The America East is kicking off its countdown to the
Basketball Tip-Off Event by previewing each of the 18 teams. Today, we preview
both the men’s and women’s basketball teams from Hartford University.
Hartford Hawks Men's Preview: (Click Here for Full Preview)
As he prepares to enter his first season as the head coach
of the Hartford Hawks men's basketball program, John Gallagher finds himself in
a unique situation. During his tenure as an associate coach at Hartford during
the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, Gallagher played an instrumental role in
recruiting many of the key players that make up the roster heading into this
season. This same core group helped Hartford win a school-record 18 games and
reach the league title game for the only time in school history during the
tremendous 2007-08 campaign.
Hartford Hawks Women's Preview: (Click Here for Full Preview)
During her 11 seasons as the head coach of the Hartford
Hawks women's basketball team, Jennifer Rizzotti has built the program into a
national power. While there have been many successful seasons with Rizzotti in
charge, few people would challenge that the 2009-10 campaign was one of the
finest in program history. Last season saw the Hawks compile a 20-game winning
streak, including an undefeated run through America East play. This tremendous
success helped extend the streak of 20+ win seasons to six, as well as helped
the Hawks receive a national ranking in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.