Men's Basketball
Dooley, Joe
Joe Dooley
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- robinsonjos@ecu.edu
- Phone:
- (252) 737-4592
The 2021-22 season marks the fourth season of his second tenure at ECU and seventh overall season as the Pirates' head coach. It's his 13th overall season as a head coach with a five-year tenure leading Florida Gulf Coast along with stops at New Mexico, Wyoming and Kansas sandwiched between head coaching duties in Greenville.
After leading Florida Gulf Coast to five conference titles and five consecutive 20-win seasons, Dooley returned for a second stint at the helm of the Pirates’ program on April 4, 2018.
Dooley, who previously served as the head coach at ECU from 1995-99, won 114 games during his five years in Fort Myers and led the Eagles to five conference titles, including the program’s first regular season championship in 2014. Under his direction, FGCU averaged nearly 23 wins per year, won back-to-back ASUN tournament titles in 2016 and ’17, and reached the postseason all five season highlighted by two NCAA Tournament appearances with the First Four victory in 2016.
The West Orange, N.J. native led the Pirates to 57 victories during his first stint at ECU, which included back-to-back 17-win campaigns during his first two years. He enters the 2021-22 season with the fourth most victories in school history.
EAST CAROLINA HIGHLIGHTS – Second Stint
In 2020-21
In 2019-20
In 2018-19
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After leading Florida Gulf Coast to five conference titles and five consecutive 20-win seasons, Dooley returned for a second stint at the helm of the Pirates’ program on April 4, 2018.
Dooley, who previously served as the head coach at ECU from 1995-99, won 114 games during his five years in Fort Myers and led the Eagles to five conference titles, including the program’s first regular season championship in 2014. Under his direction, FGCU averaged nearly 23 wins per year, won back-to-back ASUN tournament titles in 2016 and ’17, and reached the postseason all five season highlighted by two NCAA Tournament appearances with the First Four victory in 2016.
The West Orange, N.J. native led the Pirates to 57 victories during his first stint at ECU, which included back-to-back 17-win campaigns during his first two years. He enters the 2021-22 season with the fourth most victories in school history.
EAST CAROLINA HIGHLIGHTS – Second Stint
In 2020-21
- Helped Jayden Gardner develop into an American Athletic Conference first-team player. Gardner ranked second in the league in scoring and rebounding. He was also named NABC First-Team all-district.
- Dooley leads the Pirates to their first-ever win over an AP top 5 ranked opponent, defeating No. 5 Houston inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. It was his 200th career victory.
- Directed ECU to a perfect 6-0 non-conference record.
In 2019-20
- Dooley becomes the fifth coach in school history with 70 career victories.
- Helped Jayden Gardner develop into an American Athletic Conference second-team player. Gardner led The American in scoring and ranked third in rebounding. He was also named NABC First-Team all-district.
- Sixty-one percent of ECU’s scoring came from a trio of true freshmen (Charles Coleman, Tristen Newton, Brandon Suggs) and a sophomore (Gardner). ECU was ranked 340 of 353 teams on KenPom’s list of most experienced teams.
- Pirates shot over 70 percent as a team at the free throw line for the first time since 2013-14 and posted their highest free throw percentage (.722) since 2008-09 (.732).
- ECU snapped a 10-game losing streak to SMU as Newton buried a 3 in front of the Pirate bench in the closing seconds for a 71-68 victory.
- The Pirates placed five players on The American All-Academic Team.
- His first full recruiting class (of 2019) was ranked No. 10 by The Hoop Scoop. The group consisted of seven junior college transfers, four of which were ranked among the top 50 JUCO players in the country, as well as four freshmen.
In 2018-19
- Gardner is unanimously selected to The American All-Freshman Team.
- In his first American Athletic Conference home game, Dooley directed the Pirates to a 73-71 win over reigning league champion Cincinnati.
- Orchestrated a pair of second half double-digit deficit comebacks, rallying from 10 down against Lamar and 13 versus Appalachian State.
- ECU was lauded with academic awards from The American and National Basketball Coaches Association as eight players were named to The American All-Academic Team and three to the NABC Honors Court.
- Dooley finished his tenure at FGCU with a five-year record of 114-58 (.663), leading the Eagles to three ASUN Conference regular season championships and two second-place finishes.
- He led the Eagles to the postseason each year with two NCAA (2016, ’17) and NIT (2014, ’18) appearances and one CIT (2015) invitation.
- Dooley was twice named ASUN Coach-of-the-Year (2017, 2018) as well as the 2017 NABC District III Coach-of-the-Year.
- He coached 10 all-conference selections, including 2018 ASUN Player-of-the-Year and Associated Press honorable mention All-America selection Brandon Goodwin as well as 2017 ASUN Defensive Player-of-the-Year Demetris Morant.
- FGCU finished among the top-25 nationally in field goal percentage three times, rebounds per game twice and was among the top-50 in scoring twice.
- His teams set program records for field goals made, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, blocked shots, 3-point field goal percent defense, scoring defense
- Dooley tutored more than two dozen ASUN All-Academic Team performers.
- Three of Dooley’s recruiting classes were ranked No. 1 in the ASUN.
THE KANSAS YEARS
2003-13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
2003-13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Served 10 years as an assistant coach at the University of Kansas to Hall of Fame coach Bill Self.
- KU won the 2008 national championship and advanced to the Final Four again in 2012, finishing as runner-up. The Jayhawks made five Elite Eight appearances and seven trips to the Sweet 16.
- Helped the Jayhawks win nine consecutive Big XII regular season titles (2004-13) and a total of six conference tournament titles.
- KU compiled a record of 300-58, including a 137-27 Big XII ledger, with Dooley on the bench.
- Coached 19 NBA Draft picks, including 12 first round selections.
- Aided in the development of 15 All-Big XII players, seven All-Americans, five Big XII Players of the Year and four Big XII Defensive Players of the Year.
USA BASKETBALL
AS A RECRUITER
COACHING OUT WEST
EAST CAROLINA HIGHLIGHTS – First stint as head coach
1995-99
DEVELOPING AS A COACH
COACHING TREE
PERSONAL
- Dooley served as an on court coach under Self at the 2018 USA Men's Basketball U18 Training Camp.
AS A RECRUITER
- Rated among the nation’s elite recruiters, including No. 1 by Hoop Scoop Magazine in summer 2012 and Foxsports.com in 2010.
- In 2007, he was rated the fourth-best recruiter in the nation by Rivals.com for the KU class that included McDonald’s All-American Cole Aldrich and Tyrel Reed.
- He served as the lead recruiter for KU NBA Draftees Sasha Kaun, Mario Chalmers, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson.
- Helped assemble five Top-10 recruiting classes (247sports.com) at KU.
COACHING OUT WEST
- Dooley spent four years as an assistant coach in the Mountain West Conference – three at New Mexico (199-2002) and one at Wyoming (2002-03).
- New Mexico was selected for the NIT each of Dooley’s three seasons in Albuquerque. The Lobos were 57-38 during his tenure.
- In his lone season at Wyoming, the Cowboys posted a 21-11 record, finished tied for fourth in the Mountain West and advanced to the second round of the NIT.
EAST CAROLINA HIGHLIGHTS – First stint as head coach
1995-99
- Dooley was the youngest head coach in Division I men’s basketball at the age of 29 when he was promoted from assistant coach to ECU’s top position in April of 1995.
- He led the Pirates to a four-year overall record of 57-52 that included back-to-back 17-win campaigns to start his tenure. He won more games in his first three seasons (44) than any of his predecessors.
- Only coach in the school’s Division I era (since 1964-65) to depart with a winning record.
- Led East Carolina to its only top-3 finish during its 15-year membership in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 9-7 record in 1996-97, tying for third-place.
- Helped Raphael Edwards earn All-CAA honors as a junior (1996-97) and senior (1997-98).
- East Carolina finished among the top-3 in the CAA in scoring defense three times (1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99).
- The Pirates compiled a 36-15 (.706) record inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
DEVELOPING AS A COACH
- Dooley began his coaching career at the University of South Carolina under coach George Felton, serving as an assistant for three seasons (1988-91) alongside three-time National Coach-of-the-Year Tubby Smith and former ECU Head Coach Eddie Payne.
- In his first year as an assistant coach U of SC, the Gamecocks finished second in The Metro and participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years.
- Dooley accompanied Payne to East Carolina as an assistant coach in 1991 and served as his top aid for four seasons (1991-95), helping the Pirates win the 1993 CAA tournament championship and earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
- Helped tutor three all-conference performers as an assistant at ECU and four all-rookie team selections.
COACHING TREE
- Several of Dooley’s former assistant coaches have gone on to be head coaches. Lew Hill, who was part of Dooley’s initial staff at ECU, is currently at the head coach at Texas – Rio Grand Valley. Richard Morgan, another former ECU assistant, serves as the head coach at Bluefield (Va.) College.
- Former Kansas standout guard Aaron Miles was part of Dooley’s coaching staff at FGCU and left to become the head coach of G-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors (2017-19) and now serves as Golden State’s player development coach.
- After Dooley resigned at FGCU, his top assistant Michael Fly was elevated to head coach. Another one of his former Eagle assistants, Marty Richter left to become the head coach at Florida Southwestern College and is now an assistant coach at Drake.
PERSONAL
- Dooley attended St. Benedict’s (N.J.) Prep School where he graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,140 points.
- A 1988 graduate of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Dooley earned his bachelor's degree in speech communications.
- He and his wife, Tanya, have one son, Max.
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Coaching Career
| School | Position | Season | Years |
| South Carolina | Assistant Coach | 1988-91 | 3 |
| East Carolina | Assistant Coach | 1991-95 | 4 |
| East Carolina | Head Coach | 1995-99 | 4 |
| New Mexico | Assistant Coach | 1999-02 | 3 |
| Wyoming | Assistant Coach | 2002-03 | 1 |
| Kansas | Assistant Coach | 2003-13 | 10 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | Head Coach | 2013-18 | 5 |
| East Carolina | Head Coach | 2018-present | 3 |
Dooley's Head Coaching Career Year-by-Year Record
| Season | School | Overall | Conference/Finish | Postseason |
| 1995-96 | East Carolina | 17-11 | 9-9/T4th (CAA) | |
| 1996-97 | East Carolina | 17-10 | 9-7/3rd (CAA) | |
| 1997-98 | East Carolina | 10-17 | 5-11/T7th (CAA) | |
| 1998-98 | East Carolina | 13-14 | 7-9/T7th | |
| 2018-19 | East Carolina | 10-21 | 3-15/11th (The American) | |
| 2019-20 | East Carolina | 11-20 | 5-13/11th (The American) | |
| 2020-21 | East Carolina | 8-11 | 2-12/11th (The American) | |
| Seven Years | ECU Totals | 86-104 (.452) | ||
| 2013-14 | Florida Gulf Coast | 22-13 | 14-4/T1st (ASUN) | NIT First Round |
| 2014-15 | Florida Gulf Coast | 22-11 | 11-3/2nd (ASUN) | CIT First Round |
| 2015-16 | Florida Gulf Coast | 21-4 | 8-6/T2nd (ASUN) | NCAA First Round |
| 2016-17 | Florida Gulf Coast | 26-8 | 12-2/1st (ASUN) | NCAA First Round |
| 2017-18 | Florida Gulf Coast | 23-12 | 12-2/1st (ASUN) | NIT First Round |
| Five Years | Florida Gulf Coast Totals | 114-58 (.663) | 57-17 (.770) / Three regular-season and two conference tournament titles | 2 NCAAs/2 NITs/1 CIT |
| 12 Years | Career Totals | 200-162(.552) | 2 NCAAs/2 NITs/1 CIT |
Dooley's Non-Head Coaching Career Year-by-Year Record
| Season | School | Record | League | Postseason |
| 1988-89 | South Carolina | 19-11 | NCAA First Round | |
| 1989-90 | South Carolina | 14-14 | ||
| 1990-91 | South Carolina | 20-13 | NIT Second Round | |
| 1991-92 | East Carolina | 10-18 | ||
| 1992-93 | East Carolina | 14-16 | CAA Tournament Champions | NCAA First Round |
| 1993-94 | East Carolina | 15-12 | ||
| 1994-95 | East Carolina | 18-11 | ||
| 1999-2000 | New Mexico | 18-14 | NIT Second Round | |
| 2000-01 | New Mexico | 21-13 | NIT Quarterfinals | |
| 2001-02 | New Mexico | 16-14 | NIT First Round | |
| 2002-03 | Wyoming | 21-11 | NIT Second Round | |
| 2003-04 | Kansas | 24-8 | NCAA Elite Eight | |
| 2004-05 | Kansas | 23-7 | Big XII Regular Season Champions | NCAA First Round |
| 2005-06 | Kansas | 25-8 | Big XII Regular Season and Tournament Champions | NCAA First Round |
| 2006-07 | Kansas | 33-5 | Big XII Regular Season and Tournament Champions | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 2007-08 | Kansas | 37-3 | Big XII Regular Season and Tournament Champions | NCAA Champions |
| 2008-09 | Kansas | 27-8 | Big XII Regular Season Champions | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 2009-10 | Kansas | 33-3 | Big XII Regular Season and Tournament Champions | NCAA Second Round |
| 2010-11 | Kansas | 35-3 | Big XII Regular Season and Tournament Champions | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 2011-12 | Kansas | 32-7 | Big XII Regular Season Champions | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2012-13 | Kansas | 31-6 | Big XII Regular Season and Tournament Champions | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 21-Year Totals | 486-206 | Nine regular-season & seven conference tournament titles | 12 NCAAs / 5 NITs |
Mike Schwartz Presser
Thursday, October 10
Inside Pirate Athletics (Feb. 26, 2024)
Tuesday, February 27
ECU Presser vs Charlotte
Saturday, February 03
Inside Pirate Athletics (Jan. 29, 2024)
Tuesday, January 30
