Southern Miss head men’s basketball coach Jay Ladner has announced heralded recruiter Dalonte Hill as the third assistant on his inaugural staff, joining Kyle Roane and Clarence Weatherspoon.
“We had a great pool of candidates for this spot,” Ladner said. “Dalonte’s reputation, experience and respect from everyone I talked to proves we are getting one of the top assistants in the country. It makes a statement that Southern Miss is really getting serious. It completes what I think is a great basketball staff. I can’t be more excited for him to be here and do what he does: build programs. He’s going to be a wonderful asset.”
Hill served the previous two seasons at Austin Peay, where the Governors won 41 games over that span. He was also a key component in successful tenures at Charlotte (2003-05), Kansas State (2006-11) and Maryland (2011-13).
“I was fortunate to play here in my Conference USA days (with Charlotte),” Hill said. “I got to know Coach Ladner over the years from colleagues that worked with Coach (Kyle) Roane and others. It was intriguing to get back in this league. It meant a lot to me as a player and young coach. Coming to a new area in Hattiesburg and being able to recruit a new dynamic in the South is a great opportunity.”
Hill’s playing career began at Charlotte (1997-00) before spending his final season at Bowie State. While with the 49ers, he played twice in Reed Green Coliseum when Roane was a Golden Eagle assistant coach. After a brief stint in the AAU circuit, Hill rejoined head coach Bobby Lutz from 2003-05 and helped guide Charlotte to a 61-30 mark and three consecutive postseason appearances, which included back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips. Hill coached two All-Americans and a Conference USA Player of the Year while at his alma mater.
Hill’s next stop would be at Kansas State (2006-11) under Bob Huggins and Frank Martin. The Wildcats won 20 games in four of the five seasons. Hill helped land a pair of national top-10 recruits in Michael Beasley and Bill Walker in 2006, earning the nation’s top-rated signing class by Scout.com and Rivals.com. During his time at Kansas State, Hill brought four McDonald’s All-Americans to Manhattan.
He worked his magic back home at Maryland as well (2011-13), pulling in local standouts such as Melo Trimble to help Mark Turgeon bring the Terrapins back to prominence. The Terrapins boasted top-25 recruiting classes each of those two seasons. He returned to the AAU ranks before joining Austin Peay in 2017. Hill earned his sociology degree from Charlotte in 2001.
Dalonte Hill joins Southern Miss Basketball Staff
