SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Jareem Dowling, the top assistant at Cecil Community College in Maryland for the past three seasons, was recently hired as The Rock's top aide to first-year head coach Kevin Reynolds.

Dowling, who also played two seasons at Cecil before finishing up his collegiate career at Maryland Eastern Shore, will officially start at SRU on July 1.

"There are a variety of things Jareem will bring to the staff," Reynolds said in an interview with the Delmarva Media Group. "First is that he is a good coach, but he is a better person than he is a coach. I think that is very important. Under the tutelage and guidance of [Cecil head coach] Bill Lewit as a player and a coach, you are working for one of the best junior college coaches in the country. I thinkif you have that type of background you are going to have the experience of winning and hard work, and I think that will make it a smooth transition for him from NJCAA to NCAA basketball."

In addition to his coaching experience at Cecil, Dowling -- a native of St. Croix -- served as the head coach of the U.S. Virgin Islands 18-under national team last summer. He also recently accepted an invitation to coach the Virgin Islands 15-under team at the Centro Basket U-15 Championship, which will be held Aug. 16-20 in San Francisco de Marcoria, Dominican Republic.

He also assisted former UCLA coach Jim Harrick and Jackson State head coach Tevester Anderson with the 2007 St. Croix senior national team as they prepared for the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifier in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During Dowling's three seasons as an assistant coach at Cecil, the program compiled a 97-6 record and won the 2006 JUCO national championship.

Dowling is a graduate of Howard High School in Wilmington, Dela., where he led his team to the Blue Hen Flight B championship and the state final four in his senior year. For his efforts he was selected first- team all-conference and honorable mention all-state. He was also selected to play in the Delaware State Blue and Gold All-Star Game, in which he scored 19 points.

As a two-year starter at Cecil, Dowling helped guide the team to the 2000-2001 Maryland JUCO regular-season championship. He earned all-tournament honors during the Maryland State JUCO Tournament and earned the team’s Hustle Award and Defense Award voted on by his teammates.

After a knee injury forced him to sit out the 2001-2002 season, Dowling helped lead the Seahawks to the region championship and the NJCAA final four in 2002-2003. His two-year record at Cecil was 51-11.

Dowling was a two-year starter for Maryland Eastern Shore and scored a career-high of 22 points including 5 3-pointers versus Baylor University. Dowling earned his degree in sociology in 2005 from UMES.