Dee Pennix

Dee Pennix enters her fourth season at JU but is beginning her first year as associate head coach after being promoted by Jill Dunn during the offseason.

Along with serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator, she will take charge of the Dolphin guards after spending the past threeseasons with the post players.

Working primarily with the Dolphin post players, Pennix developed forward Ashley Williams into one of the most dominant forces in the Atlantic Sun Conference and arguably the best player in program history.

As a senior, Williams notched program records for points (1,489), field goals made (579) and blocks (128) while earning first team all-conference honors, A-Sun All-Tournament team and preseason “Player of the Year” accolades. As a junior, Williams surpassed her own program record with 509 points as she earned first team all-conference honors for the second consecutive season. As a sophomore, Williams set a previous program record with 478 points and became only the second Dolphin to earn first team all-conference honors.

Pennix also worked with a group of underclassmen post players (Crystal Grable, Danielle Gray, Desarae Johnson and Lynsey Paschal) who have combined to help the Dolphins achieve the No. 1 spot in the 2007-08 Preseason Coaches Poll, votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top-25 Poll, back-to-back 20-win seasons and the sixth best turnaround in the nation in two seasons.

Among the new single-season records accomplished by the Dolphins last season were blocks (126) and rebounds (1,210). Grable enjoyed the most improved season by tallying career bests in every category, including ranking second on the squad with a career-high 24 blocked shots.

Prior to JU, she served two years as an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina, where she assisted in all aspects of the program and also served as the recruiting coordinator.

In two years with the Chanticleers, Pennix helped lead the squad to a pair of Big South Conference Tournament appearances and was responsible for restructuring the 2004-05 team after graduating their entire starting lineup the previous year.

Her top recruit, Kim Turner, was named second team All-Big South after leading the Lady Chants with 13.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest this past year.

Pennix joined the Coastal Carolina staff in 2003 after spending four years as an assistant coach at her alma-mater, High Point University, where she served as travel coordinator, developed and monitored strength and conditioning programs and assisted in recruiting.

During her tenure at High Point, she helped the Panthers improve their record from 6-22 in 1999-00 to an 18-12 mark the following year and advance to the Big South Conference Championship Game against Liberty. She has also served as a collegiate camp clinician at Wake Forest, Appalachian State, High Point and Coastal Carolina during her career.

A four-year letterwinner at High Point from 1995-99, Pennix led the Panthers to a pair of Carolina-Virginia Athletic Conference Tournament titles and an appearance in the NCAA Division II East Regional Elite Eight in 1996. She earned Carolina-Virginia Athletic Conference Rookie-of-the-Year accolades in 1995 and was also named CVAC All-Tournament in 1995 and 1996.

As a senior, Pennix served as team captain and was later named the Panther's Most Valuable Player. She finished her career ranked seventh in the Panther record book with career 1,457 points.

In this past off-season, Pennix revived her playing career by joining the Jacksonville Cougars of the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL).

A native of Elon, N.C., Pennix earned her bachelor's degree in physical education and recreation in 1999.