Dante Travis is in his first season as the assistant women’s basketball coach at Columbus State in 2016-17.
Travis, who has 15 years of coaching experience, comes from Livingston College where he was the assistant for new Lady Cougar head coach Anita Howard.
In his 15 years of coaching experience, Travis has worked at various levels throughout the country. Prior to Livingstone, Travis was the Director of Player Personnel for the Talladega Toros, a member of the Central Basketball Development League. Within this role, he served as the lead scout/recruiter for all new potential players, assisted in all trade acquisitions, organized preseason training camp and was responsible for all travel and lodging accommodations.
At the college level, Travis had stops at three universities. From 2010-14, Travis was the assistant coach at Kentucky State serving as the recruiting coordinator and the head scouter after spending a season at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pa.
Travis got his start at the collegiate level at his alma mater, Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Va., spending five seasons as the associate head men's basketball coach. Wasting no time, Travis was quickly able to help revive a struggling program by playing a major role in the recruitment and skill development of five All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association players, two All-Rookie players and one Rookie of the Year. Saint Paul became one of the best offensive teams in the nation during Travis' tenure finishing 12th in NCAA Division II in scoring offense (85.1 PPG) in 2006-07.
Travis began his coaching career as the head boy's basketball coach at The Ridge School of Montgomery County in Rockville, Md. Travis posted a record of 48-18 in three seasons (2001-2004) at The Ridge School. He was also named Coach of the Year during the 2002-03 season when he led his team to a 19-4 overall record.
In his playing days, Travis found success early playing alongside NBA All-Star Allen Iverson at Bethel High School in Hampton, Va. Travis was co-captain on the 1992-93 AAA VHSL state championship team. After high school, Travis played guard at Ferrum College for one season and helped lead them to a co-championship of the Dixie Conference. Travis transferred to Saint Paul's (1997-00) to wrap up his playing days.
Travis is an active member within the coaching community, and has done extensive volunteer work to give back to the youth. He volunteered at the Allen Iverson Celebrity Game (1998), was the Commissioner at the Bryant Stith Basketball Camp (2004-05), and volunteered at the Tom Crean Basketball Camp (2011), Kemba Walker's Summer Camp (2015) and Josh Howard Elite Skills Camp (2016).
Travis obtained a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Saint Paul's College and a Masters in Recreation & Sports Administration from Western Kentucky University. He is a member of the Women's Basketball Coaching Association (WBCA).
