CANTON, Mo. --- Dorian Hobbs, Jr., a former Culver-Stockton College player and assistant coach, will be returning to the college as the new head coach for the men's basketball program, Athletic Director Pat Atwell announced Wednesday afternoon.  

Hobbs has spent the last two seasons with the coaching staff at Millikin University, helping lead the Big Blue earn a conference tournament berth for the first time in school history after finishing and doubling the total of wins for the Big Blue in the past three seasons in his first year.

"I first off want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without Him none of this is possible," said Hobbs. "I also want to thank Athletic Director Pat Atwell for trusting me with this position and I look forward to working with him moving forward.

"To be able to return back to my Alma Mater in this capacity as Head Coach is a dream come true. C-SC helped me to become the man I am today. And I look forward to shaping young men's lives and teaching life lessons through the game of basketball to the best of my ability," Hobbs continued.

"I have always dreamed about being a head coach, so being able to start off my head coaching career at Culver-Stockton is just the icing on the cake, I think I am still at a loss for words."

During his time at Millikin, Hobbs served as the program's recruiting coordinator. In this position, he brought in a majority of the current roster that helped the Big Blue to their best record in the last 15 years during his first season.

For the four seasons Hobbs served as an assistant coach for the Wildcats under head coaches Jack Schrader and Aaron Hill, Hobbs helped coach multiple all-conference players, a conference freshman of the year, and a two-time All-America player. He also coached players who have gone on to play professionally overseas.

"I am extremely excited to work with Coach Hobbs as our next men's basketball coach, " said Atwell. "His passion for Culver-Stockton College, his knowledge of the school, and the quality of his character really showed through in the interview process.

"He has first-hand knowledge of the recruitment process from both the player and coach perspective. He is universally respected on campus and will make for a seamless transition for our program.

"Dorian has great knowledge of the Midwest from recruiting both here and at Millikin and has worked under excellent coaches in his career, " continued Atwell. "When you have the combination of work ethic and passion usually success will follow. I expect that he will provide an outstanding student-athlete experience for our young men which is the ultimate job that we are asked to do at the college level."

During his playing days as a Wildcat, Hobbs was a four-year member of the Wildcat basketball program who was a member of two national tournament teams. The 2012-13 team advanced to the final eight of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Men's National Tournament and set a school record for wins with 26, while the 2013-14 team advanced to the round of 16 and ended the campaign with a 24-8 overall mark.

Hobbs graduated from Culver-Stockton in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in media communication and a minor in religion and history. He earned a master's degree from the University of the Cumberlands in 2021.