Dartmouth head men’s basketball coach David McLaughlin announced staff changes, which features Braeden Estes being promoted to assistant coach, with Garvin McAlister joining the staff as director of basketball operations. Estes, who had been Dartmouth’s director of operations for two seasons, fills the role left by Dan Ryan, who recently accepted a position with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in Germany. McAlister joins the Big Green with plenty of college basketball coaching experience, most recently as associate head coach at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts.
“I am very excited about our recent staff changes,” said McLaughlin. “Both Braeden and Garvin are two talented young professionals on the rise, and they clearly have bright futures in the coaching industry. They embody what Dartmouth Basketball is all about. They value relationships and believe in our philosophy of development. Braeden and Garvin are creative thinkers and bring a selfless and positive attitude.”
McAlister had been at Assumption since June of 2019, first serving as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator before being promoted to associate head coach. In 2019-20, he helped the Greyhounds post their first winning record since 2012-13, as they finished with a 14-12 record. Two years later, the Greyhounds picked up their first Northeast-10 Tournament win in over a decade when they beat Adelphi, 80-69. During McAlister’s time, he coached All-Conference and All-Academic player Matt Kelly, who eclipsed 1,000 career points and was also named the WACBA Rookie of the Year.
“I am extremely grateful and excited to be joining Coach McLaughlin and the rest of the staff at one of the world’s greatest academic institutions,” said McAlister. “I look forward to pouring my energy into the Dartmouth program every day, both on and off of the court. I am eager to work with the type of student-athletes, and coaches in the program right now and look forward to supporting them in their journey of building a winning program.”
Prior to his time at Assumption, McAlister served as assistant men’s basketball coach and head junior varsity coach at his alma mater Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut. While there, he recruited and coached All-Conference player Tyshon Rogers and recruited Darrick Boyd, who went on to be named All-Conference in 2019-20.
During the 2017-18 season, McAlister served as assistant men’s basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at Connecticut College. That came after a nearly two-year stint at Nichols College as assistant men’s basketball coach. In that time, McAlister helped Nichols to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017, winning the 2017 Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament title. Also in his time, the Bison were two-time regular season conference champions and 2016 ECAC Tournament champions. Over the course of his two seasons, Nichols posted a combined 49-10 record, which included a program-record 14-game winning streak in 2015-16. McAlister coached and recruited five All-Conference players, including 2017 Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Year and the conference’s all-time leading scorer Marcos Echevarria.
McAlister began his coaching career as assistant women’s basketball coach at Western Connecticut State University, recruiting eventual 2016 LEC Rookie of the Year Kayla Crosswell.
“Garvin really impressed me during the search process,” said McLaughlin. “His confidence, knowledge of the game, self-awareness and humble attitude will fit very well in our program. He is excited to build relationships with our players, as well as within the Dartmouth community. I am confident he will have an immediate and lasting impact.”
As a player, McAlister was a third team All-CACC honoree at Post, garnering the university’s Male Athlete of the Year award in 2011. He finished second all-time in career assists, third in steals, fourth in games started and ninth in 3-point field goals made.
McAlister takes the position of Estes, who was promoted to assistant coach after two seasons as the Big Green’s director of operations. In his role, he coordinated travel logistics, oversaw student managers, worked with video operations and provided numerous other behind-the-scenes duties.
“It is an honor to step into this new role on Coach McLaughlin’s staff here at Dartmouth,” said Estes. “I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to continue working alongside our student-athletes and coaches as we strive to build on the momentum we’ve established over the last few seasons. This group has gained a tremendous amount of experience playing together that will prove to be vital in the pursuit of our goal of winning an Ivy League championship.”
Estes has played an important role in Dartmouth’s growth as a program, which includes back-to-back six-win seasons in the Ivy League, the first time that’s happened since 1995-96 and 1996-97. Over his two years, he’s played a role in the development of All-Ivy League performers Dame Adelekun, Brendan Barry and Aaron Rai. In the summer of 2022, Estes served as an interim assistant coach, spending time traveling across the United States recruiting and playing an integral role in coordinating both official and unofficial visits.
“Braeden has worked very hard the past two seasons and has proven he is ready for this next step,” said McLaughlin. “He is incredibly passionate about coaching, and this passion extends to our players. I am looking forward to seeing his impact, and at the same time pushing him and helping him grow during this transition.”
A local product from Lebanon, New Hampshire, Estes was the graduate assistant coach at South Florida — where he earned his master’s in physical education — from 2019-21, helping with player development, video operations, scouting and academic administration. During those two years, four Bulls earned All-American Athletic Conference honors (Alexis Yetna, David Collins, Caleb Murphy and Laquincy Rideau). He performed his duties so well that USF kept him on staff as its director of basketball operations before being called back home.
A 2019 graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in business administration while minoring in coaching, Estes was a valued student manager for the Wildcats’ men’s basketball team for four years, gradually increasing his responsibilities during his tenure. He assisted with virtually all aspects of the program, from player development to film preparation for scouting reports to team travel and social media content, not to mention handling the video exchange with opposing teams.
Growing up down the road from Dartmouth’s campus, Estes was a two-year varsity player at Lebanon High School and captain senior year, helping the Raiders to two semifinal appearances.
