Morgan Valley leaves Hartford to become UConn assistant

STORRS, Conn. (AP) - Hartford women's basketball coach Morgan Valley has left the school to become an assistant at UConn, her alma mater.

Valley replaces Shea Ralph, who left the Huskies last week to become head coach at Vanderbilt.

Valley played at UConn from 2000 to 2004, where she was part for three national championship teams.

She was just 4-37 in her two seasons at Hartford. The Hawks were 3-9 in February when the school canceled the remainder of the season, citing coronavirus concerns.

Valley spent the 14 previous seasons as an assistant, with stints at Arizona, Washington, Virginia Tech, UMass, Towson, New Hampshire and Holy Cross.

'œWe're absolutely thrilled to have Morgan come on board,'ť UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. 'œWe wanted to get someone in here who had varied experiences, and certainly Morgan, since her playing days at UConn, has had an impact at numerous schools around the country."

Valley's departure from Hartford follows last week's announcement by that school's president that the school is considering moving the its athletic programs from Division I to Divison III.

But Valley said her departure was all about returning to Storrs.

'œI was not planning on leaving Hartford until I received the call from UConn,'ť Valley said in a statement. 'œI will forever be grateful to the University of Hartford, which will always have a special place in my heart."

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