Julian Dunkley, captain of the 2000 – 2002 Jamaica national basketball senior teams, was hired as associate head coach of the University of Maine basketball program. Dunkley, who was also a member of the championship winning 1996 CARICOM team, graduated from the university in 2001 with a degree in communications.
After an outstanding playing career for the Black Bears, Dunkley played professionally in Belgium, Turkey and Austria, where he earned all-conference and team MVP honors. “We are excited to have Julian Dunkley join our staff,” said Maine men’s head coach Ted Woodward. “He was a tremendous player here, has great experience in player development, and is a proud representative of our basketball program. We look forward to his work with our players throughout the year.”
“I’m happy to be back and working with such a good group of student-athlete,” said Dunkley. “I’m excited to contribute to the program’s goal of getting to the NCAA Tournament.”
Dunkley, a 6 foot 10 inches, 240 pounds “small” forward was invited to the Portsmouth Invitational for the top 60 seniors in the country upon graduation, played in summer leagues with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks.
He played two seasons at the University of Maine after transferring from Temple University. Dunkley led Maine in scoring during the 2000-01 season, averaging 16.6 points per game. He finished his career with 1,104 points. Dunkley was named a NACBC All-District I second team selection in 2000-01 and also earned America East second team honors that season.
Dunkley replaces associate head coach Calvin Oldham who was named associate head coach of Alba Berlin of Germany, one of the top teams in the European League.
The timing couldn’t have been much better for Dunkley, who grew up in New Jersey and attended Temple University before transferring to Maine. He was planning to play another professional season, either in Portugal or Turkey, but tore his Achilles tendon during a summer league game.
“It was a matter of opportunity. You have the urge to play always, but I’ve actually been looking forward to this opportunity for some time,” said Dunkley, 28. “Maine gave me the opportunity to see the world, so the least I can do is give back, help younger guys improve and develop, and help the team be more successful.”