Jillian Dunston didn’t plan to be a coach. But now she’s a rising star as a Drexel assistant.
The Dragons recruited Dunston as a high schooler, but she passed them over for Michigan. The second time they came calling, she said yes.
Nearly a decade ago, Drexel pursued Jillian Dunston. She, however, had a plethora of high-major schools recruiting her, and the Silver Spring, Md., native ultimately picked Michigan during her junior year at the Academy of the Holy Cross.
While Dunston passed on the Dragons in 2013, they got another shot at her in 2020 — this time as a coach.
And this time, she said yes.
“You didn’t pick [Drexel] the first time, but maybe this time as a place to continue to develop,” said Drexel head coach Amy Mallon in a recent phone interview, recalling her conversation with Dunston. “And lucky for us, it worked out.”
Now, Dunston, 27, has just wrapped up her third season as a Drexel assistant, and, for the second consecutive season, has been named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Thirty Under 30 list.
But about five years ago, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to coach.
Following a successful career at Michigan where she ended her career ranked second for most rebounds in program history, Dunston wanted to pursue a master’s degree but didn’t want to pay for it.
That’s when she found Florida State.
“I went to Florida State to be a graduate assistant, and I practically went there to get my master’s paid for without [any intention] of going into coaching,” Dunston said over the phone. “But it’s funny, once I saw what went into it, I was like, ‘I think I kind of want to try this.’ That’s where my connections were. I was building my network. I was kind of grinding at the lowest level of coaching at that point. So I was like, ‘I might as well try this.’”
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Dunston stayed at Florida State for two years, earning her master’s in sport management in 2020. About two months before Dunston graduated, Mallon was named the head coach at Drexel and was looking to fill her staff.
Since Dunston’s recruitment, she and Mallon stayed in touch, and Mallon stayed connected with Jillian’s father, Joe, who’s an AAU coach. When Michigan won the WNIT in 2017, Mallon texted Dunston to congratulate her, and, when Mallon got the Drexel head coaching gig, Dunston returned the favor with a text of her own.
Mallon responded to the message by saying they would be in touch soon, and, just like that, Dunston was a first-time assistant coach. Mallon said Dunston was on her radar, but receiving that text mattered a lot.
“I almost think like that’s the big difference maker now, right? Like, she reached out, she’s making a point. That’s kind of what we’re about in a program,” Mallon said. “When we’re looking to bring people in, have people be part of it, like really making that extra step, whether it’s a message or phone call. And so I think I really appreciate that. Hey, this is someone I definitely want to make sure I speak to right away about what she’s thinking and where she’s looking to go next.”
Dunston arrived at Drexel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Her first year was wild, filled with Zoom calls and COVID tests, but the Dragons made it to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.
The next year, just her second as an assistant coach, she was named to the Thirty Under 30 list for the first time.
“I was really pumped,” Dunston said. “I don’t know, I can’t really put [it] into words. I have so much gratitude. It’s so humbling, and I’m so appreciative. And especially in a business like this, where I have so many mentors and a lot of people that guide me through it, so I was really appreciative of it.”
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The Thirty Under 30 list is scattered with coaches who have made a name for themselves in a short period of time, and in terms of what’s next for Dunston, she’s not sure.
“I kind of have taken it day by day,” she said. “I try not to look too far ahead because things can move really fast in this business. So I’m just gonna learn as much as I can, wherever I’m at. [That’s] really the goal. And then see where that takes me. But long term, I don’t really look that far ahead. I just try to embrace where I am.”
Right now, that place is Drexel — even if it took two tries to get there.