James Dickey, who has more than 30 years of Division I coaching experience, including 14 years as a head coach, has been named Senior Advisor of Men’s Basketball, WVU interim head men’s basketball coach Josh Eilert announced today.
“I am thrilled to be able to add coach Dickey to our men’s basketball staff,” Eilert said. “His experience and his resume speak for themselves, and he has seen it all. Coach Dickey will be an outstanding resource to me, our staff and, of course, to our players. We’ve already had numerous conversations, and we are anxious for him to get to Morgantown as is he.”
Dickey served as head coach at Texas Tech from 1991-2001 and at Houston from 2010-14. He also was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State (2002-08, 2014-16), Texas Tech (1990-91), Kentucky (1985-89), Arkansas (1981-85) and Central Arkansas (1979-81). He posted a 228-186 record as a head coach.
“I am thrilled and honored to become a member of West Virginia basketball, joining coach Eilert, his dedicated staff and players,” Dickey said. “This presents a remarkable opportunity for me to be a part of an exceptional University renowned for its academic excellence and tradition-rich basketball program.
“During my interactions with coach Eilert, I was thoroughly impressed with his visionary leadership, unwavering loyalty and genuine concern for the players and staff he has assembled. The insightful conversations I’ve had with the staff have been positive, enthusiastic and highly informative. I am excited to join the esteemed athletic staff and have the privilege of working under the guidance of Wren Baker and Steve Uryasz, both of whom I hold in the highest regard and have had the pleasure of working with in the past.”
In his most recent head coaching stop at Houston, Dickey guided the Cougars to three wins over top-25 teams in 2013-14, which was Houston’s highest total since the 1983-84 season. He also led the Cougars to a 20-13 record in 2012-13 to mark the program’s first 20-win season in four years.
Dickey served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State from 2014-16 under Travis Ford and under the guidance of Eddie and Sean Sutton from 2002-08. During that time, he was heavily involved in developing future NBA talent, including Tony Allen, Joey Graham, Stephen Graham, John Lucas, Ivan McFarlin and James Anderson.
Dickey spent 10 seasons as head coach at Texas Tech, where he began his head coaching career in 1991. Despite being picked to finish last in the Southwest Conference in his inaugural season, the Red Raiders finished fifth at 6-8 in the league standings. Dickey was named consensus SWC Coach of the Year as well as NABC District Coach of the Year.
In his second year at Tech, the Red Raiders put together an impressive three-game run in the 1993 SWC Postseason Classic. Tech defeated Houston in the championship game and earned the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. It marked Tech’s first venture to the NCAA Tournament since 1986.
During the 1995-96 season, Dickey’s squad won a school-record 30 games, including an 18-0 mark in Southwest Conference play. The Red Raiders swept through the final SWC regular season and the SWC Postseason Classic and lost only two games that season. Texas Tech advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in the program’s history. It took Georgetown and Allen Iverson to stop Tech’s 23-game winning streak. During the season, the Red Raiders jumped into the top 10 for the first time in school history, finishing eighth in the Associated Press poll.
Dickey first got into coaching when he joined the staff at Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas, for the 1976-77 season. He earned his master’s degree while there.
From there, Dickey accepted his first head coaching job, leading a local high school, Harding Academy. His first step into the collegiate ranks was a return to his alma mater at Central Arkansas.
Following the 1980-81 season, Dickey joined Eddie Sutton at Arkansas. He worked at Arkansas for four seasons and helped lead the Razorbacks to a cumulative mark of 96-30. The Hogs put together four straight NCAA appearances and won the 1982 SWC regular season and postseason titles.
Dickey followed Sutton to Kentucky after the 1984-85 campaign. The duo helped lead the Wildcats to an overall record of 90-40 in the next four seasons. Kentucky went to the NCAA Tournament three times during that span, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1986.
Dickey got his first collegiate head coaching opportunity after the 1990-91 season. He was named Texas Tech’s 11th head coach after serving as an assistant for one season. Dickey had five players achieve NBA status at Tech – Cory Carr, Tony Battie, Mark Davis, Darvin Ham and Jason Sasser. Battie was a lottery pick, taken with the fifth pick overall by the Denver Nuggets.
“The Big 12 Conference is known for its elite status, attracting immense interest and excitement from loyal and passionate fans,” Dickey said. “The Big 12 presents challenges, but also offers unparalleled opportunities for our team to compete at the highest level and gain significant exposure for the state, University and our talented players.
“Having had the pleasure of visiting Morgantown, I can attest that West Virginia is truly a special place with great people. My family and I are eagerly looking forward to embracing the Mountaineer spirit and becoming part of this community. Together, we will strive to contribute to the rich legacy of West Virginia basketball and bring further success to the University.”
https://wvusports.com/news/2023/7/27/mens-basketball-dickey-named-to-wvu-mens-basketball-staff.aspx
