Dawn Plitzuweit Explains Why She Left West Virginia

The former women's hoops coach opens up on her decision to bolt from Morgantown.

A year ago, many viewed Dawn Plitzuweit as a home run hire for West Virginia, following the retirement of longtime head coach Mike Carey. She had a terrific resume at South Dakota where she owned a 158-36 record, three regular-season Summit League championships, three conference tournament championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances, and a berth in the 2022 NCAA Sweet 16.

In her first year on the job at WVU, she led the Mountaineers to a 19-12 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It was a short-lived experience as the Mountaineers were bounced in the first round by Arizona 75-62 and not long after, reports began to surface that Plitzuweit was on her way out the door.

Last Saturday, it became official that Plitzuweit would be leaving WVU after just one year to take the head coaching job at Minnesota. 

During her introductory press conference, she explained why she made the decision.

"Couldn't control the timing. Certainly not something we planned on in any way. But why Minnesota? You look at our academic reputation, our institution, and we have something that's really special. We have an opportunity to play in the Big Ten - best conference in the country. We have an opportunity here to do something and recruit young ladies in our backyard to build this and they have an opportunity to stay close to home. Our fans have an opportunity to watch them grow throughout their high school careers and then into their college careers. We have a fan base here that loves women's basketball. There's a lot that's really special about that. Look at the Big Ten tournament and the crowds that we had down the road. And for me, personally, it's an opportunity to come home. This is a dream opportunity and one that I'm very excited about."

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