Joe Dooley coached against Kansas University’s men’s basketball team last season as an assistant at the University of Wyoming. This year, he’ll be on the Jayhawks’ bench.
KU coach Bill Self has named Dooley as the team’s third assistant, joining Norm Roberts and Tim Jankovich as Self’s assistants.
“I’m very excited to add Joe Dooley to our staff,” Self said in a statement. “I got to know him well when we had a position open at Illinois, but the timing just never worked out. I’m extremely pleased with the addition of Joe to an already great staff of Norm Roberts, Tim Jankovich and Ben Miller. I’m confident that we’ll have as high a quality of a staff as anyone in America.”
Dooley spent last year with the Cowboys, who went 21-11 and made the postseason NIT. Before joining the Wyoming coaching staff, Dooley was a coach at the University of New Mexico from 1999 to 2002. He was the primary recruiter for the Lobos and was involved in scheduling and scouting.
Prior to working at New Mexico, Dooley was the head coach at East Carolina University from 1995 to 1999. He led the Pirates to a 57-52 record in his four seasons, including a 17-11 record in his first year, making him the winningest first-year coach at ECU in more than 20 years. He had served as an assistant coach at ECU from 1991 to his hiring as head coach, and has also spent time as an assistant at South Carolina.
“Joe has been a Division I head coach and assistant coach, and he’s recruited both coasts and in the junior college ranks,” Self said. “His contacts will really enhance our recruiting efforts.”
A 1988 graduate of George Washington University, Dooley is a native of West Orange, N.J. He was a four-year letterwinner at GW, was elected team captain his senior year and earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communications.
“I’m honored to be a part of the staff at Kansas,” Dooley said. “This is a tremendous opportunity — something you dream about when you get into coaching. The opportunity to work with Coach Self, Norm, Tim and Ben was something I just couldn’t pass up. Coach Self is a great person who has been successful everywhere he’s been, and it’s an honor to join his staff.”
Dooley will begin his work at Kansas immediately, but will not recruit this summer so he can spend more time close to his wife, Tanya, and their newborn child.
Self also announced that Miller would continue to recruit throughout the summer and would take over the role of director of basketball operations this fall.
