Texas Tech University Athletics
Nikita Lowry Dawkins Joins Lady Raider Basketball Staff
June 02, 2005 | Women's Basketball
June 2, 2005
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech head women's basketball coach Marsha Sharp has announced the hiring of Nikita (Niki) Lowry Dawkins as an assistant women's basketball coach for the Lady Raiders. Lowry Dawkins comes to Tech after serving the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Old Dominion.
"This is an extremely important hire for Lady Raider basketball," said Sharp. "There are two crucial focal points of this position; one is recruiting and the second is to be involved with coaching our post players. There is no question that the credentials Niki brings to the table in these two areas are outstanding. Her background will allow her to provide our program with valuable insight. I am really impressed with her background and I'm really excited about the opportunity to work with her."
While at Old Dominion, Lowry Dawkins worked closely with the Lady Monarch post players, as well as recruiting student-athletes and scouting opponents. She comes to Tech with a plethora of coaching and playing experience, including head coaching stints at New Mexico State and Detroit Mercy, and assistant coaching positions at New Mexico State, Ohio State and Michigan. Lowry Dawkins was also a four-year letterwinner and an All-American at Ohio State from 1985-89.
"It is a privilege to be able to coach at Texas Tech, a prestigious university in a highly respected conference, the Big 12," Lowry Dawkins said. "I had a tremendous experience working with Coach Sharp during our gold-medal run with USA Basketball in 2002. To be able to teach and learn with one of the greatest minds in the game is a tremendous honor, and I look forward to working side-by-side with her, the coaching staff, administration, fans and community. I am truly humbled to have the opportunity to work for a Hall of Fame coach."
Internationally, Lowry Dawkins has been active in USA Basketball both as a coach and a player. In 2002, she served as assistant coach to Sharp for the USA World Championship For Young Women's Qualifying Team that won the gold medal in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. During her collegiate days, she was a member of two USA Select Teams in 1988 and 1990, the World University Team in 1989 and the Junior National Team in 1987.
"We had the opportunity to coach together during the summer of 2002," Sharp stated. "She was one of my assistant coaches for the USA Basketball team I coached, and I think it gave us an opportunity to know each other and for me to see her strengths. She will immediately be involved in our summer recruiting and our team preparation for the 2005-06 season."
As a player at Ohio State, Lowry Dawkins helped lead the Buckeyes to four NCAA Tournament appearances. As a senior, she was a Kodak and Street & Smith All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year by the Chicago Tribune and was a unanimous All-Big Ten selection. In 2000, she was inducted into Ohio State's Hall of Fame and in 2002, was named to the Buckeye's All-Century Team.
After graduating with a degree in economics from OSU, Lowry Dawkins spent a year abroad playing for the Italmeco Bari Club in Bari, Italy.
Lowry Dawkins and her husband, Tony, were married in the summer of 2004.
