New Era For Head Coach Joe Dooley

Courtesy of Linwood Ferguson

Friday night will mark a new beginning for head coach Joe Dooley. After being an assistant coach for fourteen years, he returns to take the reigns at another program: FGCU.

Although Dooley is mostly known for his diligent work as an assistant at Kansas, he did serve as head coach at East Carolina from 1995-1999. During that time, the Pirates went 57-52, capturing 17 wins in both his first and second seasons. In his final two seasons, East Carolina could not maintain a .500 mark in conference play and had 23 wins combined.

"He got a chance at East Carolina when he was really young and probably admittedly [made some mistakes]," said Jeff Goodman, ESPN CBB Insider "I've talked to him recently, [he] made a few mistakes and learned from them."

Learning from mistakes, Dooley worked under legendary Kansas coach Bill Self. In Dooley's time at Kansas, the Jayhawks made it to five Sweet Sixteens, four Elite Eights, and won the 2008 National Championship.

As a new era begins for the Eagles, Dooley will look to bring his success from Lawrence to Dunk City.

"There is a great nucleus and an opportunity to build on something really special," Dooley said.

Friday will be the first chance for Dooley showcase this "special" something on a national level.

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