Maryville University head men's basketball coach Kramer Soderberg has announced the addition of two members to his coaching staff. Dorian Hobbs, Jr., joins the Saints as Associate Head Coach, while Avery Taggart has been hired as an assistant coach. Hobbs, Jr. comes to Maryville after serving as head coach at Culver-Stockton College, while Taggert arrives in St. Louis after working as a graduate assistant at Pittsburg State.
 
"I'm extremely excited to add Coach Hobbs to my staff," Soderberg said. "Having an experienced head coach on our sideline is a huge advantage. Coach Hobbs is an elite recruiter and a phenomenal relationship builder. I'm grateful to be working with Dorian again."
 
Hobbs coached the Wildcats for three seasons and directed them to 24 wins. He coached four all-conference players, including first team and league scoring champion Connor Davis in 2024-25. The basketball program produced 11 Daktronics/NAIA Scholar Athletes under Hobbs. Additionally, the Wildcat basketball program had been named an NAIA Scholar Team, sporting a 3.0 or better grade point average in Hobbs' three seasons. During his inaugural season, Hobbs led the Wildcats to a spot in the conference postseason tournament for the first time in five years in 2023-24, finishing fifth in the Heart of America standings. Hobbs spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Culver-Stockton.

Prior to C-SC, Hobbs spent two seasons with Soderberg on Millikin University staff, helping the Big Blue earn a conference tournament berth for the first time in school history after finishing and doubling the total of wins for the Big Blue in the past three seasons in his first year. During his time at Millikin, Hobbs served as the program's recruiting coordinator.
 
During his playing days as a Wildcat, Hobbs was a four-year member of the Wildcat basketball program who was a member of two national tournament teams. The 2012-13 team advanced to the final eight of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Men's National Tournament and set a school record for wins with 26, while the 2013-14 team advanced to the round of 16 and ended the campaign with a 24-8 overall mark.
 
Hobbs graduated from Culver-Stockton in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in media communication and a minor in religion and history. He earned a master's degree from the University of the Cumberlands in 2021.
 
"Coach Taggert is a rising star in the college coaching world," Soderberg said. "It is clear that Avery will use his experiences as both a player and a graduate assistant to make a significant impact on our program. Some people are natural-born coaches, and Coach Taggart most certainly fits that description."
 
Taggart worked for PSU head coach Jeff Boschee after his final collegiate graduate season with the Gorillas. Taggart played for four seasons at Missouri Southern where he was a second-team All-MIAA honoree after averaging 14.7 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a senior. The Eureka, Mo., native, twice earned All-MIAA honors and finishing his career with the Lions tallying 1,050 points. Taggart ended his MSSU playing days with 184 3-pointers, the seventh most in program history. He earned his master's degree in sports management from Pittsburg State in 2026.