Dwaine Osborne, a 28-year coaching veteran and a four-time coach of the year, is in his first season as Associate Head Coach with the Youngstown State men’s basketball program.
Prior to joining the Penguins, Osborne spent 11 seasons as the head coach of the University of Charleston, where he compiled an overall record of 220-102.
He led Charleston to the Mountain East Conference Championship game five times and was named MEC Coach of the Year four times. No coach has more MEC Championship game appearances or MEC Coach of the Year honors than Osborne.
Osborne has 28 years of past collegiate coaching experience with 19 coming as a head coach. Osborne, who was hired August 5, 2013, went to UC after four-year tenures at the University of Texas - Permian Basin and Glenville State College, respectively.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Osborne led Golden Eagles to an overall mark of 29-5 and a 17-3 Mountain East Conference record enroute to the MEC Regular Season and Tournament Championships, and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Final.
In 2022-23, the Golden Eagles finished with a 19-10 overall record, including a 16-6 record in MEC play. For the fifth consecutive year, UC finished in the top seven in the country in NCAA II in field goal percentage offense (50.5%), which was also good for first place in the MEC. UC is the only team in the country in NCAA II to finish in the Top 7 for the last five consecutive years.
The 2021-22 season saw the Golden Eagles finish with a 24-7 overall record, including a 17-5 record in MEC play. The team made its fourth MEC championship game appearance under Osborne in nine seasons, including its third in the last five seasons. UC defeated both Concord and Alderson Broaddus to reach the championship game, where they fell to West Liberty.
Charleston finished second in the country in NCAA II in field goal percentage offense (51.9%), which was also good for first place in the MEC. It was the fourth consecutive season in which they have both led the MEC and finished in the Top 10 nationally in offensive efficiency. Additionally, the Golden Eagles led the country in ATO’s (after time outs) in three categories: points per possession, percentage of time scored, and field-goal percentage. Additionally, Osborne moved into third place all-time at UC in wins with 172.
Osborne led UC during a shortened Covid-19 schedule to a 14-4 overall record, a No. 2 seed in the NCAA II National Tournament, and the program’s first Mountain East Conference regular season championship. The regular season title was the first for the program since the 2000-01 season. Further, the Golden Eagles finished the season ranked #15 in the country in the NABC II Coaches poll. The Golden Eagles also posted a 14-game win streak, matching the longest streak for the program in 21 years.
For his efforts, Osborne was named Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year for the third time. The recognition made it back-to-back Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year honors for Charleston’s head man.
Additionally, the 2020-21 team became the first team in Mountain East Conference history to lead the league in both field goal percentage offense and field goal percentage defense. Further, they finished fifth in the country in NCAA II in field goal percentage offense. In all of NCAA I and II combined, the Golden Eagles ranked sixth nationally in field goal percentage. It is the third consecutive season that Osborne has led UC to Top 10 nationally ranked finishes in field goal percentage offense.
During the 2019-20 season, the Golden Eagles finished with a 25-6 record, including going 17-5 in MEC play. The 25-6 record is an 80.6% winning percentage, the best season winning percentage at Charleston in 20 years. UC was the three-seed in the 2020 NCAA II National Tournament. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the NCAA Tournament was canceled just before it began.
The team also made its third MEC Championship game appearance in seven seasons under Osborne. The Golden Eagles, who entered the MEC Tournament as a No. 2 seed, defeated WV Wesleyan in the quarterfinals and Fairmont State in the semifinals before falling to West Liberty in the championship game. UC reached the 20-win mark in the regular season for the second consecutive year, making it the first back-to-back 20-win regular seasons for the program in 16 years. Charleston led the MEC in field goal percentage (51.3%), which was also good for seventh in the country in NCAA II.
UC finished the 2018-19 campaign with an overall record of 20-9, including a 15-7 finish in the MEC. The program reached the 20-win mark during the regular season for only the second time in the last 17 years. In addition, the team not only led the MEC in field goal percentage (52.1%), but they also finished second in the country in NCAA II. Further, the Golden Eagles finished third nationally in all of NCAA I and NCAA II in the category behind only Bellarmine (NCAA II) and Gonzaga (NCAA I).
In 2017-18, UC completed the season at 18-13 and advanced to the MEC Championship game for the second time in five seasons. The Golden Eagles defeated Shepherd in the MEC Quarterfinals and then followed that up with an overtime victory over No. 8 West Liberty. UC would fall in the MEC championship game to Wheeling Jesuit. The Golden Eagles were near the very top in MEC defensive categories as they finished for the 5th consecutive year in the top two in field-goal percentage defense.
During Osborne’s fourth year in 2016-17, UC finished with a 15-15 record and advanced to the MEC Quarterfinals at the Charleston Civic Center. The Golden Eagles were once again atop the MEC defensive scoring rankings, finishing third averaging 76.2 points per game, and for the fourth season in a row finished in the top two in field-goal percentage defense.
In 2015-16, the Golden Eagles won 16 games and continued to be an elite defensive team in the MEC. UC would finish in the Top 2 in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, and rebounding margin.
In Osborne’s second season at UC (2014-15), he led the Golden Eagles to 19 wins and earned a bye in the first round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament.
Osborne’s first season at the Charleston (2013-14) was a special one without question. The Golden Eagles finished the season 21-9 overall and advanced to the Atlantic Regional in the NCAA II National Tournament. The Golden Eagles also won the inaugural Mountain East Conference Tournament Championship by defeating No. 3 West Liberty, 63-60 in the title game.
Before his arrival in Charleston, Osborne spent four seasons as head coach at the University of Texas – Permian Basin. Though UTPB only had one winning season in program history and no championships prior to his hiring, Osborne led UTPB to two winning seasons, two conference tournament appearances (2010-11 and 2011-12), and a regular season conference championship (2011). Osborne was also named by his peers as the 2010-11 Heartland Conference Coach of the Year.
Prior to UTPB, Osborne took over the Glenville State College program at 29 years old, becoming the second youngest NCAA II head coach in the country at the time of his hiring. In addition, he was one of the five youngest head coaches at any level in the NCAA. During his time at GSC, he led the Pioneers to a 20-9 record during the 2008-09 season giving the program its first 20-win season as a NCAA II member. The 20-win season was the first for the program in 16 years and only it’s second in the previous 36 years, dating back to 1973. The 20-win season also gave the Pioneers a 10.5 game improvement over the previous season, which was good for the fourth largest turnaround in the country at the NCAA II level. Finally, the Pioneers defeated four nationally ranked opponents under Osborne.
Before Glenville State, Osborne spent three seasons as an assistant at Glenville State. He also made stops as an assistant coach at St. Andrews Presbyterian College (NC), where he helped lead the team to its first conference tournament championship in 1999-2000 and its first berth in the NCAA II tournament.
Osborne began his college coaching career as an assistant coach at Clearwater Christian College (FL). During his three years at Clearwater Christian, Osborne helped lead the team to three consecutive conference championships.
Osborne holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education from Clearwater Christian College in Clearwater, Florida. He also holds a master’s degree in communications, in which he earned a 4.0 GPA, from West Virginia University.
He and his wife, Amy, have two children: Gavin (19) and Kylie (16).
