It's a new day for Gopher women's basketball.
The season-opener against Long Island University at Williams Arena Wednesday marks the debut of new head coach Dawn Plitzuweit.
Plitzuweit has been coaching for 17 years, and comes to the Gophers from West Virginia, where she spent just a year. Before that, Plitzuweit led South Dakota to four NCAA Tournament appearances, and also spent time as an assistant at Michigan, which brought her to Minnesota from time to time.
Plitzuweit replaces Lindsay Whalen, who left the program with two years remaining on her contract.
Whalen was hired in 2018 to coach at her alma mater and lead the Gophers to a 21-11 record in her first season. But the Gophers struggled after that and in five seasons at Minnesota, she led the Gophers to a 71–76 overall record and 32–58 record in conference play.
"It was an honor of a lifetime," Whalen said after announcing her departure. "I am grateful to my assistant coaches and staff and want to thank them for everything they did for our student-athletes during the last five years. We did things the right way and created a lot of memories, but now is the right time for me to step aside and return to being a proud alum. I look forward to supporting and cheering on the next head coach."
Plitzuweit inherits a team that won only four Big Ten games last season. Her coaching style has tended to emphasize good defensive play. She also inherits a solid sophomore class of Mara Braun, Mallory Heyer, Nia Holloway and Amaya Battle. Braun was among the Big Ten coaches preseason picks to be an All-Big Ten player.