Pellissippi State Athletics Welcomes JaQuandrea Dudley as New Head Women's Basketball Coach

Knoxville, TN - A coach who has been instrumental in shaping men's and women's basketball at Columbia State Community College has joined Pellissippi State to serve as its first head women's basketball coach.

JaQuandrea "Quan" Dudley, who begins his position with the college effective May 16, has played an integral role at Columbia State as assistant coach for men's and women's basketball. There he helped develop multiple all-conference players, including the Men's Freshman of the Year in 2019-2020 and the Women's Conference Player of the Year and NJCAA All-American in 2020-2021.

Dudley said it is an honor to be able to lead Pellissippi State's women's basketball program.

"I'm blessed to be a part of it," he said. "I will strive to cultivate a culture that breeds success, determination, growth and hard work."

During the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Dudley helped guide Columbia State men's basketball to regular season championships. The men's team also participated in the NJCAA National Tournament in 2019-20. His players earned All-Conference Academic Team and NJCAA Academic All-American honors.

Athletics Director Brock Evans said Dudley's commitment to student success on and off the court made an impression during the hiring process.

"Quan does a terrific job at developing players to reach their full potential, and I know he will lead our women's basketball team to great success," Evans said.

At Columbia, Dudley also oversaw intramural sports teams and assisted student engagement in offering campus events and guidance to incoming first-year students. He earned the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service award in April.

The Panthers' women's basketball team will begin practice this fall with games starting in November. Home games will take place in the Student Recreation Center on the Hardin Valley Campus. Recruitment of student-athletes is underway. Interested parties should fill out the form here