PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – Trinity Athletics has announced Dominique Nelson will step in as the interim Head Women's Basketball Coach for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
With 18 years of coaching experience across multiple levels of the sport, Nelson will take over as head coach for the Trolls after spending last season as an assistant coach with the men's program under Jason Hawkins.
For six seasons, Nelson led the boys basketball program at Calumet High School (Gary, Ind.), where he guided the Warriors to an IHSAA sectional title and four consecutive sectional championship games. In 2018, Nelson was named the Northwest Indiana Times Coach of the Year, as well as the Post-Tribune Coach of the Year.
While receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees at Tennessee State University, Nelson spent two seasons as a student manager for the women's basketball program, and was a graduate assistant from 2009-11. In that time he also served as the girls' junior varsity head coach at Thornridge High School in Dolton, Ill., and served as an intern with Attack Athletics, where he trained players in preparation of the NBA Draft. In 2008, Nelson worked with the WNBA's Chicago Sky as a Basketball Operations Intern.
In 2013-14, Nelson served on the staff at Roosevelt University, and helped to lead the Lakers women's basketball squad to the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Joining Nelson on the bench for 2023-24 will be Keith Lyons, and Casey Davis, who will serve as assistant coaches.
Lyons joins the Trolls after serving as the head varsity girls' basketball coach at George Washington HS in Denver, Colo. for the past seven years, where he was named the 2021 Denver Public Schools Girls Coach of the Year. Prior to his time in Colorado, Lyons was a club basketball coach for various groups since 2001.
Davis comes to Trinity as a former player under Nelson; she played four years at Roosevelt from 2010-14, where she was a three-time CCAC First Team selection, and a two-time NAIA All-American for the Lakers.
The Trolls will open the new season on November 3, when Trinity hosts Dordt (Iowa), followed by Northwestern (Iowa) on November 4.
The Nelson File:
2005-2007: Student Manager, Tennessee State Women's Basketball
2008: Basketball Operations Intern, Chicago Sky
2008-2009: Girls' Basketball J.V. Head Coach, Thornridge HS
2009-2011: Graduate Assistant Coach, Tennessee State Women's Basketball
2010-2011: NBA Pre-Draft Camp Intern, Attack Athletics
2013-2014: Assistant Coach, Roosevelt Women's Basketball
2014-2015: Assistant Coach, Calumet HS Boys Basketball
2015-2021: Head Coach, Calumet HS Boys Basketball
2021-2022: Assistant Coach, Merrillville HS Boys Basketball
2022-2023: Assistant Coach, Trinity Christian Men's Basketball
