DePaul promoted Jill Pizzotti to head coach of the women’s basketball team. She will replace longtime coach Doug Bruno, who retired last week.
Pizzotti, a native of Lombard, served as interim coach for the 2024-25 season while Bruno was out on medical leave. She has been on the DePaul coaching staff since the 2011-12 season.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the DePaul women’s basketball program,” Pizzotti said in a statement. “Working to fulfill the vision of legendary coach Doug Bruno is an honor. We want to bring DePaul women’s basketball back to national prominence and use the energy and momentum in our great sport now to reach new heights.”
‘‘Jill Pizzotti, that’s my recommendation,’’ Bruno told the Sun-Times last week after announcing his retirement. ‘‘I’m pulling for her to get the job. She’s my choice, if I have anything to say about it.’’
Bruno stepped down seven months after suffering a stroke that left him in a coma for weeks and caused him to miss the 2024-25 season. Bruno had been with the Blue Demons for 39 years and 38 seasons as coach.
“Jill Pizzotti is the right leader at the right time for DePaul Women’s Basketball. Her vast experience at the highest levels of the game — both as a head coach and a key figure in high-major programs — sets her apart even before you factor in her longstanding work at DePaul,” vice president and director of athletics DeWayne Peevy said in a statement.
Pizzotti spent 10 seasons as the head coach at Saint Louis University from 1995-2005.