Dennis Felton, who has guided the past three Western Kentucky University teams to NCAA Tournament berths, was named head basketball coach at the University of Georgia Wednesday, according to an announcement by UGA Director of Athletics Vince Dooley.

Felton, who has served as WKU's head coach since 1998, becomes the 20th Bulldog head coach in the 98-year history of the basketball program at UGA. Dooley's recommendation of Felton was approved by University president Dr. Michael F. Adams and the UGA Athletic Board.

"Dennis fits all the criteria we wanted in a coach," said Dooley. "He is an up-and-coming coach with a history of success, is a man of integrity, an exceptional communicator and teacher, a family man, and we are convinced is a perfect fit for our program."

Felton's contract is for five years with a total compensation package worth $700,000 annually, which includes base salary, radio-television, camp and Nike payments. There is a $400,000 buyout clause in the contract.

"While we have made a practice of doing so in the past, we did an extraordinary job of 'due diligence' in this case with all our candidates," said Dooley. "In addition to our own research, we utilized the assistance of the search firm Baker-Parker. Those checks, which included NCAA compliance, media, criminal, and verification of educational history, were not completed until Wednesday. I was especially pleased that the background checks on all the finalists were very positive. Our list of finalists was a strong one and I think that's a tribute to our program at Georgia and its potential"

Felton, 39, this year became the first coach in Western Kentucky history to take three straight teams to the NCAA Tournament. In five seasons in Bowling Green, he compiled a 100-54 overall record (.649 pct.), including a 76-20 mark since the 2001 season. The Hilltoppers earned each of those three NCAA berths automatically by winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament, most recently the 2003 tourney on their home floor.

WKU, in fact, currently owns the nation's longest home winning streak of 39 games, with 26 of those wins coming in Sun Belt Conference competition.

Before he arrived at Western Kentucky, Felton spent six seasons with current Texas coach Rick Barnes, the first two at Providence College (1992-94) and lastly at Clemson (1994-98). The six teams that Barnes and Felton coached together all posted winning seasons (including three 20-win campaigns), all played in the postseason (four NCAA berths, two in the NIT) and went 114-71, averaging 19 wins per year. One of their NCAA teams, the Clemson squad in 1996, faced Georgia in the West Regional first round.

Felton began coaching in the collegiate ranks at the University of Delaware (1986-90) and followed with stints at Tulane (1990-91) and St. Joseph's (1991-92) before joining Barnes at Providence in 1992.

He got his start in the coaching profession as an assistant at Oxon Hill (Md.) High School in 1984. He then became an assistant coach at Charles County Community College in LaPlate, Md., for one season (1985-86) before moving on to Delaware.

A star athlete at Surrattsville (Md.) High School who was raised in Clinton, Md., Felton played at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Md.. He completed his athletic and academic careers at Howard University, where he was a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference All-Academic selection. He is a cum laude graduate of Howard (1985) with a degree in radio/television and film production.

Felton and his wife, Melanie, have two sons: eight-year-old Jazz and five-year-old Nile.