Anne Donovan leaving New York Liberty to coach Seton Hall

Hall of Famer Anne Donovan, coach of the WNBA New York Liberty, is set to take over at Seton Hall. The hiring was first reported by  The Record of Hackensack on its website Sunday night. Just a few hours after the news spread via Twitter, NJ.com/The Star-Ledger also filed a story on the hiring.

Donovan, a native of Ridgewood, New Jersey, will be the second coach in a year to leave the WNBA for the college ranks. USC coach Michael Cooper coached the Los Angeles Sparks before taking over the Trojans this past season. He announced his hiring before his last season with the Sparks. It has not been revealed yet if Donovan will take a similar route.

Seton Hall is expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday announcing its new coach. The school had an abysmal season, going (9-21, 1-15 Big East). The former coach for the Pirates, Phyllis Mangina, resigned on March 15. She posted an overall record of 352-368 after 25 seasons at SHU.

Donovan became the head coach of the New York Liberty in early December 2009. After taking over as the Liberty’s interim head coach halfway through the 2009 regular season, Donovan compiled a 7-10 overall record. She began her WNBA career as the interim head coach of the expansion Indiana Fever in 2000, followed by head coaching positions with the Charlotte Sting (2001-2002) and the Seattle Storm (2003-2007).

She coached the 2008 U.S. Women’s Senior National Team to gold in Beijing. As a player, she won gold with the 1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympic Teams. A Naismith Award winner and three-time All-American selection at Old Dominion, Donovan was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.