There seems to have been no doubt that Alico Dunk would enter the basketball industry. The last name demanded a hoops life, Dunk suggested Friday afternoon at Virginia Union’s Barco-Stevens Hall, where he was introduced as the Panthers women’s coach.
“What else can you do?” he said. “And all I can say it’s just truly destiny for me to be a basketball coach, and I don’t take that task lightly. My job, I want to impact young people.”
Dunk, 49, said he views VUU as a place where a prospect can “become your best self. You can thrive in the classroom and on the court. And we want to prepare you for what the real world has to offer.”
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Dunk
Dunk, originally from Ayden, North Carolina, comes to VUU after working as coach of the Stillman College women's basketball program for the past eight seasons. Stillman is an NAIA member located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Dunk’s teams went 122-109, with a 26-6 record and a HBCU Athletic Conference regular-season championship last season.
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New VUU women's basketball coach Alico Dunk challenges players
Before his time at Stillman, Dunk was the men's coach at Elizabeth City State for two years, and prior, the women’s coach at that school for five years. Dunk’s history of coaching both men’s and women’s basketball parallels that of VUU men’s coach Jay Butler, who came to the Panthers in 2015 after a successful run as the women’s coach at the University of the District of Columbia.
“Basketball is basketball,” said Dunk. “The only difference, the women’s game is played below the rim and the men’s game is played above the rim.”
According to Joe Taylor, Virginia Union's vice president for athletics, the VUU search committee screened more than 150 candidates who expressed interest in the position, open since mid-April, when Tierra Terry became the coach at her alma mater, Winston-Salem State. Terry left VUU with a record of 60-51 in five years. The Panthers went 21-9 last season, 13-3 in the CIAA.
Dunk addressed his Panthers Friday, saying, “We will work hard. We will grow together, and chase greatness every single day. Our program will be built on toughness, accountability, and consistency. More importantly, we’re going to have a family environment.
“Whatever goes on in our family stays in our family. We iron things out together. That’s what it’s all about.”
Taylor said Dunk’s “experience, his background” separated him from other candidates.
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Taylor
“Here’s a guy that, coming out of high school in North Carolina a two-sport athlete himself, and made all-state in both (basketball, football),” said Taylor. “And then accepted a full (basketball) scholarship to go to the University of Tennessee. I always say if you have the capacity to build you, you’ve probably got a blueprint to build others.”
Dunk, following one year at Tennessee as a part-time starter, transferred to East Carolina, where the guard was a regular 1996-99.
“It’s going to start on the defensive end. We’re going to hang our hat on defense,” Dunk said of his vision for the Panthers. “Offensively, we’re going to look to play uptempo. We’re going to play as fast as we can, but under control.
“Year in and year out, we want to be on the national stage. We want to have the opportunity to win the national championship.”
Photos: Virginia Union student walks at graduation months after being paralyzed
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22-year-old Jaiden Picot’s mother, Akilah Parker, holds his face and kisses him before he uses an exoskeleton to walk across the graduation stage on May 20, 2025, at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va. Picot was paralyzed from the chest down in August and has been training for months to use the robotic device. MARGO WAGNER
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22-year-old Jaiden Picot’s mother, Akilah Parker, helps him put on his graduation cap before he uses an exoskeleton to walk across the stage on May 20, 2025, at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va. MARGO WAGNER
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Andrew Rolaf and Eli Haag situate Jaiden Picot in an exoskeleton to help him walk across the graduation stage on Saturday at Virginia Union University. Rolaf and Haag are physical therapists at Sheltering Arms and have been practicing with Picot for months. MARGO WAGNER, TIMES-DISPATCH
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22-year-old Jaiden Picot receives a hug while entering his college graduation in his motorized chair on May 20, 2025, at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va. Later in the ceremony, Picot was transferred into an exoskeleton which allowed him to walk across the stage. MARGO WAGNER
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Above: Jaiden Picot wipes away a tear while receiving his diploma at Virginia Union University on Saturday. “I can’t explain it, it’s an unexplainable feeling,” Picot said. “I just know I’m happy, I’m thrilled…I just thank God, I really do.” Left: Andrew Rolaf and Eli Haag situate Jaiden Picot in an exoskeleton to help him walk across the graduation stage on Saturday at Virginia Union University. Rolaf and Haag are physical therapists at Sheltering Arms and have been practicing with Picot for months. MARGO WAGNER, TIMES-DISPATCH
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Jaiden Picot, 22, uses an exoskeleton to walk across the graduation stage at Virginia Union University on Saturday at Virginia Union University. Picot was hit by a truck in Richmond while riding an e-scooter to work last August. MARGO WAGNER photos, TIMES-DISPATCH
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22-year-old Jaiden Picot gives a speech while receiving his diploma on May 20, 2025, at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va. MARGO WAGNER
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Jaiden Picot’s mother, Akilah Parker, gives him a kiss while helping him put on his graduation hat after being transferred to his exoskeleton Saturday during the Sydney Lewis School of Business graduation ceremony at Virginia Union University. MARGO WAGNER, TIMES-DISPATCH
John O’Connor (804) 649-6233
joconnor@timesdispatch.com
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