Wisconsin women’s basketball bolsters coaching staff with splash new assistant hire

The Wisconsin women's coaching staff has been at three for weeks. Robin Pingeton was hired back in March, and a couple of weeks later, she made her first two assistant coaching hires with former assistants she had at Missouri. She brought with her McGhee Mann and Chris Bracey from Missouri. Since those hires, it's been quiet, and no news about how Pingeton was planning to fill out the rest of her coaching staff had surfaced.

Yesterday, she finally added a new assistant coach, and it's a very intriguing one. The new assistant is a splash hire in many ways, as the new assistant is a highly decorated former collegiate player who played point guard under the best women's basketball coach of all time, Pat Summit.

Wisconsin women's basketball announces the addition of Ariel Massengale as a new assistant coach

Ariel Massengale was a star collegiate player at the University of Tennessee. After her college career, she was drafted into the WNBA but soon after made a transition to the coaching ranks. She has coached at Ole Miss and Lipscomb but most recently at SIUE. She is also a four-time Olympic gold medalist. This is a highly accomplished career, and one of the assistant coaches on the rise.

In the press release about her hire, Robin Pingeton said this about Massengale:

"She's a rising star who brings great experience as both a player and coach. Ariel played under Pat Summitt and knows what it takes to win at the highest level. Her ability to develop players, recruit talent, and lead with energy will be a big addition to our program. With strong ties to the Midwest, she understands the region and will connect well with our student-athletes and community."

Robin Pingeton

She seems to be an excellent addition to the coaching staff. She knows what it takes to win at the highest levels in the college world, which she picked up a lot under Pat Summit and also in her own journey throughout her coaching career.