Dawson named new Avondale Girls Coach.

Written Friday October 14th at 10:45 AM

The Avondale Yellow Jackets have named their new Girls Basketball Coach in Phil Dawson.

Dawson takes over for Darius Whiteside, whom stepped down a few months ago.

Dawson has been around a long time coaching both Boys and Girls Basketball and also has College coaching experience as well.

Dawson has coached Boys Basketball in Waterford at Waterford Kettering and at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes. He coached the Junior Varsity team at Waterford Mott posting a 37-1 record. Dawson also coached the eighth grade Girls Basketball team at Mason.

Dawson is no stranger to the OAA. He was an assistant for the Boys Basketball teams at Adams and at Oxford, when they were in the Flint Metro League at the time.

Dawson has had stints in College as an assistant in both Men's and Women's Basketball. He coached at Oakland University and Oakland Community College for the Women and was an Men's assistant at Rochester College.

He was a graduate of Orion and also Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes.

Dawson will have a tall task ahead of him. He will have Toya Golden and Brooke Blanchitte but must address a few holes in the Yellow Jackets program. Avondale finished 4-17 last season losing to Seaholm in the district semifinal last season.

His team will be in the Blue division with the likes of Seaholm, Rochester, Troy Athens, Troy, and Oak Park. Also they are in a tough district with Birmingham Marian, Groves, Seaholm, Troy, and Bloomfield Hills at Troy.

Avondale will open up the season on November 29th at Sy Green Gym against Pontiac.

Thoughts:

This is an interesting hire that I didn't see coming. Dawson will bring this Yellow Jackets program that really needs a spark especially from a confidence standpoint. He will have to go through a tough transition period with his team.

The non conference for Avondale is very favorable until they get to November 19th when they go to Oxford. If the Yellow Jackets can get to 4-2 or 5-1 heading into league play then it's a start.

The district will be tough with Birmingham Marian, Groves, Seaholm, Bloomfield Hills, and Troy in that district. The injury to Mackenzie Harbort at Seaholm is huge because it makes the Blue wide open, Maybe Avondale could have a say but at the end of the day Dawson will have his work cut out for him in Auburn Hills.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.