Morgan Valley hired as women’s basketball head coach

The University of Hartford women’s basketball team welcomes their ninth head coach in program history, Morgan Valley, to join the Hawk family for the upcoming season. Valley brings more than fourteen years of Division 1 coaching experience to Hartford, with time spent coaching at universities and colleges around the country. From the University of Arizona and Washington to Virginia Tech and the University of Connecticut, Valley has had her fair share of success in coaching women’s basketball. She recently experienced a 2019 WNIT Championship at Arizona, where she spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach. The Arizona women’s basketball team was positively impacted from the moment Valley arrived on their coaching staff. Not only did the team go on to increase its win total by 11 games from the 2017-18 to 2018-19 season, but they beat two ranked opponents for the first time since 2002-03 this past season. This included No. 17 Arizona State and No. 24 Cal State. Prior to joining Arizona’s staff, she spent two seasons as an assistant at the University of Washington (2015-17) where she guided the Huskies to the team’s first-ever Final Four appearance in 2016. She was also instrumental in the development and success of player, Kelsey Plum, who became Washington’s first WBCA All-American in program history.

In addition to her coaching credentials, Valley brings a personal level of experience to her position, as she was a four-year member of the Division 1 Women’s Basketball team at UConn. During her time in Connecticut, she appeared in four Final Fours, won three NCAA Division I National Championships, and helped the Huskies post an impressive 138-8 record.

It is no surprise that Valley has experienced such success as a coach, as she has learned from Geno Auriemma, one of the most known and respected women’s basketball coaches in the country. Following her collegiate career, Valley even had the opportunity to coach as a student assistant under Auriemma. Being back in Connecticut after many years, Valley is excited to begin her journey with the Hawks. Coming off of three-straight winning seasons and consecutive America East Championship appearances under former coach Kim McNeil, Valley looks to carry on the winning tradition that has been set by an impressive group of Hartford women’s basketball players. In pairing a dynamic coach with a group of motivated and talented players, fans cannot wait for basketball season to roll around and watch as Valley makes her mark on Hartford women’s basketball.