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Editor [∞]
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Report: Clemson closing in on two assistant hires
Apr 21, 2022, 2:22 PM
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CBS' Jon Rothstein reported Thursday afternoon that Brad Brownell will hire Billy Donlon and Sean Dixon as his new assistant coaches.
Recent bios on each:
Donlon
Billy Donlon enters his third season as the Kansas City Men's Basketball head coach in 2021-22. At Kansas City, he holds a 27-27 (.500) mark, including a 15-14 (.517) record in conference play. Overall as a head coach, Donlon holds a 136-121 (.529) record.
In Donlon's second year at the helm during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, he led the Roos through their return to the Summit League, guiding them to a .500 record in conference play. In Summit competition, the Roos swept Omaha and Denver, splitting decisions with North Dakota, North Dakota State and Oral Roberts, who later went on to qualify for the 2020-21 NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Buying in to Donlon's hard-nosed defensive style, the Roos were the top-rated defensive team in the Summit, allowing just 62.6 points per game, the 17th-best mark in Division One. KC also ranked first in the conference in three-point percentage defense (.325), rebounding defense (30.0), turnover margin (3.21), assists (14.79) and steals (7.92).
Donlon's 2020-21 squad was led by Brandon McKissic, who earned Second Team All-Summit, Summit League Defensive Player of the Year and Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American honors. Additionally, the Roos' Josiah Allick was named Second Team All-Summit.
Donlon made amazing strides as he took over the Roos Men's Basketball program at the start of the 2019-20 season. The Northbrook, Ill., native recorded the second-most wins (16) as a first-year head coach in school history ending with a 16-14 overall mark. He led the Roos to a 7-3 stretch to end the season, cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch video highlights from year one
When looking at the numbers across the board, the 16-14 overall record marked the most wins in three years and the .533 win percentage was the highest since 2010-11. In conference play, the Roos posted eight victories, which was the highest output in their Western Athletic Conference history. Playing in the newly renovated Swinney Center, Kansas City went 9-4 at home and tied the second-best home start in school history at 6-0.
Under Donlon's guidance, the Roos had a positive start to the season. Kansas City won its ninth game in the 16th overall contest to begin the year 9-7. That start marked the fastest output to nine wins since the 2010- 11 program. Additionally, with five wins prior to Dec. 1, the Roos collected the most victories before the calendar flipped into December since 2016-17. A non-conference highlight was advancing to the championship game of The Island of Bahamas Showcase on Nov. 24. The Roos lost against Liberty, a team to advance to the Round of 32 in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, but proved to the world they were a team to be reckoned with.
Donlon preached team defense and his team demonstrated it – Kansas City ranked 23rd in the country in 3-point field goal defense (29.7%), 33rd in steals per game (8.1) and 47th in turnovers forced (15.2).
In his first KC recruiting class for 2020, he brought in five decorated recruits, including two local Kansas City prospects from Truman High School and North Kansas City High School.
Donlon was introduced as the seventh head coach in Kansas City men’s basketball history on March 28th, 2019.
Dixon
Sean Dixon was announced on March 30, 2018, as the first assistant on Head Coach Nick McDevitt’s inaugural staff at Middle Tennessee.
Dixon spent the previous five seasons under McDevitt with the UNC Asheville Bulldogs, starting out as an assistant coach in 2013-14 when McDevitt was named head coach before being elevated to the position of associate head coach prior to the 2017-18 season. Dixon specialized in guard development and was McDevitt’s recruiting coordinator while in Asheville.
The Bulldogs saw high levels of success in Dixon’s five years alongside McDevitt on the Asheville bench, notching 98-66 record that includes three 20-win seasons and postseason appearances in their final three campaigns.
UNC Asheville also collected three Big South trophies in the last three seasons of the McDevitt era, with Dixon helping lead the team to a Big South Tournament title in 2016, a share of the regular season title in 2017 and an outright regular season title in 2018.
Prior to joining McDevitt in Asheville, Dixon spent four years on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Presbyterian College.
Dixon played four seasons at Presbyterian, twice serving as a team captain, and earned second team All-Big South honors as a sophomore and first team All-Big South honors as a junior and senior.
The Marietta, Ga., native finished his playing career with 1,106 career points before earning his bachelor’s degree in business management in 2007.
https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1517204074151698432
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All-TigerNet [11472]
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Re: Report: Clemson closing in on two assistant hires
Apr 21, 2022, 2:39 PM
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Sounds good! let's hope they can get JL back from Princeton.
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All-TigerNet [11472]
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Re: Report: Clemson closing in on two assistant hires
Apr 21, 2022, 2:49 PM
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Like both these guys. Donlon was a good assistant at Muchigqn under Belign. Brad's team played better defense when he was an assistant at uncw and Wright State. The defense will be much improved
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All-In [44044]
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These are good hires.
Apr 21, 2022, 3:00 PM
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Donlon has worked with Brad in the past, and took over as the head coach at Wright State when Brad came here. I’m surprised we were able to lure him from a head coaching position at KC. He has only been there three years, and is coming off his best season there (19-12 overall, 12-6 in the Summitt League).
Dixon has strong ties to the Southeast. He’s from Atlanta and should help us continue to recruit Atlanta well. As noted in the article, he played at Presbyterian.
Both of these guys are young with good energy and valuable experience. I’m pleased.
Now we will wait to see if Bender is moving on to be a head coach or staying here…
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Orange Blooded [2030]
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Going to be a wild ride 2022/2023!
Apr 21, 2022, 3:04 PM
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I’m going to send out positive energy for the next 365 days.
Who’s with me?
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All-TigerNet [11472]
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Re: These are good hires.
Apr 21, 2022, 3:15 PM
[ in reply to These are good hires. ] |
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Donlon has worked with Brad in the past, and took over as the head coach at Wright State when Brad came here. I’m surprised we were able to lure him from a head coaching position at KC. He has only been there three years, and is coming off his best season there (19-12 overall, 12-6 in the Summitt League).
Dixon has strong ties to the Southeast. He’s from Atlanta and should help us continue to recruit Atlanta well. As noted in the article, he played at Presbyterian.
Both of these guys are young with good energy and valuable experience. I’m pleased.
Now we will wait to see if Bender is moving on to be a head coach or staying here…
Donlon also did a good job as an assistant at Michigan, Judge?
Do you think they can reel JL back from Princeton?
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All-In [44044]
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No, I believe that ship has sailed.***
Apr 21, 2022, 4:23 PM
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All-TigerNet [11472]
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Re: No, I believe that ship has sailed.***
Apr 21, 2022, 4:32 PM
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Oh well there are some other decent PGs in portal. Can depend on Hunter..rumor is might red shirt like Beadle.
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All-American [593]
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Re: These are good hires.
Apr 21, 2022, 4:21 PM
[ in reply to These are good hires. ] |
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Maybe sees it as win-win. If we do well, all is good…if we do poorly, maybe he has walked into another head coaching position.
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All-TigerNet [11472]
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Orange Blooded [4452]
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Re: Report: Clemson closing in on two assistant hires
Apr 21, 2022, 3:16 PM
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Hope this makes the tigers better. We can especially use better recruiting. Maybe they can keep latest decommit.
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