Queens University of Charlotte head men’s basketball coach Grant Leonard is thrilled to welcome Stephen Giles and Damian Dixon to the coaching staff, as made official on Thursday afternoon. Giles will serve as the Special Advisor to the Head Coach and Director of Game Planning and Scouting while Dixon will serve as the Director of Player Development. The duo brings a wealth of college and professional basketball knowledge as well as a proven track record of working with star professional talents.
Giles, a native of Erwin, North Carolina has lived in the Queen City since 2004. The advanced scout has spent five years coaching at the NCAA Division 1 level and 28 years in the NBA. Giles started coaching as a volunteer assistant coach with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he helped the Tar Heels capture their 20th conference tournament title. Giles worked under legendary head coach Dean Smith at Carolina before heading to Georgia Southern as a graduate assistant. With the Eagles, Giles helped the squad capture the Trans America Athletic Conference in 1992 which is now known as the Atlantic Sun.
After graduation, Giles headed south to join the Orlando Magic as a scouting coordinator for eight seasons. While in Orlando, the Magic won a conference title in 1995 and secured back-to-back division titles in 1995 and 1996. Giles worked directly with Orlando Magic Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway.
In 2000, Giles made his return to the college ranks spending two seasons at Florida State and a year at Marquette. With the Golden Eagles, Giles worked under head coach Tom Crean as Marquette made their third NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance. That season, Dwayne Wade led the Golden Eagles with 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.
Giles made his return to the professional ranks following the final-four run and has been in the NBA ever since. The North Carolina native has worked for multiple organizations, including the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers. While serving as an advanced scout, Giles has worked directly with All-Stars Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and many others.
“Stephen’s experience speaks for itself,” said Coach Leonard. “He has coached and been involved with some of the game’s greatest players, including LeBron, Shaq, Penny, and many more. We are very fortunate to have Stephen’s experience added to our program.”
Giles earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before attaining his master’s in Sports Management from Georgia Southern University.
Also joining the staff in a player development role is Damian Dixon. An experienced college basketball coach, Dixon brings seven years of coaching tenure, including three years in Division 3 and four years in Division 2. Dixon has worked directly with professional talents Justin Robinson, Malachi Smith, Darin Green, and Trinity Baptiste throughout their careers.
A Greensboro College graduate, Dixon got his coaching career underway at his alma mater as the head junior varsity coach. Dixon led the squad to an undefeated season in 2016-17 before earning a promotion to assistant coach of the varsity squad in 2014. Across three seasons as an assistant coach, Dixon coached and developed five USA South All-Conference performers, including the 2014-15 USA South Player of the Year, Simeon Howard.
The success led Dixon to the Sunshine State where he joined Eckerd College as an assistant coach from 2020 to 2023. While on staff with the Tritons, Dixon assisted in the development of three Sunshine State All-Conference winners, including the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year. Dixon served a critical role in the program’s operations specializing in scheduling and travel, file editing and scouting breakdowns, and player development.
“Damian is the exact type of person that we want involved with our program,” said Coach Leonard. “A hard-working individual who has had to prove people wrong every step of his career. Damian’s experience as a player and as a coach is exactly what we look for in anyone who joins our family.”
Dixon earned his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Greensboro College before attaining his Master of Science from Florida International University. Dixon was a four-year guard for Greensboro College and received numerous accolades, including a two-time USA South All-Conference selection, two-time USA South All-Tournament Team, and NCCSIA All-State Second Team honor. Dixon finished his career top five in program history in scoring, rebounds, three-pointers made, and steals.
Giles, Dixon added to Queens University of Charlotte Basketball Staff
