Coach Aye Announces Coaching Staff Additions for Upcoming Season
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Allan Hancock College head men's basketball coach, Tyson Aye, has announced three new members to the coaching lineup for the upcoming season.
"We're very excited to have Coach Connor, Coach David, and Coach Kevin joining our staff and the AHC basketball family this season," shared Coach Aye. "All three coaches came highly recommended and we can't wait to infuse their basketball knowledge, passion, and positive leadership into our program!"
Kevin Russell enters his first full season with the coaching staff after joining the squad late during the abbreviated 2021 Spring I season. Prior to his arrival at Allan Hancock, Russell coached the boy's freshman team at Coconino High School for two years while attending Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. The Newbury Park native returned home to become the Assistant Varsity Coach and Head Junior Varsity Coach at Newbury Park High School for two seasons. Russell was recognized s the JV Marmonte Coach of the Year during the 2019-20 season. He received an undergraduate degree in Strategic Communications from Northern Arizona University and also holds a Single Subject Physical Education Credential. Russell also serves as a Physical Education teacher at Bill Libbon Elementary School in Santa Maria.
David Norris II will enter his first season on the sideline for the Bulldogs. Norris, a California State University alum, brings nearly a decade of coaching experience to the staff. He joined Hancock after a two-year stint as the head coach of the boy's basketball for Rochester Lourdes High School in Minnesota. Norris also pulled double duty while up north as the Program Director of MN Lace-Up, Minnesota's premier AAU basketball program, for the past six years. He has also made pitstops as an assistant coach at Century High School, Crossroads College, and California State University throughout his career. He received his undergraduate degree in Public Relations & Organizational Communication from California State University-Los Angeles in 2012.
Connor Dodd will also enter his first season on the bench with the Hancock crew this season. The Fresno native, who joins the Bulldogs after serving as an AAU coach for the West Coast Elite - Central Branch, earned his undergraduate degree in Communication Studies from Creighton University in 2018.
Longtime assistant coach, Kurt Dykema, will also return for the 2021-22 campaign. Dykema enters his 5th overall season as an assistant coach for the men's basketball squad. The Ernest Righetti High School alum had a standout college career while playing for Cuesta College and Point Loma University - San Diego. After college, Dykema spent two seasons as an assistant coach under Robert White at Allan Hancock during the 1985-87 seasons. Dykema left the staff and moved to Seattle, where he worked for the Boeing Company for nearly 30 years. He relocated back to the Santa Maria area upon retirement and rejoined the Bulldogs staff in 2019.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to open the season on November 2nd with a trip to Porterville College. Game time is set for 6 PM in Porterville, Calif.