Former Coyote coach Dawn Plitzuweit introduced at Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (Dakota News Now) - The Dawn Plitzuweit era officially dawned at the University of Minnesota.

The former Coyote head coach was introduced today as the 13th head coach in Gopher womens basketball history. The move comes almost a year to the day that Plitzuweit left South Dakota for West Virginia.

After just one year in Morgantown, the Wisconsin native admitted that the timing wasn’t ideal, but the chance to come closer to family and friends was something she couldn’t pass up. It also puts her back in the region she recruited while at USD that helped her win 158 games with the Coyotes and reach four straight NCAA Tournaments, including the Sweet 16 in 2022.

That’s a place Minnesota hasn’t been since 2005, and it’s been five years since the Gophers last made the NCAA Tournament. He plan to build a winner in Minneapolis sounds pretty familiar to the one she had in Vermillion.

What remains to be seen is what will become of her staff from West Virginia and USD. Dawn took her entire staff from South Dakota with her when she went to West Virginia, and it’s unclear whether Jason Jeschke, Aaron Horn and Ariel Baker will follow her to Minnesota.

Plitzuweit signed a six year contract upon taking the position.

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