University of Hartford women’s basketball coach Jennifer Rizzotti announced the addition of 2011 graduate Jackie Smith to her staff.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jackie to our staff,” said Rizzotti. “Her leadership skills were instrumental in our program’s monumental success during her tenure here as a player. She knows what it takes to win championships and she’s proven in a short amount of time that she can translate that into coaching. We’re glad to have her back.”

Smith returns to West Hartford after spending the last year as an assistant coach at Stonehill College where she was responsible for recruiting, strength and conditioning, practice and game preparation and film editing.

While at Hartford, Smith was a starting point guard for the Hawks as the program earned its highest national ranking, 19th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. She helped lead Hartford to three NCAA Tournament appearances and a WNIT appearance as the Hawks won three America East regular season titles and two Conference Championship crowns.

Smith, who hails from Westfield, Mass., earned All-America East honors as a junior and was also named to the league’s All-Academic Team. She finished her career ranked second all-time in Hartford history for career free throw percentage (.815), sixth for career three-point field goals made (107), seventh in career assists (292) and eighth in career games played (122).

Smith graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor’s Degree in elementary and special education and a minor in sociology from the College of Arts and Sciences.

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