Dollar coached the Redhawks the past eight seasons after a seven-year stint as a UW assistant. He’s back on the UW bench as assistant to Mike Hopkins when the teams meet Friday.
Cameron Dollar is the tie that binds the Washington and Seattle University men’s basketball teams.
After a seven-year stint as a UW assistant, he made the short trip across town and became the SU head coach in 2009 when the team returned to Division I status.
During his eight-year tenure, the Redhawks posted a 107-138 record. They were 0-8 against the Huskies and lost to UW by an average of 18.4 points.
When Washington and Seattle U resume their cross-city rivalry at noon Friday at Alaska Airlines Arena, Dollar, who has returned to UW as an assistant, will face his former team for the time.
Most Read Sports Stories
The Huskies (2-2) will surely lean heavily on Dollar for insider knowledge on the Redhawks (2-3). (UW assistants are prohibited from speaking to the media this season.)
“Coach Dollar, I loved his experience (at Seattle University),” Husky coach Mike Hopkins said. “Unfortunately he was fired, but I can’t tell you how happy I am that I got him.”
In Dollar’s first game against the Huskies, Washington won 123-76 in a 2½-hour foul-fest in which both teams combined for 102 free throws and eight players fouled out.
In the final 1:27, the Redhawks played with just four players after six were disqualified for fouls.
Last year, Washington pushed its winning streak against Seattle U to 12 straight with a 94-72 victory at KeyArena.
“We did what we had to do because it’s Washington’s city,” said UW junior forward Noah Dickerson, who finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds. “UW city. So we get to go out there and prove it again.”
When asked if Dollar has shared any insights on the Redhawks, Dickerson smiled and said: “I don’t need it.”
Considering the amount of turnover at Seattle U, Dollar’s expertise on the Redhawks might be superficial.
First-year Redhawks coach Jim Hayford has revamped SU’s starting lineup with four transfers (Morgan Means, Richaud Gittens, Jordan Hill and Josh Hearlihy).
Seven-foot-3 center Aaron Menzies, the only returning starter, and sophomore guard Matej Kavas, who has a team-leading 16.0 scoring average, are the lone holdovers among the top seven scorers.
UW guard Jaylen Nowell, whose father Mike coached at Seattle U during the 2014-15 season, is also familiar with the Redhawks.
“With my dad being a coach there, I (saw) how they prepare for these types of games,” Nowell said. “So I know exactly what they are going to come out and do. And we’re going to make sure they don’t come out hot. And we come out faster. And basically let the chips fall where they may.”