Five years ago Jennifer Azzi was tasked with turning around the fortunes of USF's women's basketball program. The steps have been slow and steady and the Dons have improved their win total in four of the last five years while staying even in another. A breakthrough season a year ago which saw the Dons finish 19-14 overall, reach the title game of the West Coast Conference Championships and receive a bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament is perhaps a strong indicator as to where the program is on its growth cycle. However, Azzi will be the first to point out as far as the program has come there is still plenty of work ahead if the Dons are going to join the upper echelon of the WCC's hierarchy.
 
Rest assured, Azzi has never met a challenge she didn't like and she has taken to her first-ever coaching role with the same passion and determination that made her one of the greatest and most respected figures in the history of women's basketball.
 
Jennifer recently shared her thoughts on the program, her maturation as a coach and the next steps for the Dons as the team readies to open official workouts next month.
 
What excites you the most about the upcoming season?
More than anything, the mindset of our team. Having had a taste of postseason success last year it has made them hungry for more. They are working extremely hard and the energy has been fantastic. I love the leadership our seniors Taylor (Proctor) and Z (Zhane Dikes) are providing, too.
 
Last year the team took Gonzaga to four overtimes in Spokane, advanced to the finals of the WCC Championship and earned a bid to the WNIT. Do you look back at last season as the one turned the corner for the program?
I think we've seen progress every season. Last year was bittersweet in many ways because as far as we came, we didn't win the WCC Championship game or our first round WNIT game. I hope we can use that as motivation to get back into that position again this season.
 
Momentum is definitely on your side entering the season. What would be fair expectations of this year's team?
It's way too early to tell because we have seven newcomers. I can't say enough how much I appreciate the leadership of our junior and senior classes. They have been so terrific in helping our new players transition into everything we do both on and off the court. Once our formal workouts begin, we are going to have to work on building some chemistry and that's only natural with so many new players. I have a lot of confidence in our newcomers. They are hungry and talented. It's exciting but it is a very different team than last year.
 
There's a strong international influence on the roster now with Michaela Rakova (Slovakia), Anna Seilund (Denmark), the Roufosse sisters (Canada) and Zayn Dornstauder (Canada), Raushan Gultekin (Sweden) and Ninni Salmi (Finland). Is this a result of a shift in the recruiting philosophy of the program?
Definitely. We have a great blend of cultures on our team and they have really come together. The city of San Francisco is such a strong selling point for potential international students. It has the same name identity as Paris or Rome, for example. Our international students also have taken to our staff because we have played beyond college and all over the world. It makes sense. I have to give a lot of credit to Coach Blair (Hardiek). She put it out there a few years ago and said this is the direction we need to go in. She traveled to Prague for the World Championships and got our name out there. It's been tremendous ever since.
 
Building a program from the ground up takes patience. Do you consider yourself a patient person by nature?
If I have a long term vision for something, I am. But if I have to get from point A to point B, I'm always in a hurry. When I know the steps it takes to get somewhere, I can be patient. In the beginning, unfortunately we knew losing was going to be part of our growth process. There were days when I said this is really, really hard. A lot of people aren't willing to stick through the tough times whatever the difficult journey they maybe on. From day one, we've been good to our players and they have bought in.
 
As far as the program has come, what is the next step?
I think we are in unchartered territory, to be honest but the sky is the limit. If we continue to follow the process, develop our players and not worry about records, we'll be successful. There are going to be great seasons and not so great seasons but we are always moving forward.
 
In your five seasons, what have you learned about yourself as a head coach?
I think I've grown a lot. I've also learned there are things I don't have control over and that was hard in the beginning. What's the saying, "Know what you can control, know what you can't control and have the wisdom to know the difference?" What we can control is putting our players in a position to be successful and giving them with all of the tools they need to reach their goals. I've never lost at anything. Coaching isn't about the coach – it's about having a group of dedicated student-athletes that want to be successful. As great as a coach Tara (Van DerVeer) is to this day, she never had to motivate me to get better. Coaches are teachers but what is really exhausting is when you have to constantly motivate your players. If you don't have to do that, coaching is really enjoyable.
 
When people hear or see USF Basketball, what do you want them to think about?
Excellence. Our team GPA last year was a 3.3 and Kalyn Simon had a perfect 4.0. We are part of a great university that provides a world-class education and a first-rate basketball experience. You can have the best of both worlds here at USF. I want people to look at our team and see a group of high-achievers, but at the same time young women who are socially conscience about the world around them. We want to develop basketball players and students but at the same time women who are kind, caring and thoughtful people.
 
When you see Becky Hammon on the bench of the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach, Jen Welter working as an inside linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals in their training camp and most recently, Nancy Lieberman being named as an assistant coach of the Sacramento Kings, do you think the gender gap is closing when it comes to coaching on the professional level?
I played for Nancy in Detroit and she is an excellent, excellent coach. I'm not sure if that gap is closing because of what Becky, Jen and Nancy have accomplished but it's a great start. In just about every other profession, there isn't a gender gap. There are male and female doctors, male and female lawyers and on-and-on. We have lots of male coaches in the women's game but not too many women in the men's game. But I think the cross-over is great provided the women are placed in a position to succeed. I think we'll see more of it.