UAB women’s basketball head coach Randy Norton has announced the addition of Dodie Dunson II to his coaching staff for the upcoming 2018-19 campaign. Dunson II will work primarily with the post players.
Dunson II joins the Blazers’ staff after spending the last two seasons at Sothern Illinois Edwardsville (SIUE), where he served as both an assistant coach and the team’s recruiting coordinator.
“We are beyond excited to have Dodie Dunson II join our staff,” Norton said. “He is going to be a fantastic addition to our current staff. I am very familiar with Dodie and his entire family, meeting them 15 years ago in Bloomington, Illinois. I have followed Dodie’s playing and coaching career for the past 15 years, along with his outstanding college career both at Iowa State and Bradley University. He has a second-to-none work ethic and passion for the game of basketball. Even more important is his desire to impact his players lives through the game of basketball. I have always been so impressed with his work ethic, as well as his basketball IQ. He is a high-character, high-integrity individual who is very passionate about the game. He is without a doubt an up-and-coming star in this profession.”
In his two seasons with the Cougars, Dunson II helped guide the team to two appearances in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournament and a trip to the 2017 Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI). He also recruited and coached three OVC All-Conference honorees.
Off the court, he oversaw the program’s recruiting, scouting and player development efforts, while managing the academic expectations of the team, which resulted in six OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll selections.
Prior to SIUE, Dunson II served as the Director of Basketball Operations and as interim assistant coach at Western Illinois, where he helped guide WIU to just their fourth postseason appearance in program history with a trip to the WBI quarterfinals. Academics once again played a major role in his coaching mentality as he saw 100 percent graduation rate among his athletes and helped create academic programs that led to retention and graduation.
In 2013, he worked as an assistant coach at Wabash Valley College. Along with his basketball duties, he was also responsible for managing the team’s gym and equipment room as well as the team’s budget. In his lone season at Wabash Valley, he assisted the team to an appearance in the NJCAA Region 24 Tournament semifinals and coached two NJCAA Great Rivers Athletics Conference players.
Dunson II also brings experience in coaching the youth ranks with stints as a varsity volunteer assistant coach at Bloomington High School from 2011-13 and as a head coach and operations manager at the Team Illinois AAU Education and Athletic Program in Bloomington from 2009-13.
“I am extremely humbled to join the Blazer basketball family,” Dunson II said. “The opportunity to be part of Coach Norton’s staff is an incredible honor. I have always admired his tireless work ethic and passion for the game. He is a great mentor and friend. I’m looking forward to helping build a brand of excellence here at UAB.”
The Blazers are coming off their best season ever as they captured their first regular season C-USA title in program history en route to a school-record 27 victories and a second-round appearance in the WNIT. The Green and Gold return their top five leading scorers next season and are poised for another tremendous season.
Photo Courtesy UAB Athletics
Tagged with: C-USA UAB
