Head coach Dawn Thornton entering her fifth season with the Lady Lions after arriving in 2019-20, bringing a revitalized, competitive spirit to the UAPB women’s basketball program.
Thornton hit the ground running in 2022-23, leading the Lady Lions to a successful recruiting class, with several key newcomers (former five and three stars) that will pick up from last season.
In 2021-22, Thornton improved throughout the season, winning the Southern Mississippi Tournament and knocking off Tulane all in the same year. Under her guidance, UAPB recorded its highest overall wins in over 10 years.
In year three (2021-22), Thornton oversaw the development of the Lady Lions standout Zaay Green, who was named SWAC Newcomer of the Year and mentioned as one of the top players on several WNBA Scout lists.
During the 2019-20 season, Thornton, a 13-year coaching veteran commonly known as "Diva Coach", inherited a program consisting of four freshmen and four transfers; yet, led the team to outperform the preseason poll that picked UAPB to finish last in the SWAC. Under Thornton’s leadership, the Lady Lions tripled their SWAC win total from the previous season and qualified for the conference tournament for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
Thornton mentored freshman center, Nissa Sam-Grant, who in her first season donning a Lady Lions jersey, emerged as one of the most electrifying newcomers in the SWAC. Sam-Grant finished the season fourth in the conference with 1.5 blocks per game.
Coach Thornton was named the Lady Lions' head coach in May of 2019. "When I came on campus and had the opportunity to interact with some of the other coaches … everyone just embraced me and my family, and it was a great feeling," Thornton said.
Prior to leading the Lady Lions, Thornton spent the previous season as the lead assistant coach of Atlantic Sun Conference perennial power, Jacksonville University. After a late start in August of 2017, Thornton served as head coach at Division II Shorter University where, in one season, she led the surge from last in all major statistical categories to the middle of the conference and developed the Northwest Georgia Player of the Year.
From 2014 to 2016, Thornton served as the head coach at Prairie View, capturing the program's fourth consecutive SWAC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2014 while being honored as the HBCU Digest Female Coach of the Year. On Thornton's watch, Prairie View posted wins over Memphis, Houston, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston State, Nicholls State, and Lamar University and compiled a 12-2 record in SWAC Tournament play. Thornton served as associate head coach at Prairie View from 2012 to 2014, where the team won three consecutive SWAC Tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament berths.
Thornton helped coach two SWAC Players of the Year in Latia Williams (2013) and Jeanette Jackson (2015). Jackson, who was recruited by Thornton, was also named SWAC Championship Tournament MVP in 2014 and led the conference in scoring (18.8). Jackson went on to play professionally with several teams in Europe. Thornton also recruited and coached Mississippi JUCO star Kiara Etienne, who earned SWAC Championship MVP honors in 2013, Shamiya Brooks, who led the SWAC with 11 double-doubles and 4.0 offensive rebounds per game in 2014-15, and Larissa Scott, who ranked fourth in the NCAA in offensive rebounding (5.0) in 2015-16.
Prior to her time as associate head coach, Thornton solidified her reputation as one of the best recruiters in the conference, recruiting and developing seven First Team All-Conference Players, two Conference Players of the Year, two Conference Freshmen of the Year, and one Defensive Player of the Year from 2010 to 2014 at Prairie View. Thornton began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Tougaloo College from 2007 to 2010 where she was integral to the Lady Bulldogs' best record in 12 years and Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal appearance during the 2009-2010 season.
Thornton received her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Jackson State University in 2005, where she helped lead the Lady Tigers basketball team to a SWAC Regular Season Co-Championship during her junior and senior years. She played her first two seasons at Atlanta Metropolitan College where she led the team to consecutive.
The Jackson, Ms. native, Thornton and her husband (Cedric Thornton), who's the defensive coordinator at Grambling St. has one son (Camden Thornton).
She is a member of proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Inc.
