Making his return to The Farm after stops at Denver, Cal State Fullerton and Nevada, Brandon Dunson has joined the Stanford men’s basketball program as an assistant coach, announced Thursday by Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men’s Basketball Jerod Haase.
“Brandon is an up and coming star in the profession and we are thrilled to add him to our program,” said Haase. “He is extremely intelligent and has a passion for helping others. His diverse skillset, combined with his prior knowledge of Stanford, makes him an ideal fit for the program. I am really excited to welcome Brandon back to the Farm!”
Dunson was part of Haase’s staff for his first two years at Stanford, serving as the Director of Basketball Development. He helped the Cardinal to a third-place finish in the Pac-12 in 2018, which included 19 total wins and a trip to the NIT. He was responsible for assisting in implementing recruiting strategies and opponent scouting, and he oversaw the program’s video services.
Dunson was named an assistant coach at Nevada for the 2018-19 campaign, where he worked with future NBA Draft selections in Caleb Martin, Cody Martin and Jalen Harris. The Wolfpack put together a 29-5 campaign in his only season in Reno, earning a seven seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Cal State Fullerton hired Dunson as an assistant coach in 2019, with Dunson spending two seasons on the Titans’ staff. In his first season in Fullerton he was named to the NABC Under Armour 30 Under 30 list, recognizing the top up-and-coming coaches under 30 years of age. The Titans’ won 16 games during his two seasons, including 11 in Big West competition.
Connecting with former Stanford associate head coach Jeff Wulbrun, Dunson was hired at Denver as associate head coach prior to the 2021-22 campaign. He helped jumps start the Pioneers’ program to double-digit victories for the first time since 2017-18, which included the team’s best offensive performance in more than five seasons.
He was instrumental in the recruiting process at Denver, leading to the Pioneers signing nine new players in the spring and summer of 2021. Tevin Smith was the highest rated recruit to sign with the Pioneers out of high school in program history.
Dunson also spent time at Arizona Christian University, serving three seasons as associate head coach, helping guide the team to two NAIA Sweet 16s and a school record for wins in 2014-15. He also worked as a professional basketball consultant and served as the Associate Program Director for the Team Illinois Education & Athletics Program.
Hailing from Bloomington, Illinois, Dunson played collegiately at SIU-Edwardsville, Wabash Valley College, Arizona State and Azusa Pacific. After college, he played professionally in Mexico’s Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional.
