Men's Basketball Archives - �� News

Former basketball coach in new role with ESPN+

Ryan Cornell — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Kirby Dean ’92, head coach of the �� men’s basketball team from 2003-18, is an analyst on broadcasts of JMU men’s basketball games for ESPN+.

ODAC Hall of Fame: Leonard Dow ’86

Justin McIlwee, director of athletic communications and advertising — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000

In August 2025, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference announced its inaugural class of 50 to the ODAC Hall of Fame. Four Royals were named to the ODAC’s first-ever class. Over the next week, �� Athletics will celebrate all four inductees with articles highlighting their illustrious playing and post-�� careers. Our first inductee is Leonard Dow ’86.

Dow was a standout on the basketball court for the Royals from 1983 to 1986. In 1985, he was named the ODAC Player of the Year. He was a four-time All-ODAC First Team and etched his name in the record books as the all-time career leader in points (2,192), rebounds (1,102), and scoring average (20.4 points per game). He also set the record for most points in a season by a first-year when he scored 534 points in his first season. His jersey was retired in 1986 and he was inducted into the in 1987.

A giant on the basketball court, Dow has been an even bigger force when it comes to his faith during the 40 years since his graduation from ��. He was a founder of the Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association in Philadelphia, and for nearly 20 years was a pastor at Oxford Circle Mennonite Church. In 2017, he left the church to become the vice president of community and church development for Everence, leading the effort to serve emerging diverse communities and churches that historically have been underserved.

He also serves on the board of directors for The City School, Missio Seminary, The Brooklyn Peace Center, and The Common Place.

Dow, along with ��’s three other ODAC Hall of Fame inductees, will be celebrated on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the men’s basketball game against Roanoke inside Yoder Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

Take Flight – An �� basketball player’s story

Wed, 16 Jul 2014 17:11:34 +0000

Failure is not an option for �� basketball player Andrew Thorne ’14. His accomplishments include all ODAC team selection, five time player of the week, male athlete of the year and an elite eight appearance. More importantly, basketball gave him the opportunity to get an education.

Video produced by visual and communication arts graduate, Shandell Taylor ’13. Music by digitalr3public, “Synthetic Truth.”

Learn more about �� athletics at http://www.emuroyals.com

Men’s Basketball at ��

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 18:31:48 +0000

Coach Kirby Dean talks about the men’s basketball program at ��.

��’s Men’s Basketball Banquet: Philosophy of the Program

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:19:56 +0000