June 25, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Ali Jaques, an assistant coach at George Washington University the past two seasons, was named assistant coach for Northwestern's women's basketball program, head coach Joe McKeown announced today.

While with the Colonials, Jaques assisted with all phases of the program, including serving as recruiting coordinator. In just two seasons, Jaques helped GW to two Atlantic 10 championships and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. The Colonials posted a 55-11 mark during her tenure.

"I am very excited to have Ali join our staff at Northwestern," McKeown said. "She is one of the top recruiters in college basketball and was an integral part of our success in going to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances at G.W. Her attitude, work ethic and energy will have a great impact on Northwestern women's basketball."

"Coaching at Northwestern is an amazing opportunity and I am grateful to Coach McKeown for giving me the chance to continue working for him," Jaques said. "Northwestern's academic reputation provides an opportunity to recruit elite athletes from all over the country and world. I look forward to helping move our program to the top of the Big Ten."

Prior to her time at GW, Jaques was an assistant at Dayton and helped lead the Flyers to a 17-12 overall record during the 2005-06 campaign, which marked the program's first winning season since the 2000-01 season. Jaques also was responsible for organizing the Flyers' recruiting plan efforts.

Before joining Dayton's staff, Jaques was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Furman University for three seasons. She joined the staff in the summer of 2002 and helped the Paladins to 52 victories during her tenure.

Jaques spent three seasons at Sacred Heart University after a year as an assistant at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., before joining the staff at Furman.

A 1998 graduate of New York University, the Rosemont, N.J., native was a four-year letterwinner and led her squad to four appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament, including a national championship in 1997. Jaques earned the Coach's Award twice and also was selected as a team captain for the 1997-98 season. She graduated with majors in broadcast journalism and German.