Former Gamecock Asia Dozier taking over a state championship team in Columbia
Asia Dozier was a standout at Spring Valley High School and in college at South Carolina. Now Dozier will have a chance to be a head coach in her hometown.
Cardinal Newman hired Dozier as the school’s new girls basketball coach. Dozier had a virtual meeting with the team Thursday.
Dozier replaces Molly Moore, who went 87-18 in her four seasons and led Cardinal Newman to back-to-back state titles in 2019-2020. The Cardinals also played for a state title in 2018.
“It is really big and exciting. I’m a hometown kid and played my college basketball down the road at USC. I received a huge support from everyone and I think that will continue,” Dozier said. “I’m walking into a favorable position. We want to continue to win state championships, grow the culture and build something bigger on a national level.”
Dozier coached at Legion Collegiate (11-6) in Rock Hill this past season. It was her first season as a head coach and the school’s first year of varsity basketball. She said that experience from helping build a program from the ground up definitely will help her in her coaching career.
Dozier was the S.C. Gatorade Player of the Year coming out of Spring Valley in 2012. She helped the Vikings to back-to-back state titles her final two years.
At USC, Dozier served as a team captain and finished sixth on the record list for games played with 131. She holds the USC single-season record for games played with 37 in 2014-15.
Dozier comes from a basketball family. Her father Perry Dozier and uncle Terry Dozier played at South Carolina. Her brother, PJ, was a member of the Gamecocks’ 2017 Final Four team and is with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.
She is the fourth former Gamecocks basketball player to earn a head coaching job in the last few weeks. Heathwood Hall hired Brionna Dickerson as its new girls basketball coach on March 31. Carlos Powell was hired as new Wilson boys basketball coach last week, and Olivia Gaines became the women’s coach at USC Salkehatchie.
Dozier inherits a talented roster at Cardinal Newman, which includes one of the top players in the Class of 2022 in Ashlyn Watkins. The rising junior is ranked No. 12 in the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings for Class of 2022.
Watkins averaged 16.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 rebounds a game. She already has offers from South Carolina, Baylor and Louisville, among others. Dozier is familiar with Watkins as the two were part of the SC 76ers AAU organization.
Dozier also coached Cardinal Newman point guard Tanaja Kennedy in AAU.
“I’m excited to coach her because of the type of player she is and what kind of person she is,” Dozier said of Watkins. “I think her potential has yet to be reached and hopefully I can do some things to bring out the beast in her. She has big goals and I hope to do things with her that she can capitalize on them.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 4:01 PM.
