Written By: Jason Groves/Las Cruces Sun-News

LAS CRUCES - New Mexico State women's basketball coach Darin Spence has named Anthony Giannotti assistant coach.

Giannotti replaced Joel Washington, who left the program to be near family following the Aggies' 9-22 season last year.

"I think he is a great fit," said Spence, who enters his seventh year at NMSU. "The best thing about him is he is a great person with a lot of energy to him. He will bring a lot of enthusiasm and he is a strong recruiter."

As the top assistant on the Aggies' staff, Giannotti is responsible primarily for recruiting, as well as skill development for post players.

"All of the guys that he has worked for are coaches that I've known and respect," Spence said. "He will be there for the coaching staff and our players. He is there to push the Aggie Agenda as I call it and help improve the program."

Giannotti was an assistant coach at Cape Coral High School in Florida last year after spending 2006-08 as an assistant at Saint Mary's. Giannotti started coaching at Southern Utah, where he was an assistant men's coach in 2001-02 and a women's assistant from 2003-06.