Stars: Dan Hughes to step after season, Ruth Riley named general manager as part of succession plan
After 16 years coaching in the WNBA, San Antonio Stars coach Dan Hughes will step down after the season. As part of his succession plan to help find a new coach and transition, the team named Ruth Riley as the general manager effective immediately. Hughes will mentor Riley throughout the season. The franchise will hire a new head coach at the end of the season.
“I have truly enjoyed every moment of my 16 years in the WNBA but I reached a point personally and professionally where it’s time for a change,” said Hughes. “We are fortunate to add Ruth Riley. She is very bright, knows the women’s game well and has a drive and passion to succeed. The future of the Stars is in good hands and I look forward to assisting her as she learns her new role. I’m excited for my final season with the Stars and will be forever thankful to our players and coaches, the great employees at SS&E and our wonderful fans for all of the support my family and I have received here in San Antonio during the last decade.”
Hughes has coached the most games in league history (490) and has the second most wins (230). He won the WNBA Coach of the Year honor in 2001 and 2007. During his time in the league he has been a head coac hof the Charlotte Sting, the Cleveland Rockers and San Antonio
Riley played 13 seasons in the league. She announced her retirement in 2014. With the Detroit Shock she won two championships (2003, 2006) and was the 2003 WNBA Finals MVP. She entered the league as the fifth overall pick by the Miami Sol in the 2001 WNBA Draft. She was traded to the Silver Stars in 2007, where she played five seasons from 2007-11. She won an Olympic gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
A Notre Dame graduate, Riley played for the Fighting Irish from 1997-2001 and led Notre Dame to the 2001 NCAA Championship. She received numerous accolades her senior season including Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, Naismith Player of the Year, BIG EAST Player of the Year and Academic All-American of the Year.
“Having played in San Antonio for five years, I know how committed the organization is to maintaining success through a values-based culture that is emblematic of this city. While my vantage point has now changed from the court to the stands, I still carry the same championship mentality, competitive spirit, and commitment to community that I had as a player to this new position in management,” said Riley. “It is such a luxury to have a legendary figure in the WNBA, Dan Hughes, as a resource and mentor. I am blessed to have played in a league that I love for 13 years and I look forward to this new role as the GM. I am thrilled to have the chance to return to the best organization in sports and a city that feels like home.”
She returned to Notre Dame to earn an Executive MBA degree from the Mendoza College of Business and will graduate in May.
