University of Albany

On March 17, 2021, the University at Albany and Director of Athletics Mark Benson announced the hiring of Dwayne Killings as the 16th head men’s basketball coach in program history and fourth during UAlbany’s Division I era.

In his first season (2021-22) at the helm of the Great Danes, Killings guided the team to a 13-18 overall record, going an even 9-9 in conference play. The non-conference portion of the schedule was highlighted by a 61-57 road victory over Boston College, marking the first time in program history the Great Danes took down an ACC foe. The season came to an early end in the first round of the America East Tournament against Hartford, but not before Killings’ squad picked up multiple postseason awards. Under Killings’ guidance, Jamel Horton was named the America East Defensive Player of the Year and Justin Neely was named the America East Rookie of the Year.

The Great Danes faced a slew of struggles during the 2022-23 campaign, including multiple injuries and lack of a true home court due to the renovation of SEFCU Arena. Due to the construction, the Great Danes were forced to play all home games down the road at Hudson Valley Community College. The team finished with an 8-23 overall record and a 3-13 mark in conference play. Although the season did not go as planned, Killings proved once again to be a force in the recruiting world – bringing in eventual America East Rookie of the Year Jonathan Beagle. Beagle collected a program-record nine Rookie of the Week awards before claiming the end of the year honor, proving to be a dominant force on the court as a freshman. It is only the second time UAlbany has had back-to-back Rookies of the Year, the first coming when Jamar Wilson and Jon Iati accomplished the feat in the early 2000’s.

A native of Amherst, Mass., Killings joined UAlbany from his latest position as Associate Head Coach at Marquette University, where he spent the previous three seasons under head coach Steve Wojciechowski. In Killings’ three years at Marquette, the Golden Eagles posted two winning seasons and made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In 2020, his recruiting class ranked in the top-20 nationally and he coached 2019-20 BIG EAST Player of the Year and AP All-American Markus Howard.

Before Marquette, Killings spent two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut. Prior to UConn, he spent five seasons at Temple University as an assistant coach under head coach Fran Dunphy, during which time the Owls made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Round of 32 in 2012-13, and one in the NIT, advancing to the semifinal round. While at Temple, Killings coached 2011-12 Atlantic-10 Player of the Year Khalif Wyatt.

Landing at UAlbany marks Killings return to the America East, where he served as an assistant coach at Boston University during the 2010-11 season. That year, the Terriers won the America East title and their roster featured America East Player of the Year John Holland.

Killings has two separate NBA stints in his professional career. His first job after graduating Hampton University in 2003 was with the Charlotte Bobcats as a special assistant and assistant video coordinator. Later, Killings spent one year in the NBA D-League as Manager of Basketball Operations.

In between his NBA roles, Killings spent three seasons as Assistant Director of Basketball Operations at Temple University, his first stint with the Owls, again under Fran Dunphy. Temple won back-to-back Atlantic-10 titles in 2007-08 and 2008-09, earning NCAA Tournament bids in the same years.

In total, since he started his NCAA coaching career at Temple in 2006, Killings’ teams have made seven NCAA Tournament appearances and one appearance in the NIT. He has won three conference tournament titles, two regular-season titles, and ha coached three conference Players of the Year, including one All-America selection, a Defensive Player of the Year, and two Rookies of the Year. 

In addition to his coaching experience, Killings founded Coaches for Action, a working group of 21 minority assistant basketball coaches in the BIG EAST, to challenge the conference’s member campuses to sustain their efforts and voices to address social injustice. Killings also served a two-year appointment from 2018-20 on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Ethics Coalition, to promote ethical conduct among NCAA Division I men’s basketball coaches through education, leadership, and mentoring. Killings has been an active participant in TopConnect, a professional development organization that helps prepare the next generation of basketball leaders, connecting college basketball coaches with administrators.
 


Killings' Coaching History

Education
Hampton University, Class of 2003
B.A. in Sports Management

University of Massachusetts, 1999-2001

What They're Saying About Dwayne Killings

“Throughout the interview process Dwayne established himself as a person of high character and integrity, a true leader in every sense of the word. He’s known as a campus connector, preparing student-athletes for life after basketball. Furthermore, his track record of work in the community will uphold and grow our program’s reputation within the Capital Region and across the country. We are delighted to welcome Dwayne and his family to the Great Dane family.”
UAlbany President Dr. Havidán Rodríguez

“We are thrilled to announce the addition of Team Killings, Dwayne, Ana, Alecia, and Tristan, to the UAlbany family.  His experience at all levels of basketball and his reputation for building authentic, long-lasting relationships will make great additions to our men’s basketball program. He has worked at schools steeped in basketball tradition and around great people, including mentorship under one of the most well-regarded coaches in Fran Dunphy.”
UAlbany Director of Athletics Mark Benson