Dwayne Anderson, a standout leader of Villanova's 2009 NCAA Final Four team, joined the Nittany Lion coaching staff as an assistant coach in July of 2013 and begins his fifth season with the program.
Coached by Patrick Chambers, a former associate head coach in the Villanova program, Anderson was a part of successful Wildcat teams that made four straight NCAA appearances and reached the Sweet 16 three times. Anderson played four seasons of professional basketball in Europe after graduating with a degree in sociology from Villanova University in 2009. In 2013, he was convinced by Chambers to change career paths and apply his knowledge, skills and experiences to the coaching profession.
A native of Silver Spring, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C., Anderson stands as a testament to determination as a hard-working student-athlete who achieved success in all arenas. He translates those experiences as a former student-athlete and expectations as a mentor to members of the Nittany Lion program.
Anderson works specifically with the Penn State big men, helping them become more effective players on both ends of the court. He tutored Ross Travis, who is third on the program's all-time rebounding list, and Brandon Taylor, who finished his career as one of only nine Nittany Lions to record more than 1,000 points and 600 rebounds. Anderson also worked with Jordan Dickerson and Donovan Jack, both of whom rank in Penn State's top 10 for career blocks and hold spots on the single-season list as well.
Anderson has established himself as a high-level recruiter and contributed major efforts in the landing of Penn State's heralded 2016 and 2015 classes. The 2016 class was ranked in the top 25, the highest in program history, with the 2015 class ranked in the top 30.
A 6-6, 215-pound wing, Anderson emerged as a cornerstone team leader during his junior and senior seasons, serving as a team captain on the Villanova teams that advanced to the Sweet 16 (2008) and Final Four (2009). A three-year letterman, he played in 23 or more games in each of his last three seasons with the Wildcats and was also part of a team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 2006.
Anderson missed the first seven games of his senior season with a foot fracture, but returned to play in 31 contests and average 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while helping lead Villanova to the NCAA Final Four where it lost to eventual champion North Carolina. He averaged 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments his senior year and scored a career-high 25 points in an NCAA first-round victory over American.
A two-time German All-Star selection (2011 & 2013), Anderson posted 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 2012-13 while leading S.Oliver Basket in scoring, rebounding and steals to earn his second All-Star selection. He led Italy's Morpho Basket Piacenza in rebounding in 2011-12 and earned selection to the EuroChallenge First Team (2010), Eurocup Top 8 Players (2011) and German All-Star Team (2011) during his two years with the BG Gottingen in Germany. He retired after his four-year professional career to join Penn State as an assistant coach.
In addition to his playing career overseas, Anderson also served as a volunteer coach for BG74, an under-13 and under-18 youth program, in Gottingen, Germany, from 2009-11 and launched his own T-shirt and apparel brand called ROBY - Rock Out Be You in 2012.
Anderson is married to the former Lindsay Davis, a diver at Villanova from 2006-09. The couple has two sons, Dash and Nova.