Nikita Lowry Dawkins new assistant at Texas Tech

Here's some additional coaching news. Dawkins replaces longtime assistant
Linden Weese.

Nikita Lowry Dawkins Joins Lady Raider Basketball Staff
Lady Raider program gets new assistant coach

LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech head women's basketball coach Marsha Sharp has
announced the hiring of Nikita (Niki) Lowry Dawkins as an assistant women's
basketball coach for the Lady Raiders. Lowry Dawkins comes to Tech after
serving the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Old Dominion.

"This is an extremely important hire for Lady Raider basketball," said
Sharp. "There are two crucial focal points of this position; one is
recruiting and the second is to be involved with coaching our post players.
There is no question that the credentials Niki brings to the table in these
two areas are outstanding. Her background will allow her to provide our
program with valuable insight. I am really impressed with her background and
I'm really excited about the opportunity to work with her."

While at Old Dominion, Lowry Dawkins worked closely with the Lady Monarch
post players, as well as recruiting student-athletes and scouting opponents.
She comes to Tech with a plethora of coaching and playing experience,
including head coaching stints at New Mexico State and Detroit Mercy, and
assistant coaching positions at New Mexico State, Ohio State and Michigan.
Lowry Dawkins was also a four-year letterwinner and an All-American at Ohio
State from 1985-89.

"It is a privilege to be able to coach at Texas Tech, a prestigious
university in a highly respected conference, the Big 12," Lowry Dawkins
said. "I had a tremendous experience working with Coach Sharp during our
gold-medal run with USA Basketball in 2002. To be able to teach and learn
with one of the greatest minds in the game is a tremendous honor, and I look
forward to working side-by-side with her, the coaching staff,
administration, fans and community. I am truly humbled to have the
opportunity to work for a Hall of Fame coach."

Internationally, Lowry Dawkins has been active in USA Basketball both as a
coach and a player. In 2002, she served as assistant coach to Sharp for the
USA World Championship For Young Women's Qualifying Team that won the gold
medal in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. During her collegiate days, she was a
member of two USA Select Teams in 1988 and 1990, the World University Team
in 1989 and the Junior National Team in 1987.

"We had the opportunity to coach together during the summer of 2002," Sharp
stated. "She was one of my assistant coaches for the USA Basketball team I
coached, and I think it gave us an opportunity to know each other and for me
to see her strengths. She will immediately be involved in our summer
recruiting and our team preparation for the 2005-06 season."

As a player at Ohio State, Lowry Dawkins helped lead the Buckeyes to four
NCAA Tournament appearances. As a senior, she was a Kodak and Street & Smith
All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year by the Chicago Tribune and was a
unanimous All-Big Ten selection. In 2000, she was inducted into Ohio State's
Hall of Fame and in 2002, was named to the Buckeye's All-Century Team.

After graduating with a degree in economics from OSU, Lowry Dawkins spent a
year abroad playing for the Italmeco Bari Club in Bari, Italy.

Lowry Dawkins and her husband, Tony, were married in the summer of 2004.