Sammy Dowd Named UE Men’s Basketball Graduate Assistant

Former Idaho State Player Joins UE P:rogram

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Former Idaho State standout Sammy Dowd has joined University of Evansville men’s basketball coach David Ragland’s staff as a graduate assistant.

A native of Seattle, Washington, Dowd most recently played in the Philippines for the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in 2020.

“When I came to Evansville, it was a goal to surround myself with talented but very good individuals.  In my opinion, there is nobody better than Sammy,” Ragland said.  “From the first moment, I met him when he was at North Idaho, hit attitude, excitement and positivity were contagious.”

“North Idaho had an undefeated season with one guy who went on to play in the NBA and others who played at bigger schools…none of that would have been possible without Sammy.  The way to get this program where I want it to be is to bring in those who are talented but are even better people.  He exemplifies that.”

In two seasons at Idaho State, Dowd appeared in a total of 56 games while making 10 starts.  As a senior in 2018-19, he notched five assists and 26 minutes, both career highs, against Portland State.  His top scoring effort at ISU came in his junior season where he tallied 13 points also against Portland State.

Following his junior campaign in 2017-18, Dowd was the recipient of the US Basketball Writers Association’s Most Courageous award given at the NCAA tournament Final Four.  He was recognized for the hurdles that he overcame in his life to accomplish one of his goals of playing college basketball at the Division I level.

“I am blessed to have the opportunity to work for Coach Ragland and to learn from him, George Swanson, Marcus Wilson, Craig Snow, and Roosevelt Jones,” Dowd exclaimed.  “Learning from some great mentors has prepared me for this position and I am thankful and blessed to be here.”

Prior to his Division, I career, Dowd played for two seasons at North Idaho where he averaged 17 points and 7 assists per game.  He was named to the honor roll and helped his team to a conference championship.  In his time at Gonzaga Prep, he lettered in football and basketball.  His basketball squad advanced to the state playoffs on three occasions while finishing as high as 8^th in the state rankings.

He is the son of Ron and Jill Miller and has a sister Megan and a brother Matt.