Midwestern State coach Nelson Haggerty announced the addition of Dylan Dudley as his top assistant Tuesday afternoon.
Dudley brings vast experience to the MSU bench helping build the foundation of two national championship programs at Drury (2013) and Central Missouri (2014).
“It was important to get a coach who was familiar with this level of basketball. He has been at some great places which have won national championships,” MSU coach Nelson Haggerty said. “He’s worked with great coaches and has been a big part of those programs. He has great energy, enthusiasm and a great work ethic. Everyone raves about his relationships with players and involvement in the community.”
Though Dudley didn’t have the opportunity to see the culmination of his recruiting work, he helped lay the foundation for the success of each program.
“That’s my claim to fame is helping recruit to championship classes,” Dudley said. “But I didn’t get to be on the bench at the end.”
He had hand in bringing Drury’s lethal backcourt combination of Brandon Lockhart and Alex Hall to campus which resulted in a 31-4 run during the duo’s senior campaign of 2012-13.
Dudley had a hand in bringing a title class to Central Missouri in 2014 after serving as an assistant coach for the Mules in 2012-13, but personal issues pushed him to take a head coaching position at Crockett High School in Alamo, Tenn. the year UCM claimed its first NCAA Division II national championship since 1984.
“The year in high school has made me a better coach,” Dudley said. “It made me think the game through and not be as emotional as I was in my younger years.”
He returned to the collegiate level for the 2014-15 campaign spending the past two years at Henderson State (Ark.).
“It’s important at this level and position to be well rounded,” Haggerty said. “Dylan has definitely shown over the course of his career to be a very knowledgeable coach, a great recruiter and a great supporter of players both personally and academically. He’s definitely a team player both inside and outside of the program in the program, administration and the community.”
In between his one-year stints at Drury (2008-09) and Central Missouri (2012-13), Dudley worked three seasons at Tennessee-Martin as part of a coaching staff which ranked first in the Ohio Valley Conference in recruiting and coached the OVC Freshman of the Year.
Prior to Drury, he served as associate head coach for two seasons at Westminster (Mo.) College after starting his coaching career as an assistant coach in 2005 at his alma mater, Sullivan (Ill.) High School.
Dudley competed collegiately at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill. where he led the Blueboys to the first conference championship in school history. He is one of 24 players in program history to score over 1,000 career points. He graduated from Illinois College this a bachelor’s degree in sports management and health in 2005.
Dudley takes over for Tres Segler, who accepted the head coaching position at Eastern New Mexico earlier this summer.
http://www.msumustangs.com/news/2016/8/3/mens-basketball-haggerty-hires-dudley-as-top-assistant.aspx
