By
Kamy Shaygan
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Coach's husband part of Tomey's staff
As tears streamed down Denise Dove Ianello's face after receiving a heartwarming card from the UA women's basketball team, the 31-year old associate head coach admitted that this might be her last season at Arizona.
Dove Ianello, simply known as Dove to her friends, is married to Rob Ianello, the Arizona football recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach.
"(The team) gave me a card saying that they're there, they support me and Rob, and that they are really happy that I'm their coach," Dove Ianello said. "It brought tears to my eyes, and it was one of those things that made me feel good."
Because of the recent resignation of UA head football coach Dick Tomey, Ianello's job status is shaky, at best. The new UA football head coach - who will be hired in the upcoming months - will assign his own staff of coaches.
Whether Ianello will be one of them is yet unknown.
"It will all depend on (the new UA football head coach)," Dove Ianello said. "He decides whether he wants to retain some of his staff. As times move on, things will play themselves out."
Despite the uncertainty of her husband's job, Dove Ianello is focusing her primary attention on the UA women's basketball season.
"It's one of those things that I have to separate away from my team, because I don't want something personal with me to affect the players or how I coach," Dove Ianello said. "The team needs me. They need their coach. I have to do a good job in being there for them, being there to coach and being there for them personally."
Dove Ianello has thought about leaving Arizona after this season if her husband finds a job out of state.
"We definitely talked about that," Dove Ianello said. "We wouldn't be married unless we talked about our future plans. We would need to decide that together if he were to take a job out of state. Once the (women's basketball) season were to end, then I would move to where he would take that job - but there is a lot (of time) between now and then."
Rob Ianello will continue to help recruit for the UA football program until a new coach is named.
"He just wants to keep the recruiting effort alive and up to date," Dove Ianello. "He's done a really good job of keeping the training going, as for recruiting."
Dove Ianello was surprised by Tomey's resignation, which took place following Friday's 30-17 loss to Arizona State at Arizona Stadium.
"I think it was a shock for everybody," Dove Ianello said. "It got into the area of personal attacks to the point where it affected his family."
Whether a new football coach will affect her family is yet to be seen.
