Jonathan Tsipis, who resigned as coach at George Washington on Monday, was named coach of the Wisconsin Badgers women's basketball team on Thursday.
Tsipis, 43, led George Washington to consecutive Atlantic 10 championships and NCAA tournament appearances. The Colonials went 92-38 during his four seasons as coach.
"He knows what it takes to play at a championship level, and then you go out and do it on your own," Badgers athletic director Barry Alvarez said. "I liked the fact he went out and took his own team and built it.
"He's a guy, I understand, that will get out in the community and sell the program. He was everything I was looking for."
We are excited to announce Jonathan Tsipis as our new @BadgerWBB head coach. What a great day for the #Badgers! pic.twitter.com/Pct1zHqNNs
— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) March 31, 2016
Tsipis, who is the first man hired to coach the Wisconsin women's basketball team, succeeds Bobby Kelsey, who was fired after five consecutive losing seasons, as the seventh coach in Wisconsin history. The Badgers haven't finished above .500 since 2010-11.
Tsipis also worked as an assistant at powerhouse Notre Dame under Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw.
"When you look for a coach, you look for the best person available, male or female," Alvarez said. "We interviewed both. This is who we felt is the best fit for us."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.