Many believe the Clayton State women’s basketball program was an NCAA Division II "Sleeping Giant" just waiting to be woke up. All it needed was a head coach to do just that.

His name is Dennis Cox.

Cox took over the helm of the Laker women’s basketball program prior to the 2004-05 season, and his impact has been immediately felt. In his three seasons, Clayton State has almost overnight become one of the elite women’s programs in Division II with two Peach Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships in the last three seasons, and three straight trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

To gauge the impact that Cox has brought to the Clayton State program, the numbers tell the story. Prior to his arrvial, Clayton State was 36-82 in the Peach Belt since joining the conference in 1997. Under Cox, however, the Lakers have catapulted to a 42-10 mark in the Peach Belt.

This past season, however, has been the culmination of the three years of stellar recruiting and strong court play. The Lakers finished 29-6, marking the best single-season record in program history and the most victories in a season. On top of that they swept the Peach Belt regular season and tournament championships again.

Advancing to the NCAA Division II National Tournament, Cox and Clayton State won the South Atlantic Regional with an overtime victory over Georgia College, thus advancing to the NCAA Division II "Elite Eight" for the first time in program history. Once in Kearney, Neb., the Lakers took another step, advancing to the "Final Four" or semifinals of the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

Throughout the season, the Lakers were nationally-ranked in the USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 poll, reaching an all-time high of 10th in the nation at one point.

Overall, Cox is an impressive 79-19 in his three seasons at Clayton State, already making him the winningest head coach coach in the history of Laker women’s basketball with a winning percentage of a whopping .813. Eight of his players have earned All-Peach Belt honors, and Cox was honored as Peach Belt Coach of the Year this season.

In his first season, Cox led the Lakers to a school best 25-7 record and its first Peach Belt Conference regular season title and PBC Tournament Championship. The program earned a berth to its first NCAA Division II National Tournament, advancing to the second round with a 79-54 win over Newberry.

Proving that the first season was no fluke, the Lakers followed that dramatic first season up with another stellar campaign in 2005-06. Cox paced Clayton State to a 25-6 mark, finishing second overall in the Peach Belt and earning the top seed in the Peach Belt Tournament. In addition, the Lakers earned their second straight NCAA Division II National Tournament berth, advancing to the second round of the South Atlantic Regionals with a 76-52 rout over Johnson C. Smith.

Prior to joining Clayton State, Cox served the last six years as the head coach at Daytona Beach Community College in Daytona, FL, , building DBCC into a powerhouse. He compiled a 147-41 record, won three Mid-Florida Conference championships, a Mid-Florida Conference Tournament championship and had a state runner-up finish at the school.

His top season at Daytona Beach came as recent as the 2002-03 campaign when his Falcons finished fourth in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association final poll with a 29-2 record. In his his final season (2003-04) with 14 new players, Cox still managed to lead his squad to an impressive 19-10 record.

Cox was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Region IX Coach of the Year in 2003 and has been named the Mid-Florida Conference Coach of the Year on three different occasions.

In addition to his six seasons at Daytona Beach, Cox served as the head coach at Valencia Community College in Orlando, FL, for eight years. He began the program at Valencia in 1989 and compiled a 144-97 record, including four seasons with 20 or more wins and three state tournament appearances.

Cox’s overall record at the junior college level is an impressive 291-138 for a winning percentage of .678.

During his junior college tenure at both Daytona and Valencia, 44 out of his 58 sophomores graduated and most continued their basketball careers at NCAA Division I and II programs. Cox has had former players at Alabama, Charlotte, the University of Texas El Paso, Florida Atlantic, Augusta State, Columbus State, Kennesaw State and Francis Marion.

Cox received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, and was captain of the basketball team his senior year. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and Wellness from the University of Central Florida.