At 6'6", Donovan led her high school team to consecutive undefeated seasons, including two state championships.
In 1979, Anne received offers from more than 250 schools, including a recruiting pitch from Penn State's Joe Paterno.
At Old Dominion University (ODU), the center led the Lady Monarchs to the 1979–80 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women basketball championship.
Donovan's 50 points in a single game against Norfolk State on December 11, 1980, is a school record, while her 801 career blocked shots is best in NCAA history.
At ODU, Donovan helped the Lady Monarchs win the 1980 AIAW national title (their second straight) with a 37–1 record.
In Donovan's senior year, the Lady Monarchs (29–6) advanced to the 1983 Final Four in their hometown, but lost 71–55 in the national semifinals to rival Louisiana Tech.
Source[4] As there were few professional opportunities for women basketball players in the U.S., Donovan played pro ball for Chanson V-Magic in Shizuoka, Japan and Modena, Italy from 1984 to 1989.
[1] Her coaching career moved to the professional ranks via a brief stint with the American Basketball League's Philadelphia Rage in 1997–98.
[6] In 2003, Donovan was hired as the second head coach of the Seattle Storm, inheriting a team with two number one draft picks from 2001 and 2002, the Australian Lauren Jackson and University of Connecticut star Sue Bird.
In the 2005 season, in which Donovan became the first female coach to win 100 games, the Storm made the playoffs but lost in the first round.
On November 6, 2010, Donovan recorded her first win as the head coach of Seton Hall's women's team as the Pirates defeated the Temple Owls by a score of 72–59 at Walsh Gymnasium.
[9] Donovan was named to the team representing the US at the inaugural William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan.
[11] Donovan was a member of the USA National team at the 1983 World Championships, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The Soviets Elena Chausova received the inbounds pass and hit the game winning shot in the final seconds, giving the USSR team the gold medal with a score of 84–82.
[14] In 1984, the USA sent its National team to the 1984 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan, for pre-Olympic practice.
This set up the final against the Soviet Union, led by 7-foot-2 Uljana Semjonova, considered the most dominant player in the world.
The Soviet team, had a 152–2 record in major international competition over the prior three decades, including an 84–82 win over the US in the 1983 World Championships.
For the entire event, Donovan averaged eleven points, tied for third leading scorer with Katrina McClain Johnson.
The USA team started by scoring the first eight points, and raced to a 45–23 lead, although the Soviets fought back and reduced the halftime margin to 13.
The game remained close, and was within three points with just over twelve seconds to go, but Swoopes was fouled and sank the free throws to give the USA a 79–74 win and the gold medal.
[19] In 2004, Donovan was named the assistant coach of the National team representing the US at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
The final would be a rematch of the 2000 Olympic results, and the USA team again prevailed, winning 74–63 to secure the gold medal.
Newcomers Sue Bird, Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi picked up the slack, but it was a team in transition.
As an additional challenge, some members of the squad were unable to join the team for practices due to WNBA commitments.
The team dominated their opponents, winning all eight games with the closest result being the fifteen-point victory over Russia in the semifinals.
In that game, the Russian held a lead into the third quarter, but the USA team proved to be too strong, and turned a five-point deficit into a fifteen-point final margin of victory.