Angie Nelp is in her first season at The University of Tulsa after being appointed as the head women’s basketball coach on April 12, 2021.
Nelp (formerly Angie Gorton) has coached 13 seasons in Division I college basketball and has helped teams reach postseason competition eight times. She has coached 33 all-conference players, eight conference players of the year, three conference freshman of the year honorees, 43 academic all-conference selections and 18 professional players.
Nelp comes to Tulsa following four seasons on the coaching staff at Arizona State. She spent her first three years as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach in April 2020. During her tenure, the Sun Devils posted a .617 winning percentage with an overall 76-47 record and advanced to the postseason three times. ASU played in the NCAA Tournament twice, moving to the “Sweet Sixteen” in the 2018-19 campaign. This past season, the Sun Devils participated in the WNIT.
During her time in Tempe, the program had the nation’s No. 6-ranked recruiting class in 2020 with four players ranked among ESPN’s top 30 by position. She also recruited and signed the 2018 U-18 European Championship MVP.
Nelp joined ASU from Rice University where she helped guide the Owls to the WBI Championship, the school's first postseason title, and 22 victories in 2016-17, the second-most wins in a single season. The Owls improved by 13 wins from her first to second season, one of the top increments in the nation.
Rice led all of Conference USA in total assists (558) and total rebounds (1,308) while setting a single-season program record in 3-pointers (242). In addition the Owls ranked second in the league in assists per game (15.9), field goal percentage (.444), made three-pointers (242) and free throw attempts (626).
The Owls set a school record with 13 home victories in the 2016-17 season and the team's 9-2 start was the best by a Rice squad since the 1988-89 season.
Nelp joined the Owls after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Mercer University where she was responsible for coaching the guards, as well as scout and film preparation. She coordinated Mercer’s recruiting efforts that saw the Bears sign two ESPN top 70 players along with two Georgia state players of the year.
Nelp helped lead Mercer to two 20-win seasons, setting school records for most conference and non-conference wins while orchestrating one of the nation’s quickest program turnarounds in one year as the Bears went from six to 20 wins.
Before her stint at Mercer, Nelp served as assistant director of basketball operations at Marquette University. She also spent one season as a graduate assistant coach on the Arkansas women's basketball staff under then head coach Tom Collen.
Nelp played collegiately at Colorado State, accumulating 1,397 points, 629 rebounds, 356 assists and 261 steals in four seasons, and leading the Rams to three NCAA Tournament appearances. She earned Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors, was a first-team All-MWC selection, a Kodak All-America Honorable Mention honoree and was named an academic all-conference performer all four seasons. Nelp was inducted into the Colorado State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
From Eufaula, Okla., Nelp starred at Canadian High School in Oklahoma, and led her team to the 1998 Oklahoma State Championship while earning state tournament MVP honors and was tabbed as the 1998 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year.
After graduating from Colorado State in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in health and exercise science, she went on to spend two seasons with the NWBL Colorado Chill and one season with 08 Stockholm in Sweden. As a professional, she helped lead the Chill to the 2005 NWBL title and 08 Stockholm to the 2003 Swedish national crown.
Following her professional career, Nelp returned to the United States to serve as the head girls' basketball coach at Yorktown High in Yorktown, Ind.
Nelp and her husband Jake have four children: JJ, Louis, Ellie Kaye and Harrison.
Sydni Means is in her first year with the Golden Hurricane as an assistant coach, joining the team prior to the 2021-22 season.
Means came to TU after serving as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Mercer, for three seasons (2018-21). She helped the Bears record 52 wins in three seasons, including a 19-7 mark in 2020-21 and a Southern Conference tournament championship and NCAA First Round appearance in 2019.
As a student-athlete, Means guided the Bears to 99 wins, three Southern Conference regular season titles, one Southern Conference tournament championship, and four postseason berths. She concluded her career ranked second in assists (686) and steals (246), and fifth in free throw percentage (.779). Her 264 assists as a senior ranked second for a single season in school history.
Means earned her bachelor’s degree in communication in 2018 and her master’s degree in higher education leadership in 2020, both from Mercer.
Dodie Dunson II is in his first year with the Golden Hurricane as an assistant coach, joining the team prior to the 2021-22 season.
Dunson came to TU after serving as an assistant coach at UAB for three years (2018-21). He helped the Blazers record 56 wins, including back-to-back 20+ win seasons in his first two years. In the 2018-19 season, UAB posted a 26-7 overall record, marking the second-most wins in program history, including a second-best 12-4 Conference USA record, and advanced to the WNIT Second Round. UAB had six all-conference honorees during his time with the Blazers.
Prior to UAB, Dunson was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at SIU-Edwardsville for two years (2016-18). He helped the Cougars earn 31 wins, make back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference tournament appearances and play in the 2018 Women’s Basketball Invitational. Dunson was also instrumental in coaching three all-conference selections.
Previously. Dunson served as the director of basketball operations for both the men’s and women’s teams at Western Illinois (2014-16), as the associate head coach at Wabash Valley College (2013-14), as the Bloomington High School boys varsity coach (2011-13) and as Team Illinois Educational AAU U16 boys associate director (2009-13).
Dunson played his freshman season at Iowa State (2006-07), where he played in all 31 games and averaged 5.2 points, scored 30 three-pointers, the fourth most for a Cyclone rookie, and shot 81.6-percent from the free throw line. Dunson transferred to Vincennes University for one season, helping the Trailblazers to a 28-6 record, and was named as the MVP of the National Junior College Association of American (NJCAA) District 3 Tournament.
Dunson finished his career at Bradley, playing the 2008-09 and 2010-11 seasons, after missing all but two games of the 2009-10 season due to injury. He tallied 692 points in 68 games for 10.1 points per game and was named a 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner.
Dunson graduated from Bradley with a degree in social work in 2011 and earned his master’s degree in physical education and coaching pedagogy from SIUE in 2017.
Dunson established the Dodie Dunson II Foundation in 2019, which was created to inspire, motivate and provide resources for people in at risk youth communities.
Dunson married his wife, Tameka, in 2015.
Mikaela Berza is in her second year with the Golden Hurricane as the coordinator of video and creative content, joining the team prior to the 2021-22 season.
Berza came to Tulsa after serving as a graduate assistant with the women’s basketball program at the University of Florida for two seasons (2019-21). At Florida, Berza prepared and assisted all coaches with scouting material, maintained the high school and AAU PSA database, helped create all recruiting videos and graphics, designed the monthly “Gator Great” newsletter and assisted in the coordination of official and unofficial visits.
Prior to Florida, Berza served as the associate head coach of the Bill Crothers Secondary School girl’s prep basketball team (2017-19), was the recruiting coordinator at Ontario Tech University (2018), and was the team manager of the men’s and women’s Canadian Basketball National Teams (2012-18). She was also the special assistant to the men’s basketball head coach at Ryerson University (2011-16) and the women’s basketball assistant coach and video coordinator at Ryerson (2013-15).
Berza earned her bachelor’s of commerce degree from Ryerson University (Toronto, Ontario) in 2016 and her master’s degree in sports management from Florida in 2021.