Dunkley return to Bears good timing for UMaine

The man with arguably the best last name ever to grace the back of a University of Maine basketball warmup jersey is back in Orono, this time in a suit.

Julian Dunkley has traded in his shorts, sneakers, and jersey for a suit, shoes, and a tie after four seasons as a professional player in Europe.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound “small” forward is replacing former associate head coach Calvin Oldham, who is taking the same position in the German Professional League, where he coached for seven seasons and played for eight.

“We always knew that Julian was interested in coaching. He’s a kid who made himself into a tremendous player and was a great student-athlete,” said Maine men’s head coach Ted Woodward. “I’ve worked with him a long time and he’s very proud of being a Black Bear.”

Saturday, Dunkley was back on the practice floor he got to know so well when he played for Maine (1999-2001) as the Black Bears’ preseason got started with the team’s first practice. The Maine women also started out in earnest Saturday, the first official full day of practice for NCAA Division I programs.

The men play their first exhibition game Nov. 3 and start the regular season against William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., on Nov. 18. The women start exhibition play Nov. 7 and open their regular season Nov. 18 on the road against Rider College.

Oldham was associate head coach for Woodward last year and assistant coach under John Giannini the previous season.

“I’ve always had coaching in the back of my mind as something I wanted to explore,” Dunkley said. “I found out about Calvin leaving, there was an opportunity to come, so I called Ted and talked to him about it. When I played here, Coach G told me I’d be a good coach someday.”

The timing couldn’t have been much better for Dunkley, a Jamaica native who grew up in the Philadelphia area and attended Temple University before transferring to Maine. He was planning to play another professional season, either in Portugal or Turkey, but he 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.”

Dunkley led the Bears in scoring his senior season and was a 2000-2001 All-America East and NABC All-District I second team pick. After graduating with a communications degree, he played pro ball, was a first team all-star for the Vienna Lions in Austria, and played in the Supporter Cup. In 2003, he was a second team all-star in Turkey and in 2004 he played for Belgium’s Pepenster, but injuries limited his play.

The former Philadelphia 76ers free agent invitee (2001) and Atlanta Hawks NBA Summer League player (2003) has also been an integral member of the Jamaican national team the last five seasons as both a captain and player-coach and played for the team in the prestigious Caricom Tournament.

His Jamaican team experience should pay some dividends for both UMaine and the national team.

“Yeah, don’t be surprised if you see some 6-10 Jamaicans walking around the campus in a year or two,” Dunkley said with a chuckle.

Woodward said Dunkley’s experience as a swingman should come in handy as Maine is deep in guards but with much less experience and maturity in the frontcourt.

“We have six new guys who will end up playing for us,” Woodward said. “We certainly have a lot of new faces, especially in the frontcourt. We like a lot of the parts we have and we seem to have a very good chemistry already.”

Brady named UM-Machias coach

This time of year, some people start leaving Maine with Florida as their winter destination, but not Brac Brady. He has gone the other way.

Brady, a longtime Florida resident, has been named head men’s basketball coach at the University of Maine-Machias.

Brady comes to the Clippers after coaching the last six seasons at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Fla. He replaces former men’s and women’s head coach Randy Lee, who resigned to become men’s basketball head coach at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Brady was a dean’s list student at Palm Beach Atlantic College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical and secondary education and was a three-year starter on the basketball team.