Todd Ciochetto to Lead the Lady Bucs this Basketball Season
Dawson Community College Athletic Director Joe Peterson announced the hiring of Todd Ciochetto as the Head Women's Basketball Coach.
"We are elated to welcome Todd to the Dawson Family," said Peterson. "He has a proven track record of success, brings great energy every day and will help our ladies develop and achieve success in basketball, school and life. I'm confident he will get the most out of this talented, hard-working group we have. They will play a fun and exciting style that our fans will really enjoy watching. He will add value to our athletic department, college and the community. He is great at building relationships and is respected as one of the best coaches in junior college basketball. His connections will help him in recruiting and helping to place our ladies at the next level after they finish at Dawson. There are great things ahead for our women's basketball program."
Coach Ciochetto brings great experience and success to Dawson. In 2020, he was voted as the NJCAA DII National Coach of the Year and has an overall record of 229-86 (73%) as a head junior college coach. He has coached 8 NJCAA All-Americans in his ten seasons.
Most recently he was at Bay College in Michigan where he led them to a 22-9 overall record and finished 13-1 in the conference, winning 17 straight games, a share of the conference title, and finishing the season as the #16 team in the final NJCAA poll. Bay College Athletic Director Matt Johnson said, "In his one season with Bay College, he changed the trajectory of the program. Winning the 'right way' has become a phrase that is overused in this business. However, Todd made sure that truly happened at Bay and so many across the community are better for it. He is a tireless worker who has devoted all he had to our program and the student-athletes he worked with."
Before Bay College, Ciochetto spent three years at Seward County Community College in Kansas where he had a 54-32 record. Prior to his time there, Ciochetto had a long stint at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC). He spent three years as the Assistant Women's Basketball Coach. In 2014 the Trojans were an impressive 34-3 and finished in third place at the NJCAA Division 2 National Championship Tournament. Coach Chiochetto took over the reigns of the program at NIACC for the 2014-2015 season. His teams put up an outstanding record of 153-46 over six years. During that time he was named the NJCAA District F Coach of the Year three times and ICCAC Coach of the Year three times. In his final season, the Trojans were 32-1 overall and won the NJCAA Region XI Championship before the season ended because of the COVID pandemic. He was named the NJCAA DII National Coach of the Year and one of his players was named the NJCAA Division II Player of the Year.
"I am very excited to come to Dawson. I want to build a program that the school and community will be proud of. The pieces are in place to be successful immediately," said Ciochetto.
Besides coaching, Ciochetto has served as a compliance officer, student-athlete academic success coach and sports information director, He has also prided himself on helping his players move on to the next level if they so choose, and boasts over 60 players that moved on to four-year destinations on scholarship in his career.
Ciochetto earned a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls and got a minor in Coaching.
What others are saying about Coach Ciochetto…
"Dawson is getting a great individual in Coach Ciochetto. Todd is a tireless recruiter who is going to coach the girls up, but also knows when to dial it down. Relationships are key in today's college basketball world and Todd is as good as it comes in building relationships with his recruits, players, and families. The Lady Bucs are in great hands."
Delisha Milton-Jones
Head Coach Old Dominion (NCAA DI)
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
Two-time Olympic gold medalist
Former WNBA player
"I've known Todd for a long time and have recruited many of his players. He does an outstanding job of skill development and gets his players ready for the next level. This is a home run hire and his programs will be successful."
Paul Fessler
Assistant Coach
University of South Dakota (NCAA DI)
"Todd has an exceptional work ethic, is an extremely motivated recruiter, and is very passionate about the game. Most importantly he wants to see his student athletes succeed."
Ewa Laskowska
Associate Head Coach
University of Texas El Paso (NCAA D1)
