Class of 2009 alumnus Dwayne Anderson has returned to Villanova to join its basketball coaching staff. Anderson, who played four seasons for head coach Jay Wright from 2005-09 and spent the past five years as an assistant coach at Penn State, will assume the role of Director of Basketball Operations.
Mike Nardi, a former Anderson teammate who was the Director of Basketball of Operations in 2017-18, has been elevated to the role of assistant coach. The moves fill the void created when former assistant coach Ashley Howard accepted the head coaching position at La Salle University in April.
Following a professional playing career in Germany, Anderson was named an assistant coach at Penn State in 2013 by former Wildcats’ associate head coach Patrick Chambers. In that capacity he helped instruct the Nittany Lions’ big men and was part of the program’s recruiting efforts.
“We are excited to welcome Dwayne and his wife Lindsay home to Villanova,” stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. “As a player, Dwayne’s leadership traits played a critical role on our 2009 NCAA Final Four team. Those same traits have helped make him an outstanding young coach. He will be a great role model for our players.”
A Silver Spring, Md., native, Anderson first came to Villanova by way of St. Thomas More (Conn.) in 2005. As a freshman, he was part of an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight team. In 2007-08, the 6-6 guard/forward earned a starting role for a unit that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. One year later, he helped lead the Wildcats to a 78-76 victory over Pittsburgh in the NCAA East Regional Final and the school’s first Final Four appearance in 24 years. He averaged 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a senior captain in ’08-09.
In his four seasons, Anderson played on teams that posted a 102-37 overall record (.734) that included a 9-4 mark in the NCAA Tournament (.692). At the time of its departure, the class of 2009 (Anderson, Shane Clark, Dante Cunningham and Frank Tchuisi) was the winningest in program history.
Anderson is married to the former Lindsay Davis, who excelled as a four year member of the VU Swimming and Diving team from 2005-09, specializing in the 1 and 3 meter diving events. The couple has two sons, Dash and Nova.
http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/053118aab.html
