Dan Rickard, Danté Milligan and James Altman have been hired as assistant coaches to work with New York University’s new Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dagan Nelson.
Rickard will serve as the top assistant and defensive coordinator, while also assisting with recruiting, game preparation and on-floor instruction. Milligan’s duties will include working with post players, while also assisting in recruiting, game preparation and on-floor instruction. Altman will be responsible for on-campus recruiting and on-floor coaching.
Rickard brings more than 10 years of experience from a pair of successful NCAA Division I programs. He was an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at Stony Brook University from 2004-16, serving in various roles such as offensive coordinator, player development coach, film coordinator, and recruiter. From 2011-16, the team recorded five straight 20-win seasons. In 2015-16, Rickard helped guide the Seawolves to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Rickard switched roles when he became the Associate Head Coach of Stony Brook’s women’s basketball team from 2016-18. He also served as defensive coordinator and led the defense to a top-three ranking in the America East Conference in three different categories.
“We are incredibly fortunate to bring Dan to NYU,” Nelson said. “His character, work ethic, passion, and intelligence will be a major asset to our program. He has a unique ability to connect with people and bring out the best in others. His championship coaching experiences will make an immediate and significant impact. Our players will love him!”
After earning an Associate’s degree in mathematics from Orange County Community College in 2002, Rickard went on to graduate from Stony Brook with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 2004. He continued his education at Stony Brook by earning a Master of Arts degree in liberal studies in 2006.
“I am extremely grateful to join the NYU family,” Rickard said. “NYU is one of the premier academic and athletic institutions in the world and I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with Coach Nelson and his staff. Dagan has been a mentor and a great friend since my first year in coaching. I am very excited to continue to learn from him and I look forward to helping him realize his great vision for the future of NYU basketball.”
Milligan enters NYU with a strong resume of both professional playing and coaching experience. He played seven years of professional basketball from 2008-15 for various teams in France, Israel and China. Additionally, Milligan had a three-year stint in the NBA G-League for the Springfield Armor (2010), Oklahoma City Blue (2011) and Canton Charge (2012).
Milligan’s coaching resume includes experience with Division I Saint Louis University (2016-18). While with the Billikens, he served as a graduate assistant coach charged with scouting opponents and developing the guards and forwards.
“We are very excited to bring Danté back home,” Nelson expressed. “His unique basketball journey will pay major dividends for our program. Having played in the Big East, Atlantic 10 and having led his team to the NIT finals at Madison Square Garden, he knows what it takes to win. His professional playing experience all over the world will be a tremendous benchmark for our players, and his calming presence will provide a great balance for our program.”
Milligan was a two-year member of the University of Pittsburgh basketball team before transferring to the University of Massachusetts. At Pittsburgh, he was a member of the Panthers’ 2004 Big East Regular Season Championship and NCAA Sweet Sixteen teams. At Massachusetts, Milligan played a key role in the school’s 2008 run to the NIT Finals and earned All-Tournament honors.
“I am very fortunate and honored to have the opportunity to come back home and be a part of such a prestigious university and family at NYU,” Milligan said. “NYU has a wealth of tradition and I am very driven to help the program get back to national contention. Having the opportunity to work with Coach Nelson will become vital in my development as a coach, and I can’t wait to get started.”
A 2008 Massachusetts graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and a Bachelor of Science degree in sports management, Milligan went on to earn a master’s degree in student personnel administration from Saint Louis in 2018.
Altman also brings a great deal of experience to his position at NYU, having served in many different capacities at the NCAA Division I level; Video Coordinator at Oklahoma State University (2008-10), Director of Basketball Operations at UMass Amherst (2005-08), and as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University (2003-05). Altman also has experience at the Division II and Division 1 Junior College levels, while serving as assistant coach at Lynn University (2010-12) and Santa Fe Community College (2002-03).
“Having worked on the same coaching staff with James at Eastern Kentucky University, I have seen first-hand his passion, enthusiasm, work ethic, and intelligence,” Nelson explained. “I could not be happier to add James to our initial staff here at NYU. His decorated playing career at the DIII level will serve as a model for our current and future student-athletes. Our players will love him!”
A 2002 graduate of Hartwick College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, Altman was a four-year member of the Hawks’ basketball team and served as team captain during his senior campaign. He graduated #3 on the school’s all-time list for three-pointers made and among the top-10 in assists.
Altman, who went on to earn a Master’s of Business Administration from Lynn in 2012, has been a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley, located in Garden City, NY, since 2013.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to work alongside Coach Nelson and the rest of the staff at one of the most prestigious universities in the world,” Altman said. “NYU is such a unique university and basketball program, attracting the best of the best in all areas of academics and athletics. Not many programs have the combination of such a high level of academic excellence combined with such a historic tradition. I look forward to working with Coach Nelson and the team to continue to build on the foundation that has been set.”
The 2018-19 Violets begin the season on November 9 at SUNY Purchase.
“We are thrilled to be able to put together a staff that be will incredible ambassadors for this amazing University,” Nelson said. “They will be fantastic role models for our current and future student-athletes.”
http://www.gonyuathletics.com/news/2018/6/11/mens-basketball-assistant-coaches-announced.aspx
