Nikita Lowry Dawkins begins her seventh season as a member of the Old Dominion women's basketball coaching staff. Dawkins serves as the Lady Monarchs' recruiting coordinator. Dawkins served as an assistant coach with the Lady Monarchs in 2004 and 2005 followed by a season as the top assistant at Texas Tech. She returned to the Old Dominion sidelines in 2007.
Combined, Dawkins has helped Old Dominion to a 138-56 overall mark, four CAA Tournament titles leading to an unprecedented 17 overall league titles for the Lady Monarchs, and four NCAA appearances, including the memorable run to the "Sweet 16" in 2008. Old Dominion has remained the dominating force in the CAA as Dawkins has seen the Lady Monarch record 91 league wins and only 17 conference losses in her tenure.
An All-American and Hall of Fame Member of The Ohio State women's basketball team, Dawkins came to Old Dominion with vast coaching and playing experience, including head coaching stints at New Mexico State and Detroit Mercy ,as well as assistant coaching positions at New Mexico State, Ohio State, and Michigan.
Internationally, Dawkins has been active with USA Basketball, both as a coach and a player. In 2002, she was an assistant with the U.S. 20-and-Under squad that won the gold medal at the COPABA Young Women's World Championships in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. During her collegiate days, Lowry Dawkins was a member of two USA Select Teams (1988 & 1990), the World University Team (1989), and the Junior National Team (1987).
Beginning her coaching career with the University of Michigan in 1991, Dawkins spent two seasons as a member of the Wolverine coaching staff before returning to her alma matter, The Ohio State, for a three-year stint in 1993. While on the sidelines the Buckeyes posted a combined record of 52-40, which culminated with a 21-13 record in 1995-96 and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Dawkins took over the reigns of the Detroit Mercy program in 1996, coaching the Titans to a Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) title and the school's first-ever NCAA appearance in 1997. In all, Dawkins coached 10 All Midwestern Collegiate Conference athletes at Detroit Mercy, as well as 20 honor students.
Following her three-year stint at Detroit Mercy, Dawkins spent three seasons at New Mexico State as both an assistant and head coach. As an assistant, Dawkins served as the Aggies recruiting coordinator and worked closely with the post players. In her first season as head coach at New Mexico State, her team set an NCAA record for most three-point field goals in a game (21), ranked second nationally with a 8.4 three-point field goal average, and set a New Mexico State record shooting 76.3 percent from the free throw line. Additionally, the Aggies earned the most wins since 1995-96 seasons.
As a player, Dawkins was a four-year letterwinner for The Ohio State from 1985-1989 where she helped lead the Buckeyes to four NCAA Tournament appearances and three BIG TEN titles. During her senior campaign, she was named a Kodak and Street & Smith All-American, the Big Ten Player of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, and was a unanimous all-conference selection. During her final season she led OSU to a 24-6 overall record and a 16-2 mark in Big Ten play, as well as a share of the Big Ten Championship. Dawkins also led the league in field goal percentage, steals, and tied for the lead in rebounding as a junior, and became the first Buckeye women's player to average over 20 points per game since 1979.
In 2000, Dawkins was inducted into Ohio State's Hall of Fame and in 2002 she was named to the Buckeye's All-Century Team.
Following her graduation with a degree in economics, Dawkins spent a year abroad playing professionally for the Italmeco Bari Club in Bari, Italy.
Dawkins, a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and her husband, Tony, a men's college, NBDL, and WNBA official, reside in Norfolk, Virginia.