Beth Dunkenberger joined the Miami women’s basketball staff in May 2021, bringing with her more than 30 years of collegiate coaching experience.
In her 33 years of coaching, Dunkenberger has helped her teams to 13 postseason appearances (seven – NCAA Tournaments, six – WNIT) and 12 20-win seasons.
With an exceptional track record of player development, Dunkenberger coached 23 all-conference players, six all-freshman team members and two conference most improved players. Five players reached the WNBA under Dunkenberger’s tutelage, while three others played professional basketball overseas.
Most recently, Dunkenberger spent nine seasons at Tulane, serving as the Green Wave’s director of operations during the 2011-12 season before moving into an assistant coach role in 2012.
The Green Wave made five postseason appearances in Dunkenberger’s nine years in New Orleans, including the program’s first NCAA Tournament at-large bid since 2003 in 2015. Additionally, Tulane tied its longest run in the WNIT, with a pair of third-round showings in 2016 and 2017.
Under Dunkenberger’s tutelage, a trio of players reached the 1,000-career point mark, led by Kolby Morgan who finished her career with 2,240 points, good for second in scoring in Green Wave history. Morgan was a four-time AAC all-conference selection, as well.
Prior to her time at Tulane, Dunkenberger spent 11 years as a head coach, four leading the Western Carolina Catamounts (2000-04) and seven at the helm of the Virginia Tech Hokies (2004-11). Dunkenberger posted a 175-154 record as a head coach, with a pair of 20-win seasons and three postseason appearances.
As head coach of the Hokies, Dunkenberger guided her team to .500-or-better records five times, including a 21-10 mark in 2005-06 when Virginia Tech advanced to the second round of the NCAAs. Four Hokies earned All-ACC honors (Kerri Gardin – 2005 & 2006, Kirby Copeland – 2007, Brittany Cook – 2008, Utahya Drye – 2009), while Andrea Barbour was tabbed to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2008.
Dunkenberger’s tenure as head coach of the Hokies was her second stint in Blacksburg, Va., having served as a graduate assistant from 1998-00 and an assistant coach from 1990-97. As an assistant, she helped the Hokies win the Metro Conference Tournament title in 1994 and the Metro regular-season title in 1995. Virginia Tech advanced to the NCAA Tournament in both years.
The Roanoke, Va., native spent the next three years as an assistant coach for the Florida Gators, coaching the Gators to a 73-36 record in those three seasons. Florida made the postseason all three years, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 1998.
Dunkenberger earned her first head coaching job at Western Carolina in 2000 and immediately got to work. In her third season with the Catamounts, Dunkenberger led the team to a 21-7 record, the most wins by Western Carolina since moving to the Division I level in 1981.
The Catamounts advanced to the finals of the Southern Conference championship in 2003 and Dunkenberger was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year.
Under Dunkenberger, Western Carolina’s Tiffany Hamm earned All-Southern Conference honors from 2002-04, highlighted by a Freshman of the Year honor in 2001 and Player of the Year recognition in 2003.
Off the court, Dunkenberger has coached four Academic All-Americans, 11 Academic All-District honorees and a pair of American Scholar Athletes of the Year.
A standout on the court, Dunkenberger played basketball at Randolph-Macon College from 1984-88 where she was named an all-conference honoree and an Academic District All-American. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1988 and completed her master’s degree in education at Virginia Tech in 1990.
