Dione James is in his seventh season as an assistant coach for the Christopher Newport University men’s basketball program, where his responsibilities include basketball operations and player development.
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, James moved to the United States in 1997. Prior to beginning his coaching career, he proudly served nine years in the United States Army, including a combat deployment to Iraq. Following his overseas service, he was stationed in Virginia at Fort Eustis, an experience that helped shape his leadership, discipline, and commitment to mentorship.
Following his military service, James began his coaching career in 2008 at Walsingham Academy as an assistant JV basketball coach. James later attended Thomas Nelson Community College, where he served as the women’s assistant basketball coach while completing his Associate of Science degree in Business Administration in 2013.
He joined the Christopher Newport University men’s basketball program in the 2018–19 season as an intern while continuing his education at Old Dominion University, where he earned a degree in Sports Management with a minor in Coaching in 2019. In that same season, the CNU men’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four.
During the 2020–21 season, when much of Division III basketball was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, James served as the head JV and assistant varsity boys basketball coach at Hampton Roads Academy before returning to Christopher Newport to continue his role with the Captains.
In addition to his work with CNU basketball, James has been deeply involved in youth development throughout the Hampton Roads community since 2005. During the college basketball offseason, he gives back to the community by mentoring youth on and off the court through his nonprofit basketball program, BBall360 Academy, based in Hampton, Virginia.
James and his wife, Hasina, an ICU nurse since 2007, reside in Hampton, Virginia. They have one son, Dante James, who graduated salutatorian from Phoebus High School in 2025 and currently attends Virginia Commonwealth University, where he is majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences.
