Dustin Downey was named interim head coach on December 10, 2020, after serving as assistant coach since February 25, 2019.
Downey was an instrumental part of UIC's dramatic turnaround in his first year in Chicago. The Flames posted the nation's second-best RPI improvement, and fifth-best winning percentage increase from 2018, after going 12-6-1 overall and 7-2 in Horizon League play. Virtually every single-season record, both offensively and defensively, was broken. The Flames earned their first-ever postseason win, and made their first appearance in the Horizon League championship match.
Downey came Chicago after a successful seven-year tenure on the Western Kentucky staff. There, he mentored one conference Player of the Year, 29 All-Conference players, and six All-Region honorees. Fifteen of Downey's charges earned All-Academic honors at the conference level, and five earned Academic All-American status.
Strong finishes, featuring season-long improvement, were Downey and WKU's calling card the last two seasons. Last season, the team earned a result in five of their last six matches. They did not lose a home match all year. The squad boasted C-USA's top assist generator. In 2017, the Lady Toppers won four of their last five matches.
Downey and the WKU staff led the team to a 7-3-0 record in conference play in 2016 and finished third in C-USA, five spots above their rank in the preseason poll. The 2016 squad placed five players on the All-C-USA teams.
With Downey on the sidelines, the Lady Toppers won the regular season and advanced to the Sun Belt championship in 2013. They placed a program record seven players on the all-conference team in their last season in the league. The year prior, Downey's first at WKU, he made an immediate impact on the group by helping guide Ali Stahlke to the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year award.
Downey also spent four years on the U.S. National Training Center staff.
Downey played three seasons at WKU before finishing his collegiate career at current Horizon League rival Northern Kentucky. Downey helped lead the Norse, then in Division II, to the national semifinals. He returned to Western Kentucky to complete his studies and earned his degree in broadcast communications and TV production.
