Donnie Kirksey, a former assistant coach at both DePaul and Chicago State, enters his fourth season in the same capacity on Head Coach Howard Moore[apos]s staff at UIC. Before jumping back into the college coaching ranks, Kirksey served as the head basketball coach and athletic director at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago from 2007-10. In three seasons at the helm, Kirksey[apos]s teams averaged nearly 24 wins per season and posted an overall record of 71-18. Before returning home, the Chicago native spent three and half years (2001-04) in Los Angeles where he worked for SFX Basketball Group, LLC. While there, he worked with several high-profile professional basketball clients, helping the athletes transition into professional life while organizing appearances and speaking engagements. In 2000-2001, Kirksey was a member of Pat Kennedy[apos]s staff at DePaul. He organized film analysis and breakdown, assisted in practices and games and monitored the academic progress of the Blue Demons. From 1998-2000, Kirksey served in a similar capacity at Chicago State under Bo Ellis. Kirksey graduated from Roosevelt University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration - Management, in 1985.
