For LSU basketball student assistant coach Ronald Dupree, it took a journey around the world to end up right where he started.
After a career that took him through the NBA and overseas to Europe and Asia, Dupree announced his retirement from the Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club and departure from professional basketball. 
On Sept. 10, he revealed his return to Baton Rouge in hopes of jump-starting his coaching career and finishing his degree in electrical engineering.
“This will be a learning experience for me during my first year coaching,” Dupree said. “I’ll just be more of a sponge at this point. I’ll be focusing on learning from [head coach Johnny] Jones, how he does things and how the staff does things. I’m more in just a servitude type role.”  
Dupree played basketball for LSU from 1999 to 2003, winning a Southeastern Conference regular season championship and advancing to the Sweet 16 in the 2000 season. He then played professional basketball for 11 years, cycling through the NBA, the NBA’s developmental league and
multiple leagues overseas. 
“He played in the NBA, so he has a lot of knowledge and knows what it takes to get there,” said LSU freshman guard Jalyn Patterson. “Every day in practice, he’s a high-energy guy, talking to us all of the time,
telling us what to do and things like that. He gives us a lot of great information.”
Joining the LSU coaching staff as a student assistant puts Dupree on the same path Jones took. Jones served as a student assistant in the 1984-85 season as he completed the final coursework for his degree after playing at LSU for four years.
Dupree cemented himself in the LSU record books during his career with the Tigers. He’s ninth in career scoring with 1,726 points, averaging 13.4 points per game over his 129 game career. He’s also ninth in career rebounding with 907 rebounds.
When Dupree played for LSU, the SEC was a dominant conference in college basketball. Although this is no longer the case, Dupree said he hopes he can help both LSU and the conference become elite again.
“The image and perception of the SEC has changed. It’s not as strong as it was when I was here, and that’s part of it,” Dupree said. “Every conference goes through its cycles. But our hope is that this year we can build on making LSU a formidable program, and hopefully the other schools will pick up as well.”
At 33, Dupree bridges the gap between player and coach. Players said they feel comfortable asking him questions but also respect him as they would any other coach.
“He knows the conference so well,” said sophomore center Darcy Malone. “And because he just got out of playing professionally, he can give us advice and come to us on a player-to-player level. It’s definitely very advantageous for us. A lot of us are utilizing him.”
Dupree connects with different players and works with them on specific skills he picked up in the NBA. He’s instilling the importance of defense in Patterson and is helping sophomore forward Jordan Mickey with ball handling and crashing the boards. 
“He’s got that NBA experience, so it’s good to have him back coaching for us and give us pointers,” Mickey said. “He’s told me to stay spaced, and when you have an open shot, you just have to shoot the ball.”
These skills brought from the NBA could be crucial for the young squad as they work on becoming an SEC power in the 2014-15 season.
“It’s really the little things that can separate a good player from a great player at the NBA level,” Dupree said. “We have to focus on taking care of the hard stuff, the stuff that isn’t pretty but you still have to get right early on in the season.”
Although basketball takes the limelight, Dupree’s return emphasizes another aspect about being an athlete in college. 
Dupree said he promised himself he would complete school and get a degree. After following his dream of playing professional basketball, he is finally fulfilling his other dream. 
“I made a commitment to myself to graduate in my major,” Dupree said. “Even when I left originally, I felt there was always something hanging over my head and that I needed to finish my education. I want to have that plaque, that degree on the wall for my kids and for myself.”
In a sport that is often a revolving door to the NBA for student-athletes, Dupree coming back and completing his degree in electrical engineering highlights the importance of school and classes to the players. 
“He definitely stresses education. It’s great seeing him come back and get his degree and try to do something new with his life,” Mickey said. “He had a great career, but the basketball has to stop bouncing some day for everybody.” 
You can reach Michael Haarala on Twitter @haarala_TDR.