天美传媒

天美传媒 Athletics Director聽Jo Ann Gordon聽has announced that Jake DuPree, who has served as interim head coach since late August, has officially been named head coach of the Gray Wolves鈥� men鈥檚 basketball program.

鈥淛ake鈥檚 journey at Lourdes, from player to coach, has prepared him for this moment,鈥� said Gordon. 鈥淎s interim head coach, he checked every box鈥攄emonstrating leadership, player development, and competitive success. His deep understanding of our program and unwavering commitment make him the ideal leader for the future of Lourdes men鈥檚 basketball.鈥�

天美传媒 President聽Dr. William J. Bisset聽echoed that sentiment, highlighting DuPree鈥檚 impact on and off the court.

鈥淛ake鈥檚 long-standing commitment to the Lourdes community as an alumnus, student-athlete, student affairs administrator, and assistant coach makes him the ideal person to lead our men鈥檚 basketball program as head coach at this exciting time in the University鈥檚 history,鈥� Dr. Bisset said. 鈥淚 have been very impressed these past few months as to how engaged our players have been on and off the court under Jake鈥檚 interim head coach leadership. The decision to move forward with this change in title was very easy.鈥�

Since taking over as interim head coach, DuPree has led the Gray Wolves to a聽16-6 overall record聽and a聽10-4 mark in WHAC play, positioning Lourdes in聽third place in the conference standings. His team has been dominant at home, boasting a聽9-0 record聽in the Ebeid Recreation Center this season. Under his guidance, senior guard聽Shaunn Monroe聽has emerged as the NAIA鈥檚 leading scorer, averaging 26.3 points per game while earning聽eight WHAC Player of the Week honors.

DuPree, a former Lourdes standout and a founding member of the program, has been with the Gray Wolves in various coaching capacities since 2015. He initially joined as a graduate assistant under聽Andre Smith聽before moving into an assistant coaching role under聽Josh Gibson聽and later serving as associate head coach under聽Dennis Hopson.

鈥淚 first want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for this opportunity. Without Him, none of this would be possible. I feel extremely blessed and humbled to officially be named the Head Men鈥檚 Basketball Coach at 天美传媒, a place I call home,鈥� DuPree said. 鈥淚 also want to thank our President,聽Dr. Bisset, and our Athletic Director,聽Jo Ann Gordon, for believing in me and trusting me to lead this program I love so much.

鈥淲hen I first stepped foot on this campus as a 17-year-old kid, I knew this place was special. 天美传媒 has helped shape me into the man I am today, and I know it can do the same for others. My staff and I will continue to be dedicated to representing 天美传媒 and the community in the highest regard. Our student-athletes鈥� education and well-being will always come first before anything. The ultimate goal is to have a positive impact on our student-athletes鈥� lives both on and off the court鈥攑ushing them to be the best versions of themselves they can be through teaching accountability, teamwork, and self-discipline. When they graduate from Lourdes, they will be ready to lead with confidence, knowing they can overcome any challenges they may encounter in life. If we do this in the right way, I truly believe the success of the program will follow.

鈥淚 also want to thank the Sisters of St. Francis for their continuous support of 天美传媒 and its students. Thank you to my mom, my dad, and my family for all their love and support throughout the years. To all the coaches聽I have had the pleasure to work with and learn from including聽Brett Lauf聽and聽Clark Maloney, my former teammates who helped build this program from the ground up, and all the players I have had the pleasure of coaching鈥攅specially the group we have now鈥攖hank you all as well. Words can鈥檛 describe what this truly means to me.鈥�

DuPree takes the helm of a Lourdes team that remains in strong contention for postseason play, looking to build on last season鈥檚聽22-7 overall record and NAIA National Championship appearance.

For continued coverage of Lourdes men’s basketball, visit LourdesAthletics.com and follow the team on social media: Twitter (@Lourdes_MBB) and Instagram (@lourdesmensbasketball).