Illinois College Names Alumnus Dylan Dudley Men’s Basketball Coach

JACKSONVILLE — Illinois College has named alumnus Dylan Dudley, a former Blueboys player and Hall of Fame team member, as its new men’s basketball coach, Director of Athletics Meghan Roman has announced.

Dudley returns to Illinois College, his alma mater, after more than two decades of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels, as well as in high school programs.

“Dylan’s passion for IC, extensive coaching experience, and commitment to developing the whole student-athlete made him the ideal choice to lead this program,” Roman said. “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an ability to build winning cultures rooted in accountability, academic excellence, and meaningful relationships. We are excited to see him return to the Hilltop and take IC’s program to the next level.”

Dudley said he was honored to return to the school where he played from 2001 to 2005.

“I am incredibly honored to return to IC as the head coach,” Dudley said. “IC helped shape who I am, and it means a great deal to have the opportunity to give back to a place that has meant so much to me. I want to thank Meghan and the search committee for their confidence in me. My family and I are excited to become part of the Blueboy community once again.”

Most recently, Dudley served as head boys’ basketball coach at Alton High School, where he compiled a 72-59 record over four seasons and led the program to back-to-back regional championships. He was named the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year, and his teams received Illinois High School Association academic recognition with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.61.

As a player at Illinois College, Dudley scored 1,026 career points as a guard from Sullivan, Illinois. He helped the Blueboys reach the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003 and three Midwest Conference Tournaments during his career. He earned All-MWC honors after his senior season and was inducted into the Illinois College Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 as a member of the 2002-03 squad.

Dudley graduated from Illinois College in 2005 and holds master’s degrees from Henderson State and McKendree.

Before returning to Illinois, Dudley was head boys’ basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth, Texas. There, he led the program to the 2022 TAPPS Area Championship and oversaw camps, fundraising initiatives, alumni engagement efforts and community outreach programs.

His college coaching experience includes assistant coaching positions at Midwestern State, Henderson State, Central Missouri, Tennessee-Martin, Drury and Westminster. At Midwestern State, he served as lead assistant coach for a nationally ranked NCAA Division II program and recruited multiple all-conference student-athletes from the Midwest and South.

At Central Missouri, Dudley was part of the 2013 MIAA Conference championship staff and recruited players who helped the Mules win the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship. At Drury, he recruited student-athletes who became key contributors to the Panthers’ 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship team.