LAS CRUCES – New Mexico State women’s basketball head coach Darin Spence announced Tuesday, July 7, that he has hired Tony Giannotti as an assistant coach.
Giannotti’s responsibilities with the team will include spearheading NM State’s recruiting efforts and coaching the Aggie post players. He becomes the 35th assistant coach to work with the New Mexico State women’s basketball program.
“I’m excited to be a part of coach Spence’s staff and to work with his group of talented, young players,” Giannotti said. “There are so many positive things going on at the University and the women’s basketball program is heading in the right direction. I know that there is a lot in place for us to do really well and I’m looking forward to getting to work.”
Giannotti comes to NM State with eight years of coaching experience and was most recently coaching at Cape Coral High School in Cape Coral, Fla. Before that, Giannotti spent two seasons (2006-08) as an assistant women’s basketball coach at St. Mary’s College (Calif.) and three years (2003-06) at his alma mater of Southern Utah. In the 2001-02 season, Giannotti was an assistant coach for SUU’s men’s basketball team.
Spence said that Giannotti is a quality person who cares for everything and everyone that he works around.
“Tony is a good teacher of kids and especially post players,” Spence said. “We already got a great group of post players and he can get in there and work on their continued development. He works very hard on recruiting, which is something that we were looking for and we are excited to have him jump on board.”
In two years at St. Mary’s College, Giannotti helped lead the Gaels to a 30-31 record and he coached three different players that received all-conference recognition. Jontelle Smith earned first team all-West Coast Conference accolades in 2006 and 2007 under Giannotti while she set the school record for most 3-point field goals made in a career.
Forward Maija Lahde was named to the all-WCC honorable mention list in 2007 and forward Louella Tomlinson was named to the 2008 WCC All-Freshman team under Giannotti’s tutelage. Tomlinson, who was recruited by Giannotti, broke the NCAA Division I record for blocks in a season by a freshman with 156.
In his three years with Southern Utah’s women’s basketball team, the Thunderbirds compiled a 40-44 record.
Giannotti received his bachelor’s degree from Southern Utah University in physical education in coaching/athletic training.
Courtesy: Laura Jacobsen
