Dave Donnelly enters his ninth season with the UIC men[apos]s basketball team, fifth as a full-time assistant coach, where he has been involved in all facets of the program and served in a variety of roles. A tireless worker, Donnelly[apos]s responsibilities include: off-campus recruiting, on-the-floor coaching, opponent scouting and game preparation, future opponent scheduling, financial aid guidance, housing assistance, summer job program coordination, basketball prospect mailings, video exchange program and director of the Jimmy Collins Summer Basketball Camp. Donnelly[apos]s primary responsibility on the court includes working with the Flames[apos] post players and team defense. Donnelly[apos]s work has paid dividends for UIC as the Flames have racked up 76 wins the last four years while advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and earning the school[apos]s first-ever NIT bid in 2003. Aside from his coaching duties at UIC, Donnelly currently serves on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Assistant Coaches Board. The 36-year old Donnelly came to UIC after three years as an assistant coach at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Ill. During his tenure with the Skyhawks, SVCC advanced to the Region IV Final Four all three years and were ranked 23rd in the NJCAA Division I final poll in 1996 and 28th in 1998. Donnelly began his coaching career while serving in the United States Navy, where his squad participated in the East Coast Championships in each of the two years he was assigned as head coach. While in the U.S. Navy, he was assigned to Assault Craft Unit Two in Virginia Beach, Va., and earned the distinguished [apos]Sailor of the Year[apos] award in 1992. In addition to his coaching and military career, Donnelly has been a coach/clinician at numerous basketball camps throughout the nation. Donnelly earned his Master of Science in Sports Management/Physical Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Northern Illinois University and Associate of Science in Education from Sauk Valley Community College. A native of Deer Grove, Ill., Donnelly was a three-sport standout in basketball, football and track at Tampico High School. As a prep athlete, Donnelly earned honorable mention all-state honors in basketball, as well as all-district accolades in football and track. Dave and his wife, Amy, currently reside in Winfield, Ill.
