Chris Dorsey
Chris Dorsey
Title: Head Coach
Phone: 318. 869.5091
Email: CDorsey@centenary.edu

Chris Dorsey enters his seventh season as head coach of the Centenary men’s basketball program in 2023-24.

Dorsey, one of the top young coaches in the country, was named the 22nd head coach of the Gents in June of 2017 and has taken the program to new heights in his six-year tenure. He is 85-60 with the Gents including an impressive 56-34 mark in SCAC play. Centenary has now finished .500 or better in all six seasons under Dorsey.

Last season, the Gents had one of their best seasons in program history as they finished 18-9 overall and 10-6 in conference play and tied the division III era (2012-present) single-season record for wins. Centenary earned the No. 3 seed in the SCAC Tournament as the Maroon and White made their 10th-straight appearance in the event where they defeated Southwestern in the quarterfinals before falling to host and No. 2 seed Trinity in the semifinals.

Centenary, as has become the norm under Dorsey, finished the season as one of the top defensive clubs in the country in division III. The Gents finished the regular season ranked 21st nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 62.8 PPG, and in the top 55 in both field goal percentage defense and 3-point FG % defense. The Gents ranked 20th nationally in turnover margin as they forced their opponents into an average of 19.9/game during the regular season.

Centenary also proved to be a very balanced team on both sides of the ball, as the Maroon and White finished the regular season in the top five in the conference in turnover margin, scoring defense, free throw %, steals, FG % defense, 3-point FG % defense, scoring margin, blocked shots, and 3-point FG made. The Gents finished the season holding 23 of their 27 opponents to 70 points or less, 60 or less 11 times, and to 55 or less 10 times.

Senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) had an outstanding season as he was named to the D3hoops.com All Region Team, earning a spot on the Region 10 Second Team. He was one of seven players to make the Second Team and one of only 12 players to land on the Region 10 Team in the entire county.

He was the Gents' leading scorer and rebounder, named First-Team All-SCAC, received votes for Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, named to the 2023 SCAC Championship All-Tournament Team, recorded seven double-doubles and was named the SCAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week three times during the regular season. Thomas was also named to the 2022-23 Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana Third Team.  

He reached double figures 23 times this season and did so in 17-straight games from Nov. 26-Feb. 4. Thomas joined the 1,000-point club on Feb. 9 in a home win over John Melvin University as he is now one of just 36 in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark. He joined the 500-rebound club on Jan. 29 against Texas Lutheran, as became just the 19th player in program history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds in a career.

Freshman G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas), junior G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.), and senior G Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas) joined Thomas on the All-SCAC Team as all three earned Honorable-Mention honors and Beverly also landed on the All-Freshman Team.

Beverly turned in a stellar rookie season as he reached double figures seven times and averaged 8.0 PPG – fourth on the team. Beverly also averaged 22.9 minutes/game, good for fifth on the team. He scored in double figures in three of the final four games of the regular season and scored a career-high 19 points at home versus Dallas on Dec. 30.

Board finished the season as the Gents' third-leading scorer (8.3 PPG) and reached double digits nine times, highlighted by a career-high 25 points against St. Thomas on Feb. 14 and recorded one double-double. He ranked in the top 30 in the conference in scoring and in the top 15 in FT %, blocked shots, defensive rebounds, and steals. He was also the Gents' third leading rebounder, averaging 4.9/game.

Singleton reached double figures 13 times this past season and was the Gents' second-leading scorer (9.2 PPG) and rebounder (5.0 RPG). Her recorded a pair of double-doubles and finished in the top 30 in scoring in the SCAC as well as in the top 20 in rebounding and top 10 in offensive rebounds. He averaged 12.5 points in the Gents' two SCAC Tournament games, nailed six treys and went 5-6 at the free throw line.

Sharp-shooting senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas) finished his career with 177 treys, as he is now in seventh place all-time in program history. He hit his 172nd to tie former Gent Andrew Wisniewski on Jan. 10 at home against St. Thomas and went on to make five more during the season to take over seventh place.

Junior G Coby Harris (Lafayette, La.) was one of just eight SCAC men's basketball student-athletes to be named to the College Sports Communicators 2022 Academic All-District ®Team. This prestigious national award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on court and in the classroom. Junior G Chrys Jackson (North Las Vegas, Nev.) was selected as the Gents' representative on the SCAC Winter All-Sportsmanship Team.

The Gents have appeared in the SCAC Tournament every season under Dorsey, winning one title in two appearances and have made it to at least the semifinals five times as the Maroon and White have established themselves as one of the top programs in the conference. The Gents have won 13 or more games in a season four times in Dorsey’s tenure and eight or more conference games four times.

Centenary’s 38 wins from 2017-21 season led the conference in that span and the Gents are now an impressive 34-18 in their last 52 conference games, regular season and conference tournament, dating back to Jan. 25, 2020. Centenary is also 51-16 overall at home under Dorsey a stellar 36-8 over the last four seasons.

The Gents finished 13-13 (7-9 in conference play) in 2021-22 and continued their impressive play at home as they went 9-3. Centenary advanced to the semifinals of the SCAC Tournament before falling to St. Thomas.

Senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.), Thomas and junior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) were named all-conference as Hall and Thomas earned spots on the Third Team and Johnson was an Honorable-Mention selection. Three Gents averaged double figures this season, led by senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.) who finished at 11.4 PPG. Eight players averaged 6.4 PPG or better this past season, Taylor led the team in rebounding (5.3/game) and Thomas was next at 4.8. Hall and Thomas were each named SCAC Player of the Week during the season.

Centenary once again thrived on defense, ranking in the top five in the conference in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, 3-point FG % defense, turnover margin, and assist to turnover ratio. The Gents were also a top-five team in free throw %, blocked shots, and steals. Centenary was also an outstanding 3-point shooting team as the Maroon and White ranked in the top two in both 3-point FG % and 3-point FG's made. The Gents finished eighth in the country in turnover margin and tenth in the country in turnovers forced. Centenary also ranked 27th in the nation in steals.

The Gents were not just a defensive team, though, as they won eight games by 21 or more points, four by 25 or more, and in a 14-day span in January Centenary won four games by 31 points or more. The Gents recorded a historic 105-69 win over Southwestern on Jan. 12 in the Gold Dome when they hit a program (and Gold Dome) record 22 three-point baskets, breaking the previous record of 20 three pointers in a game which happened on two prior occasions. Centenary also scored 100 points for the first time since a 111-109 overtime home win over Johnson and Wales on Dec. 1, 2017. Individual history was also made that night against Southwestern as Hall tied the single-game school record for three pointers by an individual as he drained nine treys in 14 attempts (64 %) and ended with a career-high 34 points. Hall's nine treys are also the most in a single game this past season by a SCAC player and his 34 points are the second-most points scored in a game by a SCAC player this season.

Dorsey led the Gents to their best season in the division III era and one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2019-20 as the Maroon and White won their first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, losing a heartbreaker, 83-81, at UT-Dallas. The Gents finished 18-10 overall and went 15-5 in SCAC play (13-5 during the regular season) as the Maroon and White set division III era program records for conference wins in a single season (15), winning streak (10), and home wins (10) in a single season as the Gents went 10-1 at home. The SCAC tournament title also marked the Gents' first men's basketball conference title since 1980 when the Maroon and White claimed both the regular season and conference tournament championships while a member of the Trans America Athletic Conference (now the Atlantic Sun Conference).

Centenary dominated the SCAC postseason individual awards as Dorsey was named the 2019-20 SCAC Coach of the Year. Senior and Shreveport native Cedric Harris, one of the most accomplished players in Gents history, was named the 2019-20 SCAC Player of the Year, an All-SCAC First Team selection, and the 2020 SCAC Championships MVP. He was also named to the 2020 D3hoops.com South Region first team, one of just 15 players to earn that honor. as he ranks in the top 15 in all-time in scoring and rebounding and his 262 career three-point baskets ranks second all-time in program history and third-most in conference history. Harris concluded his career with 1,539 points, 13th-most in SCAC history.

Dorsey helped Centenary finish second in the SCAC in his first season (2017-18) and returned to the Tournament Championship game for the first time in three years. Travion Kirkendoll (First Team) and Cedric Harris (Second Team) were both named to the All-Conference squad, while Kirkendoll grabbed All-Region honors from both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and D3Hoops.com and third team All-Louisiana from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA). In his final game of the season in the SCAC Championship Game, Kirkendoll broke the conference scoring record. The Gents improved dramatically on the defensive end for 2017-18. Prior to Dorsey's arrival, Centenary finished last in the conference in defensive scoring, allowing 82.5 points per game. But in 2017-18, the Gents finished third in the conference, allowing only 73.7 points per game.

Dorsey’s second season (2018-19) saw the Gents start slow with a 1-6 record, but Centenary won 12 of its final 19 games to finish an even 13-13 and 10-6 in SCAC play to qualify for the SCAC Tournament for the seventh-straight season, which extended the longest current streak of tournament qualifications in the conference.

Dorsey came to Shreveport after spending three seasons at his alma mater, NCAA Division III Lyndon State in Vermont. From 2014-2017, Dorsey led the Hornets to an overall record of 33-45 and a 29-27 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) mark. During that time, he mentored three all-conference honorees and the 2015-16 NAC Rookie of the Year while guiding Lyndon State to three NAC Tournament berths and two semifinal appearances.

Under Dorsey’s tutelage, Lyndon State rose from the middle of the NAC to one of the best defensive teams in the conference, leading the conference in defensive three-point percentage and finished second in both points allowed and turnovers forced. Prior to his arrival, the Hornets ranked eighth in the NAC in points allowed, fourth in miscues forced, and sixth in defensive three-point percentage.

Prior to his stint at his alma mater, Dorsey spent 2012-13 as an associate head women’s basketball coach at the University of Virginia at Wise. He completely installed the offensive system for that season, as the Cavaliers averaged 78 points per game. Dorsey also designed the recruiting plan that saw UVA-Wise sign nine student-athletes.

After his graduation from Lyndon State, Dorsey spent four seasons as both the assistant men’s basketball coach and the strength and conditioning coach at Daniel Webster College in Nashua, New Hampshire. During his first season, he helped the Eagles improve 11 wins to finish with an 18-10 record, the best in the program’s history. Daniel Webster also advanced to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference New England Basketball Tournament for the first time in school history.

In his time playing for the Hornets, Dorsey served as co-captain of the 2004-05 squad. That season, he helped Lyndon State post the best record in the history of the institution at 23-5. Dorsey was also named Lyndon State’s Male Athlete of the Year that same season after leading the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and assists per game (8.4).

Dorsey graduated with a bachelor’s in exercise science from Lyndon State in 2007 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in athletic leadership from Castleton. He and his wife Morgan, Centenary’s head women’s soccer coach, have three children.