1968|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 143 lb (65 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
High school | Oak Ridge (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College | Stanford (1986–1990) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WNBA draft | 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selected by the Detroit Shock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1990–2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Point guard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1990–1991 | SISV Viterbo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1991–1993 | US Valenciennes-Orchies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993–1995 | Arvika Basket | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1996–1998 | San Jose Lasers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999 | Detroit Shock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000–2003 | Utah Starzz/San Antonio Silver Stars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010–2016 | University of San Francisco | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stats at WNBA.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Jennifer Lynn Azzi (born August 31, 1968)[1] is a former basketball coach, most recently the head coach of the women's team at the University of San Francisco.[2] Azzi is also a former collegiate and professional basketball player, as well as an Olympic and FIBA world champion. Azzi was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.[3]
Basketball career[]
College[]
Azzi received a scholarship and played point guard for Stanford University's women's basketball team from 1987 to 1990. During her four years at Stanford, the Cardinal compiled a 101–23 win-loss record,[4] and captured two Pac-10 titles.
During her senior year (1990), Azzi led the Cardinal to the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship,[4] defeating Auburn.
Her individual accomplishments included:
- Named to the Kodak All-America First Team in 1989 and 1990.[4]
- 1990 recipient of the Wade Trophy and Naismith Award.[4][5]
- 1990—Winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball[6][7]
- NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player (MVP),[4] and the West Region MVP in 1990.
- Pac-10 Player of the Year award in 1989 and 1990.[4]
- Three time All-Pac 10 First Team selection
Azzi graduated in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in economics.
USA Basketball[]
In 1988, Azzi was named to the Jones Cup team. The USA team ended the competition with a 3–2 record, but that was enough to secure the silver medal. Azzi averaged 5.4 points per game.[8]
Azzi was a member of the USA National team at the 1990 World Championships, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The team won their opening round games fairly easily, with the closest of the first three games a 27-point victory over Czechoslovakia. Then they faced Cuba, a team that had beaten the US in exhibition matches only a few weeks earlier. The USA team was losing at halftime, but came back to win 87–78. The USA team found itself behind at halftime to Canada in their next game, but came back to win easily 95–70. After an easy match against Bulgaria, in which Azzi hit three of four three-pointers, and scored a team high 13 points, the USA team faced Czechoslovakia again, end achieved an almost identical result, winning 87–59. In the title match, the USA team won the gold medal with a score of 88–78. Azzi averaged 4.6 points per game, and recorded 15 assists, second highest on the team.[9]
Azzi played with the USA team at the 1991 Pan American Games. The team finished with a record of 4–2, but managed to win the bronze medal. The USA team lost a three-point game to Brazil, then responded with wins over Argentina and Cuba, earning a spot in the medal round. The next game was a rematch against Cuba, and this time the team from Cuba won a five-point game. The USA beat Canada easily to win the bronze. Azzi averaged 6.7 points per game.[10]
Azzi was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. women's basketball team at the 1994 Goodwill Games, which was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Azzi was named to the USA national team and competed in the 1994 World Championships, held in June 1994 in Sydney, Australia. The team was coached by Tara VanDerveer, and won their first six games, when they faced Brazil. In a closely contested, high-scoring game, Brazil hit ten of ten free throws in the final minute to secure a 110–107 victory. The USA won a close final game against Australia 100–95 to earn the bronze medal. Azzi averaged 4.9 points per game, while recording 16 assists, third highest on the team.[11]
She also won a gold medal while playing for the U.S. women's basketball team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.[4]
Azzi played for the USA Basketball National Team in a five-game Australian Tour event in 1998, as part of the Goldmark Cup team. The USA and Australian teams had qualified for the 2000 Olympics, and agreed to play five games in five cities in Australia. The Australians won the first three games and the USA team won the last two.[12]
She was one of six core players selected for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but she withdrew herself from consideration to avoid the extensive touring.
ABL[]
Azzi began her professional basketball career playing in the United States when she joined the San Jose Lasers of the American Basketball League (ABL) from 1996 to 1999. She was one of the cofounders of the league.[4] Her participation in the league ended when the ABL declared bankruptcy on December 22, 1998. Shortly afterward, she started a training camp for adults in San Jose, California.
WNBA[]
In 1999, Azzi was selected by the Detroit Shock in the first round (fifth overall) in the WNBA Draft. She helped lead the Shock into the playoffs that year.[4]
Just prior to the 2000 season, Azzi was traded to the Utah Starzz.[4] She remained with the team when the franchise relocated to San Antonio, Texas and changed its name to the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2003.[4]
In February 2004, Azzi announced her retirement from professional basketball.
Coaching career[]
Azzi became the head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of San Francisco in 2010.[13] On March 8, 2016, Azzi lead the Dons to a 70–68 upset over the BYU Cougars in the WCC tournament championship game to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, which was the Dons' first appearance since the 1996–97 season.[14] On September 15, 2016, Azzi stepped down as head coach of the Dons to pursue new career opportunities.[15]
Post-WNBA careers[]
Azzi served on the Board of Directors of USA Basketball for the 2005–2008 term.[16] She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.[17]
Azzi is now a motivational speaker, residing in Mill Valley, California.[18] She also runs a youth basketball camp every summer held at Tamalpais High School called Azzi Camp.[19]
In December 2014, Azzi was announced as one of the six recipients of the 2015 Silver Anniversary Awards, presented annually by the NCAA to outstanding former student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of the end of their college sports careers. The award is based on both athletic and professional success.[20]
Career statistics[]
College[]
Source[21]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Stanford | 27 | 247 | 45.3% | 0 | 68.4% | 3.7 | 6.1 | NA | NA | 9.1 |
1988 | Stanford | 32 | 405 | 43.3% | 43.2% | 79.2% | 3.9 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 12.7 |
1989 | Stanford | 31 | 513 | 54.4% | 49.5% | 78.7% | 4.2 | 6.5 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 16.5 |
1990 | Stanford | 32 | 469 | 49.7% | 44.2% | 79.8% | 3.8 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 14.7 |
Career | 122 | 1634 | 48.5% | 45.2% | 76.6% | 3.9 | 6.2 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 13.4 |
WNBA[]
Legend | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
Bold | Career high | ° | League leader |
WNBA record |
Source[22]
Regular season[]
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Detroit | 28 | 19 | 29.9 | .514 | .517° | .827 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 10.8 |
2000 | Utah | 15 | 15 | 37.3 | .452 | .417 | .930° | 2.7 | 6.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 9.6 |
2001 | Utah | 32° | 32° | 37.7 | .408 | .514° | .917 | 3.1 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 8.6 |
2002 | Utah | 32° | 32° | 36.0 | .460 | .446 | .798 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 9.6 |
2003 | San Antonio | 34° | 34° | 33.4 | .403 | .402 | .785 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 7.6 |
Career | 5 years, 3 teams | 141 | 132 | 34.7 | .445 | .458 | .845 | 2.6 | 4.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 9.1 |
Playoffs[]
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Detroit | 1 | 1 | 40.0 | .154 | .167 | – | 5.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 |
2000 | Utah | 2 | 2 | 37.5 | .250 | .286 | 1.000 | 1.5 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 4.5 |
2002 | Utah | 5 | 5 | 37.2 | .394 | .368 | .875 | 2.6 | 6.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 8.0 |
Career | 3 years, 1 teams | 8 | 8 | 37.6 | .310 | .313 | .889 | 2.6 | 5.9 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 6.8 |
Coaching record[]
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Francisco Dons (West Coast Conference) (2010–present) | |||||||||
2010–11 | San Francisco | 4–25 | 1–13 | 8th | |||||
2011–12 | San Francisco | 5–25 | 3–12 | 8th | |||||
2012–13 | San Francisco | 12–19 | 4–12 | 8th | |||||
2013–14 | San Francisco | 12–19 | 6–12 | T–7th | |||||
2014–15 | San Francisco | 19–14 | 8–10 | 6th | WNIT First Round | ||||
2015–16 | San Francisco | 21–12 | 9–9 | 6th | NCAA First Round | ||||
San Francisco: | 73–114 (.390) | 31–68 (.313) | |||||||
Total: | 73–114 (.390) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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Personal life[]
On March 31, 2016, Azzi publicly came out as gay, announcing her marriage to USF assistant Blair Hardiek, while introducing Golden State Warriors president Rick Welts at the Anti-Defamation League's Torch of Liberty Award ceremony at the Fairmont Hotel.[23] About coming out, Azzi said, "I, too, lived a long time not being 100 percent honest. Kind of the don't-ask-don't-tell kinda of thing. And it's so stupid. I don't know why we do that, but we do that. I'm a college coach. Is it going to hurt me with recruiting? What are people going to think? And you are constantly worrying about those things. What I realized in watching Rick in his path and his journey is that there is nothing more powerful than living the truth. And the best thing I can do for my team is be authentic and true to myself."[24]
Azzi and her wife Blair have two children: a son, Macklin, who was born in 2017, and a daughter, Camden, born in 2020.
References[]
- ^ "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved 23 Sep 2015.
- ^ "Molly Goodenbour named USF women's basketball coach". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ^ "Jennifer Azzi". Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Porter p. 19
- ^ "The Wade Trophy". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved 30 Jun 2014.
- ^ "Past Honda Sports Award Winners for Basketball". THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^ News, Stanford. "NCAA honors former Stanford athletes, current athletic director | The Dish". news.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- ^ "1988 Women's R. William Jones Cup". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Eleventh World Championship -- 1990". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ "Eleventh Pan American Games -- 1991". USA Basketball. Feb 20, 2014. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 15 Oct 2015.
- ^ "Twelvth [sic] World Championship for Women -- 1994". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ "All-Time Women's National Team Roster". USA Basketball. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ "Azzi introduced at San Francisco". ESPN. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "BYU women's basketball: Cougars upset by San Francisco in WCC final". Salt Lake Tribune. 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
- ^ "San Francisco women's basketball coach Jennifer Azzi resigns". WashingtonPost.com. 2016-09-15. Archived from the original on 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ^ "2005-2008 USA Basketball Executive Committee" (PDF). USA Basketball. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ "WBHOF Inductees". WBHOF. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
- ^ Albee, Dave (January 17, 2007). "Jennifer Azzi: Hall-of-Famer moves to Marin". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "Azzi Basketball Camp". Jennifer Azzi. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ "NCAA honors six former athletes with Silver Anniversary Awards" (Press release). NCAA. December 4, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "Women's Basketball Finest" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
- ^ "Jennifer Azzi WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Azzi comes out as gay; wedded to top assistant". ESPN. 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "Jennifer Azzi comes out as gay, announces marriage to her USF assistant coach". April 1, 2016.
Sources[]
- David L. Porter, ed. (2005). Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30952-6.
External links[]
- 1968 births
- Living people
- All-American college women's basketball players
- American expatriate basketball people in France
- American expatriate basketball people in Italy
- American expatriate basketball people in Sweden
- American women's basketball coaches
- American women's basketball players
- Basketball coaches from Tennessee
- Basketball players at the 1991 Pan American Games
- Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Basketball players from Tennessee
- Detroit Shock players
- Goodwill Games medalists in basketball
- LGBT basketball players
- LGBT businesspeople from the United States
- LGBT people from California
- LGBT people from Tennessee
- LGBT sportspeople from the United States
- Lesbian sportswomen
- Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball
- Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
- Pan American Games medalists in basketball
- Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)
- People from Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- People of Italian descent
- Point guards
- San Antonio Stars players
- San Francisco Dons women's basketball coaches
- San Jose Lasers players
- Stanford Cardinal women's basketball players
- Utah Starzz players
- Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games
- Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games
- United States women's national basketball team players