Hofstra University Athletics

Danielle Santos Atkinson is entering her sixth season at the helm of the Hofstra women's basketball program in 2024-25.

Santos Atkinson was announced the 12th coach in Hofstra women's basketball history by Director of Athletics, Rick Cole Jr. on April 13, 2019.

Santos Atkinson coached Brandy Thomas to a spot on the All-Colonial Athletic Association second team, giving Hofstra an All-CAA student-athlete for the third consecutive season. The Pride advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2023 CAA Women's Basketball Championship, winning two games in the CAA Championship for the first time since 2019 and becoming the first 12-seed in the CAA Championship to advance to the quarterfinals since Georgia State in 2006. In addition, Sorelle Ineza was named to the CSC Academic All-District® Team.

During the 2021-22 season, Santos Atkinson coached Jaylen Hines to All-Colonial Athletic Association second team honors and Rosi Nicholson to the CAA All-Defensive team, marking the second-straight year that Hofstra had a student-athlete earn All-Conference and All-Defensive honors. Hofstra won a CAA First Round game and advanced to the quarterfinals. 

Following her second season with the Pride, Santos Atkinson nearly tripled her win total from her first season as the Pride reached the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals. Santos Atkinson mentored her first All-CAA honoree, JaKayla Brown, who earned All-CAA Second Team honors in addition to Metropolitan Basketball Writer's Association Third Team accolades. In addition, Brown and Jaylen Hines were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District® Team, becoming Hofstra's first two honorees for the women's basketball program since 2007. In her first season at Hofstra, Santos Atkinson guided guard Sorelle Ineza to the CAA All-Rookie Team.

A dynamic coach who has spent time as an assistant coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference, Missouri Valley Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, Santos brings a total of 14 years of Division I coaching experience back to Hofstra, where she spent four seasons as an assistant coach from 2006 to 2010. Santos' career arc includes stops at the University of Pittsburgh, Florida State University, the University of Kentucky, Illinois State University, and Hofstra. 

Santos has experienced incredible success everywhere she has been in her career with six NCAA Tournament appearances and four WNIT appearances. She has appeared in the Elite Eight three times and made a pair of Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. 

Santos furthered her coaching acumen in 2018-19 as she accepted the role as associate head coach at Pittsburgh. The Panthers took an immediate step forward as Pittsburgh increased their win total and the new staff brought about a culture change to the program that has a bright future ahead of it. 

Santos' career would skyrocket during a tremendous four-year stint at Florida State where she served as the recruiting coordinator for a program that compiled 111 wins and a winning percentage of .810, while winning 25-or more games and going to the NCAA Tournament in all four campaigns. The Seminoles made two Elite Eight appearances, a Sweet 16 appearance and advanced to the second round as well. Her astute recruiting ability saw Florida State have two recruiting classes ranked in the top five nationally and six student-athletes that she assisted in developing earned All-America honors and numerous Atlantic Coast Conference accolades. The Seminoles high-powered offense ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring offense in three separate seasons and the team set a program record with 32 wins in 2014-15. 

Santos spent the 2012-13 and 2013-14 season at Kentucky and served as the defensive coordinator for the Wildcats during her tenure in Lexington. Kentucky's 2013 recruiting class was ranked fifth nationally and on the court, the Wildcats advanced to the Sweet 16 her first year and followed that up with an Elite Eight appearance in her second go-around. 

At Illinois State, Santos paid immediate dividends as both seasons saw the Redbirds advance to the WNIT, including a semifinal appearance in 2010-11. During her two years, Illinois State posted 43 triumphs and Santos aided in the development of seven award winners from the Missouri Valley Conference. 

During her previous stop at Hofstra, Santos was part of a pair of 20-win seasons and the Pride earned two bids to the WNIT. The 2006-07 squad advanced to the WNIT Quarterfinals and set the program's NCAA Division I mark with 26 victories. She assisted in all aspects of the program and played a strong role in the recruitment and development of four all-conference performers and five CAA All-Rookie selections. 

Santos has been quite active on the national level as it relates to professional development. She has taken part in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Women's Coaches NEXT UP Program, the Villa 7 Leadership Conference, Next Chair, A Step Up Assistant Coaches Symposium, NCAA/BCA Achieving Coaching Excellence Program, Coaching U Live Conference, and the NCAA Women's Coaches Leadership Academy. 

Santos had a strong career as a student-athlete at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2006. The Gators made three postseason appearances during her career, including NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003-04 (second round) and 2005-06. A 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, Santos finished her career with 831 points, 265 assists, 162 steals, and 80 three-pointers. She ranks in the top 20 all-time at Florida in assists and three-pointers. Santos earned SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades four times and was a 2005 Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar-Athlete. She was also a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, National Collegiate Honors Society and Phi Eta Sigma Academic Honors Society. Santos is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. 

Santos earned her bachelor of science degree in exercise and sport sciences/sport management with minors in business administration and education from Florida in 2006. 

Santos is a member of the Wheeler (GA) High School Athletic Hall of Fame, where she graduated from in 2002. 

Santos and her husband, Cleveland, have three children, London, Madison and Cleveland.

Santos Atkinson Year-by-Year Coaching Records:
 

Year	Record (Conf. Record)	Postseason
2019-20	3-27 (0-18)
2020-21	8-12 (5-7)
2021-22	8-20 (4-14)
2022-23	12-20 (4-14)
2023-24	11-21 (3-15)
Career	42-100 (.296)