Former player, assistant returning to Culver-Stockton to coach men’s basketball team

CANTON, Mo. — Dorian Hobbs, Jr., a former Culver-Stockton College player and assistant coach, will return to the college as the head coach for the men’s basketball program. Athletic Director Pat Atwell made the announcement Wednesday afternoon.

Hobbs has spent the last two seasons with the coaching staff at Millikin University. This year’s team finished with an 11-14 record. Last year’s team finished with a 14-12 record and earned a berth in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament for the first time in school history. The Big Blue had won five games combined in two seasons before Hobbs joined the staff.

“I first off want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him, none of this is possible,” Hobbs said in a press release. “I also want to thank Pat Atwell for trusting me with this position, and I look forward to working with him moving forward.

“To be able to return to my alma mater in this capacity as head coach is a dream come true. C-SC helped me to become the man I am today. I look forward to shaping young men’s lives and teaching life lessons through the game of basketball to the best of my ability. I have always dreamed about being a head coach, so being able to start off my head coaching career at Culver-Stockton is just the icing on the cake. I think I am still at a loss for words.”

Hobbs served as Millikin’s recruiting coordinator. He brought in most of the roster which helped the Big Blue to their best record in the last 15 years during his first season.

Hobbs served for four seasons as an assistant coach for the Wildcats under head coaches Jack Schrader and Aaron Hill. He helped coach multiple all-Heart of America Athletic Conference players, a Heart freshman of the year and a two-time All-America player. He also coached players who have gone on to play professionally overseas.

“I am extremely excited to work with Coach Hobbs as our next men’s basketball coach, ” Atwell said. “His passion for Culver-Stockton College, his knowledge of the school and the quality of his character really showed through in the interview process. He has first-hand knowledge of the recruitment process from both the player and coach perspective. He is universally respected on campus and will make for a seamless transition for our program.

“Dorian has great knowledge of the Midwest from recruiting both here and at Millikin and has worked under excellent coaches in his career. When you have the combination of work ethic and passion, usually success will follow. I expect that he will provide an outstanding student-athlete experience for our young men, which is the ultimate job that we are asked to do at the college level.”

During his playing days at C-SC, Hobbs was a four-year member of the basketball program and was a member of two national tournament teams. The 2012-13 team advanced to the final eight of the NAIA Men’s National Tournament and set a school record with 26 victories, while the 2013-14 team advanced to the round of 16 and ended with a 24-8 mark.

Hobbs graduated from Culver-Stockton in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in media communication and a minor in religion and history. He earned a master’s degree from the University of the Cumberlands in 2021.