Ohio State Hiring USC Upstate Head Coach, Former Thad Matta Assistant Dave Dickerson As Assistant Coach

Ohio State announced on Monday that they are bringing back Dave Dickerson to serve as an assistant coach on Jake Diebler’s coaching staff. Dickerson, who has been head coach at USC Upstate since 2018, was previously an assistant under former Ohio State head coach Thad Matta from 2010-17, where he was the Buckeyes’ associate head coach from 2011-17. Dickerson also worked with Diebler during this period when Diebler was Ohio State’s video coordinator from 2013-16. 

“Dave Dickerson is a respected, veteran coach and I am excited that he is rejoining the Ohio State family,” Diebler said. “He was not only a part of some of the most successful teams in Ohio State history, but he also brings head coaching experience that will be invaluable as we continue to take the next step as a program.”

Dickerson, 56, will provide a much-needed veteran presence to the first-time head coach Diebler’s staff, having over three decades worth of collegiate coaching experience and 11 years of experience as a Division-I head coach. 

Dickerson is coming off a six-year tenure with the Spartans where he amassed a 133-201 record and failed to secure a winning season. His other head coaching experience was at Tulane, where he guided the Green Wave to a 68-84 record from 2005-10. 

In between those two head coaching stints, Dickerson made his mark in Columbus on Matta’s staff. He served as an assistant coach at Ohio State during Matta’s final seven years coaching the Buckeyes, helping the Scarlet and Gray earn a 181-45 overall record and secure five NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 2012. 

In addition to his time in Columbus, Dickerson, an Olar, South Carolina native and former college basketball player at Maryland (1985-89), also held assistant stints at Gardner-Webb (1990-91), James Madison (1991-92), Radford (1992-96) and his alma mater Maryland from 1996-2005 — where he was an associate head coach during his final two seasons with the Terrapins. Dickerson also spent time as a scout for the NBA’s Utah Jazz in 2018. 

Dickerson’s reported hiring comes after Ohio State assistant coach Jack Owens followed former Ohio State head coach Chris to reclaim the same role at Depaul. With Owens now in Chicago, Diebler’s staff is currently composed of assistant coaches Brandon Bailey and Mike Netti — who is serving as Diebler’s quasi-associate head coach for the remainder of the season. Director of player development and former Ohio State forward Terence Dials has also taken a larger role on the staff since Holtmann’s firing. 

Buckeye Sports Bulletin will have more on this breaking news story as news unfolds.