Victoria Best and Danielle Dawson join the Radford women’s basketball program as assistant coaches, announced Tuesday by head coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba.

 
Best spent the last three years as the top assistant coach for the Frostburg State University women’s basketball team. Dawson joins the Highlanders’ coaching staff after six seasons with Delaware State, where she was responsible for individual skill development, recruiting, scouting, academic progress and film exchange.
 
"I am excited about the energy and experience these assistants bring to the program,” Ngongba expressed. “Their resumes speak for themselves with both coaches bringing 22 years of coaching experience to the table. I am confident these ladies will do a great job and I am very fortunate to have them in our RU basketball family.”
 
Best began her coaching career at Plattsburgh State University, where she served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for three years from 2000-03. She helped the Cardinals to a school record 16 wins in 2001-02, and helped the 2002-03 team tie the record a year later and earn the program’s first-ever ECAC Tournament berth.
 
In 2003-04, Best moved on to Colgate and served as an assistant coach. She assisted in recruiting, player development, scouting, and game and practice preparation, while helping the Raiders to their first-ever Patriot League Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Prior to Frostburg, Best was at Siena College, where she served as an assistant coach from 2004-08, under head coach Gina Castelli. She assisted with recruiting, scouting, player development, practice and game preparation, academic monitoring, fundraising and community service.
 
“Coach Best is a great addition to the staff. Her knowledge of the game, commitment to excellence and teaching abilities make her valuable to our staff. She is willing to do whatever it takes to make us better and that type of commitment will equal success. I am ecstatic to have her at Radford.”
 
Best is an alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a bachelor’s degree in art and design. She also minored in civil engineering and carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average throughout her undergraduate career.
 
On the court, Best was a standout player from 1995-99, serving as team captain during the 1998-99 season. During her career, Best was a two-time All-New 8 Conference selection, ECAC New England Division III Third Team All-Star honoree, MIT Most Outstanding Defensive Player (1996-97) and two-time team MVP (1997-98 and 1998-99).
 
She helped MIT to an ECAC New England Runner-up finish and a 20-8 record in 1998-99. Best holds several school records, including career points (1,425), single-season points (474) and steals in a season (81).
 
Dawson, a Petersburg, Va. native, began her coaching career at Division II Valdosta State during the 1999-2000 season, before joining the Monmouth women’s basketball program as an assistant coach from 2001-04. During the 2003-04 season, Monmouth reached the Northeast Conference Tournament championship game.
 
Following that season, Dawson spent one year as an assistant coach at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.
 
She went on to join Delaware State’s bench as an assistant coach in the summer of 2005. In her first season, the Lady Hornets advanced to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament championship game. The following season (2006-07), Delaware State captured its first MEAC Tournament crown and NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
“I am thrilled to have Coach Dawson on staff. She has a great basketball mind and will assist me in strategizing game adjustments. She is also extremely hardworking and is committed to making this program better. Her ability to recruit, particularly in Virginia, as well as mentor and develop all-conference players will be a huge plus. I believe Coach Dawson is a perfect fit for our program.”
 
Dawson played collegiately for Hampton from 1996-99, while working toward her bachelor’s degree in communication. She was a MEAC All-Rookie selection during the 1996-97 season. In her junior and senior seasons with the Lady Pirates, the squad captured MEAC Tournament titles and trips to the NCAA Tournament. Also in her junior campaign, Dawson was an All-MEAC first team selection and MEAC All-Tournament recipient, in addition to team MVP.
 
While at Delaware State, Dawson earned a master’s degree in sports administration in 2009.