DÉRONTÉ POLITE

HEAD COACH

DéRonté Polite was named the head coach of the Hood College women's basketball team in May 2023.

In his first season, he led the Blazers to the highest conference win total since the 2014-15 season.

The squad led the MAC Commonwealth in both steals per game and turnovers forced per game with All-Conference honorable mention selection Chanelle Lee leading individually in both those categories.

Polite was also selected as one of the handfull of coaches at the 2024 NCAA Basketball Academy in Rock Hill, North Carolina. The academy gives prospective men's and women's student-athletes their first sample of college basketball in competition and mentorship.

Polite takes over the Blazers after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Division I University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 2019-23. His efforts on the sideline and recruiting trail helped the Panthers to win the Horizon League Regular Season Championship in 2020-21, going 20-8 with an appearance in the Horizon League semifinals and a first-round win over Drake in the WNIT.

DéRonté coached the point guards and small wings while at Milwaukee. One of his top signings was Kamy Peppler, who was voted 2022 Miss Basketball for the state of Wisconsin. Under Polite's guidance, Kamy earned Horizon League honors by being named on the All-Freshman Team—leading the Panthers in assists (100) and steals (28).

Polite arrived in Milwaukee following one season at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Ill., leading the Lynx to a 16-13 record in 2018-19 as the program transitioned from the NJCAA to the NAIA level.

Before Lincoln, he spent four seasons as the girls' academy varsity basketball coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. While at IMG, Polite assisted with the girls’ national and women’s post-graduate teams.

Polite served on the staff at Bryan College, an NAIA program located in Dayton, Tenn. in 2013-14. The Lady Lions went 20-11, setting the program’s win record and posting its highest conference finish in seven years. Polite directed all facets of skill development for the program and served as the head coach of the Lady Lions’ junior varsity program.

That followed a two-year stint as the head women's coach and assistant athletic director at Central Christian College of the Bible, members of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association. During his tenure at CCCB from 2011-13, he led his alma mater to the first two winning seasons in school history, compiling 37 victories. Polite coached three NCCAA All-Americans at CCCB: Taylor Terry, Mazie Dowdy, and Kelsi Mueller.

Polite had an impressive playing career at CCCB from 2007-09. He was an integral member of the 2008-2009 team that achieved the first 20-win season in men's basketball history, capped with a second-place finish in the Association of Christian College Athletics Tournament. A two-year captain, Polite was named the ACCA Player of the Year twice, was a two-time NCCAA Division II All-American, two-time NCCAA Academic All-American and set CCCB’s season scoring record with 833 points.

Polite graduated CCCB with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies, and prior to that, graduated from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University with a Bachelor of Science in economics. He earned a Master of Education in educational, school, and counseling psychology with an emphasis in positive coaching from the University of Missouri.