Denny Downing was named head coach of the UTPA women’s basketball program on July 30, 2009.
In his first four seasons at the helm of the Broncs, Downing presided over the winningest four-year stretch in program history at 51-68 (.429), including a 32-15 home record and a 21-21 Great West Conference record. He also led the Broncs to a 9-10 record against Southland Conference teams.
2012-13: The Broncs won 12 games, which tied the program record for third most wins in a season, including four in conference play to earn the number three seed and a spot in the Great West Conference Tournament semifinals. The Broncs continued to have success against their closest rival, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, going 2-0 against the Islanders for the second year in a row.
2011-12: The Broncs won 13 games tied for the second most wins in a season in program history, and had success despite playing their toughest schedule during the last three years with away games including No. 7 Miami, McNeese State, UTEP, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Colorado. All of those teams finished the season ranked in the Top 100 in RPI.
After finishing with RPI of 302 and 319 during the 2009-10 and 10-11 seasons respectively, the Broncs finished the season ranked 259th.
On January 5, 2012, Downing led the Broncs to a win at TCU, a team they had never defeated before, who was ranked 99 spots higher in the RPI at the time (142-to-241), and is joining the Big XII Conference next season. The Broncs went into Daniel-Meyer Coliseum and beat a TCU team that entered the game 153-28 (.845) in 181 home games since the start of the 2000-01 season. The Broncs held the Horned Frogs without a three-pointer (0-9) for the first time since March 20, 2004, a span of 236 games. TCU hadn’t been held without a three-pointer at home since before the 2003-04 season.
The Broncs had some big wins at home too. They dropped 94 points on Huston-Tillotson in on December 14, tied for their fourth-highest scoring total in program history, and held Houston Baptist to 14 points on March 3, shattering the program record for scoring defense and narrowly missing the NCAA record of 11 points. The Broncs held the Huskies to five points in the second half, two shy of the NCAA record.
2010-11: Downing led the Broncs to a 4-0 start with an average margin of victory of 13.5 points per game. Overall, Downing led the Broncs to 12 wins, which tied the program record for third most wins in a season. The season also saw his team break the record for most points scored in a season with 2,091 points, an average of 67.5 points per game.
2009-10: During his first season at the helm, Downing tied a program record for the most wins in a season while going 14-16, including an 8-4 record in conference. The Broncs entered the inaugural Great West Conference Tournament as the second seed and advanced to the semi-finals following a 69-61 quarterfinals victory over Houston Baptist University.
Career: Prior to UTPA, Downing led Texas A&M Commerce to their first ever Lone Star Conference North Division Championship, Lone Star Conference Tournament title and NCAA South Central Regional Championship in 2007 while earning the Lone Star Conference North Division Coach of the Year award. Downing had a winning record in his last four seasons there, marking the first time that happened in program history. During a stretch that lasted through both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, Downing posted a 33-1 home record.
Downing spent the 2001-02 season as the head women’s basketball coach at Collin County Community College, leading the Lady Cougars to a two-win improvement from the previous season.
Downing also served as the recruiting coordinator at Drake University from 1994 through 1996 and before that was an assistant at Fort Hays University (1993-94), helping to lay the groundwork for an NCAA Division II Men’s National Championship two years later.
Downing spent two seasons at Ranger Junior College (1991-93), where he served as the head coach for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. He compiled a 31-28 record with the women and a 33-38 record with the men. He also led the Rangers to the New Mexico/Texas NJCAA Playoffs with a record of 19-12 in 1992-93. 80% of his sophomores graduated and went on to play Division I basketball.
Downing first broke into coaching as a graduate assistant at Tarleton State University (1989-91), aiding both the men’s and women’s teams.
A native of Enid, Oklahoma, Downing earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northwestern Oklahoma State in 1989, and his master’s from Tarleton State in 1991.
