Bill Sullivan, the former women’s basketball assistant coach, will rejoin the coaching staff one year after departing the program, head coach Jennifer Rizzotti announced Monday.

Sullivan will return to the program as an assistant coach for the 2018-19 season, and the season will mark his 18th alongside Rizzotti. He will replace former assistant coach Jackie Smith, who took over as head coach at Connecticut College in July.

“I hope I can help in any way to fill the void left with the departure of now Connecticut College Head Coach Jackie Smith,” Sullivan said in the release. “She’ll be missed.”

Sullivan resigned after the 2016-17 season to spend more time with his family. Rizzotti said in the release that Sullivan, who is her husband, will work for the squad part-time, which is the “best of both worlds” for their family.

“Sully has been by my side for my entire career,” Rizzotti said. “There are a lot of great assistant coaches in women’s basketball, but not any who know me and what drives me, knows the kind of players I want to coach and knows the game at the level he does.”

Sullivan spent the 2016-17 season on the sidelines for the Colonials after working under Rizzotti at Hartford for more than 15 years. In his single season with the Colonials, he coached the team to its third-consecutive Atlantic 10 regular-season championship.

The reigning A-10 Champions kick off the 2018-19 season taking on James Madison on the road Nov. 8.