We reported this as a rumor yesterday – it has now been made official…
Hood College did not have to look far for its second head men’s basketball coach. Associate Head Coach Chad Dickman will move over a chair on the bench next season.
“I am extremely excited to be given the opportunity to be the head men’s basketball coach at Hood College,” he said. “It has been my goal to be a college head coach since I graduated and I have been very fortunate to learn from some great coaches and people along the way. I am thankful for all the support that Hood College and the entire administration and athletic department have given me. I’m confident in the players we have coming back and looking forward to bringing in a strong recruiting class of guys that will represent the program well on and off the court. It’s an honor to be able to follow in my father’s footsteps in continuing to lead the Blazer basketball program.”
He replaces Tom Dickman, his father, who is stepping away from his coaching duties to focus on his role as the Blazers’ director of athletics.
“The promotion of Chad Dickman from assistant to head coach will assure continuity in our program and provide us the opportunity to retain one of the top young Division III basketball coaches in the country,” said Hood College President Dr. Ronald Volpe. “We are confident Chad will take our program to the highest level of excellence.”
Dickman came to Hood in the summer of 2013 and was the associate head coach for two seasons before rising to head coach. Over the past two seasons, the Blazers won a total of 33 games, advanced to the Commonwealth Conference Semifinals twice and played for the ECAC Southwest Championship in 2013-14. The 2013-14 squad won 18 games, the second-highest single season total in school history.
He played an instrumental role in the development of Chris Cook, who emerged as a finalist for the Jostens Trophy in 2014-15 and was named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year.
Dickman also serves as the head golf coach and athletic facilities coordinator at Hood.
Prior to Hood, Dickman had a successful nine-year stint as associate head coach at Wheeling Jesuit University, an NCAA Division II school in West Virginia.
While at WJU, Dickman helped build the Cardinals into one of the better Division II programs in the country, as the Cardinals made their only four NCAA Tournament appearances in school history during Dickman’s nine-year stint. Wheeling Jesuit made their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2005, followed it up with another appearance in 2006, then had back-to-back appearances in 2011 and 2012. Known as a tireless recruiter, Dickman helped bring in two West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Freshmen of the Year and several all-conference selections. In 2012, he recruited Ohio’s Mr. Basketball (Justin Fritts) to Wheeling Jesuit. It was the first time in the history of the award that the recipient did not sign at an NCAA Division I school. Dickman also served as WJU’s NCAA Compliance Director from 2007-2013.
Prior to Wheeling Jesuit, Dickman coached one year at his alma mater, St. Vincent College (Latrobe, Pa.), helping the Bearcats to a 25-7 record and a spot in the NAIA National Sweet 16.
The local product played high school basketball for his father at Governor Thomas Johnson High School. While there, he helped the Patriots win the 1997 State Championship and led the team to the 1998 State Final Four, earning all-state honors his senior year.
Dickman continued his playing career at St. Vincent from 1998-2002, scoring 1,279 points, currently ranked 11th in school history. He also earned all-conference honors his junior and senior year. Dickman led the Bearcats to the NAIA Tournament twice, reaching the Elite 8 in 2002.
http://hoodathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/20150415ava7e7
Photo Courtesy Hood College
