Donovan, Anne

Anne Donovan, (born November 1, 1961, Ridgewood, New Jersey, U.S.—died June 13, 2018, Wilmington, North Carolina), American basketball player who is often credited with revolutionizing the centre position in women’s basketball. She later had a successful coaching career.

As a 6-foot 8-inch (2.03-metre) college freshman, Donovan faced high expectations when she entered Old Dominion University (ODU), home of one of the country’s most successful women’s basketball programs, immediately following the conclusion of future Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman’s career. Donovan did not disappoint. She helped the Monarchs to a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championship in her first season and went on to establish a storied collegiate career (1979–83), culminating with her selection as national player of the year in 1983. Donovan was a three-time All-American (1981–83), led the country in rebounding in 1982, and set school records in scoring (2,719 points), rebounding (1,976), and blocked shots (801). Her total of 801 blocks is the highest in NCAA history but technically not a record, because the NCAA did not officially keep that statistic until 1987–88.

Donovan was named to the U.S. Olympic team three times (1980, 1984, and 1988) and contributed to the gold medal drives of 1984 and 1988, making her one of only two women basketball players to win two gold medals. She was also selected to play on seven other U.S. national teams between 1977 and 1988 and was a cocaptain of world championship and Pan American teams in 1986 and 1987.

Donovan played semiprofessionally in Japan from 1983 to 1988 and in Italy from 1988 to 1989. In 1989 she returned to the United States to accept an assistant coaching position at her alma mater. Donovan remained on the Old Dominion staff until 1995, when she became head coach at East Carolina University, where she served until 1998. After leaving East Carolina she was the head coach for a number of Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchises. In 2004 Donovan led the Seattle Storm to its first WNBA championship. She was the head coach of Seton Hall University from 2010 to 2013. Donovan also won a gold medal as the head coach of the U.S. national team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In addition to coaching, she worked with several organizations involved with women’s basketball, including serving on the executive committee for USA basketball and the organizing committee for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Donovan was widely recognized as the prototype centre who altered the profile of the position in women’s basketball. While she was a dominant presence around the offensive and defensive basket, she still was mobile enough to run the floor, possessed good passing skills, and had an above-average shooting range of 15–17 feet (4.5–5 metres). Widely regarded as the first centre to develop into such a complete player, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.