University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Basketball
Thibault-DuDonis, Carly
Carly Thibault-DuDonis
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- cthibaul@umn.edu
- Phone:
- 612-624-3563
Carly Thibault-DuDonis (pronounced TEE-bow doo-DON-iss) was named assistant coach at Minnesota on April 23, 2018 and was promoted to the title of associate head coach on May 14, 2020.
Among her duties with the Golden Gophers, she works with the team's guards, oversees the recruiting efforts and helps prepare scouting reports and game strategies.
In her three seasons at Minnesota, she has helped the Maroon and Gold reach the postseason and coached one WNBA draft pick, one All-American, six All-Big Ten honorees, two members of the Big Ten All-Freshman team and one Big Ten All-Defensive Team player.
This past year, guards Jasmine Powell and Sara Scalia each took home All-Big Ten honors. Powell was named Second Team All-Big Ten by the league's coaches and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the media covering the conference. Meanwhile, Scalia was chosen Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.
The duo tied for the team lead with 14.5 points per game, while Powell was one of eight players in the nation to average 14.5 points and 5.4 assists per game on the season. Her assist figure was third in the Big Ten, 18th nationally and sixth best in program history. Powell also led the team in free throws made and attempted (59-79), defensive rebound average (4.3), minutes played (574:39) and steals per game (1.4). Meanwhile, Scalia finished third in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made per game (2.75), fifth in 3's attempted (132) and sixth in 3-point percentage (.333). She led the Gophers in 3-pointers made (44) and attempted, and minutes per game (33:54). Her 3-point attempt total ranked fourth in program history for a Big Ten season
In 2019-20, Thibault-DuDonis had three guards earn All-Big Ten honors. Jasmine Powell was a consensus pick for both All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, while Gadiva Hubbard was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honoree by the media, as was Sara Scalia, who also earned a place on the media's Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Powell (12.1) and Scalia (10.8) combined for the third best combined scoring performance by a freshman duo in team annals. In addition, they each won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice during the season. Powell led all Big Ten freshmen in points per game and free throw percentage, and also led conference freshmen in scoring in conference games only (13.1). Meanwhile, Scalia led all Big Ten freshmen in 3-pointers made per game; and led all B1G freshmen in conference games only in 3-point percentage, 3's made per game and minutes played per game.
Minnesota's 238 made 3-pointers were the third most in program history, while the 653 attempts were fourth highest and 36.4 percentage on 3's was 10th best.
In her first season at Minnesota, Thibault-DuDonis helped Kenisha Bell earn honorable mention All-America honors from the AP, become a semifinalist for the 2019 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Award, garner consensus First Team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches and media and be placed on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team. Bell was then taken 30th overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
As a team, the Gophers posted the eighth most 3-point attempts and 10th most 3's made in program history during the season.
Prior to Minnesota, she spent two seasons on the Mississippi State coaching staff where she helped the Bulldogs to the Final Four and national title game in both of her seasons in Starkville.
"I've known Carly for a long time and she's had a pretty fast rise as an assistant coach and a recruiting coordinator in helping get Mississippi State to back-to-back national title games and selling out their arena," Minnesota head coach Lindsay Whalen said at the time of the hire. "She's been a part of a real success story there, and I think she'll be able to bring that knowledge and passion that she has for the game here. She's a go-getter and a hard worker."
In 2017-18, Mississippi State won a nation's-best 37 games en route to winning the program's first Southeastern Conference championship and advancing to the national championship game for the second-straight year.
"I'm thankful to Lindsay and the University of Minnesota for the opportunity to join her," Thibault-DuDonis said in April of 2018. "I'm excited about Lindsay's vision for Minnesota women's basketball and to help her get the program back to a place where it's competing for Big Ten championships and Final Four appearances year after year.
"I've known Lindsay since she was drafted into the WNBA in 2004 and I have yet to meet someone as competitive, team-oriented and dedicated as she is. That, coupled with her leadership abilities, are going to make her a great head coach at Minnesota for years to come."
In her first season working with the Bulldog guards and coordinating the program's recruiting efforts, she helped land the nation's 19th-ranked recruiting class while helping lead MSU to a then school-record 34 wins and the national title game in the program's first Final Four appearance.
Thibault-DuDonis joined the Bulldogs following two seasons on the staff at Eastern Michigan. In her final season, she helped guide an EMU offense that scored 2,445 points, third-most in a season, and dished the seventh-most assists (435) en route to going 22-12 and advancing to the second round of the WNIT. The Eagles won 20 games in each of her two seasons in Ypsilanti, as the 2014-15 squad tied the school record for wins in a season with a 24-13 mark. That team advanced to the Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship before wrapping the year in the WNIT Round of 16.
Thibault-DuDonis made the move to EMU following a stint in Tallahassee as the Director of Recruiting Operations at Florida State. During her time with the Seminoles, she managed the team's recruiting database and communication plan as well as assisting with the administration of the program's basketball camps.
She played collegiately at Monmouth from 2009-13. She concluded her playing career third in school history with 166-career 3-point field goals made. The East Lyme, Conn., native shot 37 percent from the three-point stripe in her career, but knocked down 40 percent as a junior and 44 percent in her final college season. She was also an outstanding shooter from the free-throw line, knocking down 75.3 percent over her four seasons.
Her father, Mike, was a longtime coach in the NBA before making the move to the WNBA. He was the head coach of the Connecticut Sun when the team drafted Whalen in 2004, while he currently coaches the Washington Mystics. Thibault-DuDonis married Blake DuDonis in the summer of 2017.
COACHING HISTORY
2020-Present: Minnesota (Associate Head Coach)
2018-20: Minnesota (Assistant Coach)
2016-18: Mississippi State (Assistant Coach)
2015-16: Eastern Michigan (Assistant Coach)
2014: Florida State (Director of Recruiting Operations)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
2009-13: Monmouth University
PLAYING HONORS
Third-Team All-Northeast Conference (2012)
Monmouth Coaches' Award (2012)
Monmouth Alumni Association Academic Award (2012)
Northeast Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2012)
CoSIDA Academic All-District II First Team (2012, '13)
Among her duties with the Golden Gophers, she works with the team's guards, oversees the recruiting efforts and helps prepare scouting reports and game strategies.
In her three seasons at Minnesota, she has helped the Maroon and Gold reach the postseason and coached one WNBA draft pick, one All-American, six All-Big Ten honorees, two members of the Big Ten All-Freshman team and one Big Ten All-Defensive Team player.
This past year, guards Jasmine Powell and Sara Scalia each took home All-Big Ten honors. Powell was named Second Team All-Big Ten by the league's coaches and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the media covering the conference. Meanwhile, Scalia was chosen Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.
The duo tied for the team lead with 14.5 points per game, while Powell was one of eight players in the nation to average 14.5 points and 5.4 assists per game on the season. Her assist figure was third in the Big Ten, 18th nationally and sixth best in program history. Powell also led the team in free throws made and attempted (59-79), defensive rebound average (4.3), minutes played (574:39) and steals per game (1.4). Meanwhile, Scalia finished third in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made per game (2.75), fifth in 3's attempted (132) and sixth in 3-point percentage (.333). She led the Gophers in 3-pointers made (44) and attempted, and minutes per game (33:54). Her 3-point attempt total ranked fourth in program history for a Big Ten season
In 2019-20, Thibault-DuDonis had three guards earn All-Big Ten honors. Jasmine Powell was a consensus pick for both All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, while Gadiva Hubbard was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honoree by the media, as was Sara Scalia, who also earned a place on the media's Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Powell (12.1) and Scalia (10.8) combined for the third best combined scoring performance by a freshman duo in team annals. In addition, they each won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice during the season. Powell led all Big Ten freshmen in points per game and free throw percentage, and also led conference freshmen in scoring in conference games only (13.1). Meanwhile, Scalia led all Big Ten freshmen in 3-pointers made per game; and led all B1G freshmen in conference games only in 3-point percentage, 3's made per game and minutes played per game.
Minnesota's 238 made 3-pointers were the third most in program history, while the 653 attempts were fourth highest and 36.4 percentage on 3's was 10th best.
In her first season at Minnesota, Thibault-DuDonis helped Kenisha Bell earn honorable mention All-America honors from the AP, become a semifinalist for the 2019 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Award, garner consensus First Team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches and media and be placed on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team. Bell was then taken 30th overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
As a team, the Gophers posted the eighth most 3-point attempts and 10th most 3's made in program history during the season.
Prior to Minnesota, she spent two seasons on the Mississippi State coaching staff where she helped the Bulldogs to the Final Four and national title game in both of her seasons in Starkville.
"I've known Carly for a long time and she's had a pretty fast rise as an assistant coach and a recruiting coordinator in helping get Mississippi State to back-to-back national title games and selling out their arena," Minnesota head coach Lindsay Whalen said at the time of the hire. "She's been a part of a real success story there, and I think she'll be able to bring that knowledge and passion that she has for the game here. She's a go-getter and a hard worker."
In 2017-18, Mississippi State won a nation's-best 37 games en route to winning the program's first Southeastern Conference championship and advancing to the national championship game for the second-straight year.
"I'm thankful to Lindsay and the University of Minnesota for the opportunity to join her," Thibault-DuDonis said in April of 2018. "I'm excited about Lindsay's vision for Minnesota women's basketball and to help her get the program back to a place where it's competing for Big Ten championships and Final Four appearances year after year.
"I've known Lindsay since she was drafted into the WNBA in 2004 and I have yet to meet someone as competitive, team-oriented and dedicated as she is. That, coupled with her leadership abilities, are going to make her a great head coach at Minnesota for years to come."
In her first season working with the Bulldog guards and coordinating the program's recruiting efforts, she helped land the nation's 19th-ranked recruiting class while helping lead MSU to a then school-record 34 wins and the national title game in the program's first Final Four appearance.
Thibault-DuDonis joined the Bulldogs following two seasons on the staff at Eastern Michigan. In her final season, she helped guide an EMU offense that scored 2,445 points, third-most in a season, and dished the seventh-most assists (435) en route to going 22-12 and advancing to the second round of the WNIT. The Eagles won 20 games in each of her two seasons in Ypsilanti, as the 2014-15 squad tied the school record for wins in a season with a 24-13 mark. That team advanced to the Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship before wrapping the year in the WNIT Round of 16.
Thibault-DuDonis made the move to EMU following a stint in Tallahassee as the Director of Recruiting Operations at Florida State. During her time with the Seminoles, she managed the team's recruiting database and communication plan as well as assisting with the administration of the program's basketball camps.
She played collegiately at Monmouth from 2009-13. She concluded her playing career third in school history with 166-career 3-point field goals made. The East Lyme, Conn., native shot 37 percent from the three-point stripe in her career, but knocked down 40 percent as a junior and 44 percent in her final college season. She was also an outstanding shooter from the free-throw line, knocking down 75.3 percent over her four seasons.
Her father, Mike, was a longtime coach in the NBA before making the move to the WNBA. He was the head coach of the Connecticut Sun when the team drafted Whalen in 2004, while he currently coaches the Washington Mystics. Thibault-DuDonis married Blake DuDonis in the summer of 2017.
COACHING HISTORY
2020-Present: Minnesota (Associate Head Coach)
2018-20: Minnesota (Assistant Coach)
2016-18: Mississippi State (Assistant Coach)
2015-16: Eastern Michigan (Assistant Coach)
2014: Florida State (Director of Recruiting Operations)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
2009-13: Monmouth University
PLAYING HONORS
Third-Team All-Northeast Conference (2012)
Monmouth Coaches' Award (2012)
Monmouth Alumni Association Academic Award (2012)
Northeast Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2012)
CoSIDA Academic All-District II First Team (2012, '13)
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