Josh Dowdy named new head coach at Dexter

By Dustin Ward

SEMO News Service

DEXTER -- The search for a new varsity boys basketball coach at Dexter High School officially ended Friday morning.

The Dexter Board of Education approved the assignment of varsity head boys basketball coach to teacher Josh Dowdy in executive session of a special board meeting that started at 10 a.m. Friday.

Dowdy is a 1993 graduate of Dexter High School. He attended college at Murray State University.

Dowdy has enjoyed success at multiple SCAA programs in recent years.

Dowdy served as an assistant under current Dexter varsity girls basketball coach Chad Allen at Puxico in 2006 and was part of the Indians' varsity boys district championship that season. He took over for Allen as head coach the next season and directed the Puxico boys to a 16-10 record and a second-place district finish in his first full year as a head coach.

After serving as head coach at Puxico for one season Dowdy accepted the varsity boys basketball coaching position at Advance High School. Dowdy coached Advance to a 22-7 record and a second-place finish in its district tournament in the 2008-2009 season. Advance went 16-10 in the 2009-2010 season under Dowdy.

More recently Dowdy served as the middle school boys basketball coach at Fisk and Dexter.

The Dexter seventh grade boys finished 13-1 and the Dexter eighth grade boys went 10-5 during the 2013-14 school year under Dowdy. The Dexter seventh grade won the SCAA tournament and the Dexter eighth grade finished second in the SCAA.

Dowdy takes over for longtime coach Rob Nichols who resigned in April.

Nichols coached Dexter to three SCAA varsity boys basketball titles (2009, 2011 and 2012) in his seven seasons as head coach.