Dave Dickerson: We, Not Me
7/3/2019 10:54:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Trevor Anderson
USC Upstate Strategic Communications and Marketing
Dave Dickerson eases his slender 6-foot-6-inch frame into a leather chair in his office on the second floor of the G.B. Hodge Center.
It has been exactly one year since the former University of Maryland standout and Division I journeyman coach took the reins of a USC Upstate men's basketball program that was, to put it mildly, in transition.
The walls and surfaces of his workspace are bare except for a commemorative Spartans basketball, a small whiteboard, and a flat-screen TV tuned to ESPN's coverage of March Madness — all evidence that he's had little time to focus on anything besides rebuilding his team.
Not everything has to mean something, but it's probably the TV that speaks the most to what Dickerson hopes to accomplish during the next few years.
"I have a chance to be the first coach to take this team and put it in the (Division I) national tournament; I want to be the first," says Dickerson, whose 20-year coaching career has included stints at Gardner-Webb, James Madison, Radford, Maryland, Tulane, and Ohio State.
"What we have done (so far) is started to build a great foundation," Dickerson adds. "The thing that excites me is we have a chance to build this the right way with the right kids."
When he speaks to recruits, he says, "I tell them in front of their parents 'if you aren't serious about getting your degree and you don't love the game, then this probably isn't going to be the place for you.'"
The Spartans finished the 2018-19 season, Dickerson's first season at the helm, with an overall record of 6-26. That's one win below their 7-25 record during the previous season.
Dickerson knows that's not the record of a program headed in the right direction. But he remains confident because he can see something most people can't— what lies beyond the light at the end of the tunnel.
"This is the first time (in 20 years of coaching) that I've ever been in a place where you feel important," he says. "I can feel that I'm part of something special. I love my job, the people I work with. As a coach, you are judged by your record — wins and losses. But I believe USC Upstate is a place you can win on and off the court at a high level."
Dickerson says he is excited about his talented crop of rising sophomores and incoming freshmen. Those players are poised to become the base of a team he believes will compete with anyone in the country.
In bold, poster-worthy terms, Dickerson says he wants his players to follow three principles:
On the sideline, Dickerson is animated and charismatic — cheering on his players; giving them instructions in the huddle; experiencing all the highs and lows of the game right along with them.
He knows what it means because he was once in their shoes.
Dickerson grew up in the tiny town of Olar in Bamberg County, South Carolina. He was a star player at Olar Denmark High School, and was courted by some of the nation's most prominent collegiate basketball programs. One was the University of Maryland, where he played forward from 1986-89 and received a bachelor's degree in government and politics in 1990.
"I wanted to play in the NBA and then go back to my hometown and serve as mayor," he says. "When it looked like I wasn't going to be good enough to play in the NBA, I started to lean on my degree. I still wanted to be around the game, though."
He decided to pursue coaching. He landed his first gig in 1991 as a second assistant at Gardner-Webb, and since then has held multiple coaching positions, most recently serving as an associate head coach at Ohio State until 2016.
But in March 2017, Dickerson's wife, Laurette, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.
He made the decision to step away from coaching in order to care for her and the couple's son, Dave III, who they refer to as "D3."
"My father had always told me there was going to be a moment in my life when I'd have to make a huge decision," Dickerson says. "I could see my father's face. I had several job offers. But I made the decision to focus on being a husband and a father."
Dickerson took a job as a scout for the NBA's Utah Jazz, a position that allowed him to work from home.
"That was probably the best year for our family," he says.
When he received the head coaching offer at USC Upstate in 2018, Dickerson says his family was prepared to stay in Ohio. But after they visited Spartanburg, they fell in love, and Dave III decided to spend his senior year at Dorman High School.
Dickerson says it's an exciting time to be at Upstate.
"You can just feel the energy of Chancellor (Brendan) Kelly and the energy of our campus," he adds. "This is the first time that we, as a family, can articulate and participate in the vision of (a) college."
As an added bonus, Dickerson says his mother-in-law, Linda Newsom, 76, recently moved to Spartanburg. She's already a huge fan of the Spartans, he says, and can be spotted giving the players high-fives as they enter the court for their pre-game warmup.
"I mean, that wouldn't be possible anywhere else," Dickerson says. "We're very happy here."
USC Upstate Strategic Communications and Marketing
Dave Dickerson eases his slender 6-foot-6-inch frame into a leather chair in his office on the second floor of the G.B. Hodge Center.
It has been exactly one year since the former University of Maryland standout and Division I journeyman coach took the reins of a USC Upstate men's basketball program that was, to put it mildly, in transition.
The walls and surfaces of his workspace are bare except for a commemorative Spartans basketball, a small whiteboard, and a flat-screen TV tuned to ESPN's coverage of March Madness — all evidence that he's had little time to focus on anything besides rebuilding his team.
Not everything has to mean something, but it's probably the TV that speaks the most to what Dickerson hopes to accomplish during the next few years.
"I have a chance to be the first coach to take this team and put it in the (Division I) national tournament; I want to be the first," says Dickerson, whose 20-year coaching career has included stints at Gardner-Webb, James Madison, Radford, Maryland, Tulane, and Ohio State.
"What we have done (so far) is started to build a great foundation," Dickerson adds. "The thing that excites me is we have a chance to build this the right way with the right kids."
When he speaks to recruits, he says, "I tell them in front of their parents 'if you aren't serious about getting your degree and you don't love the game, then this probably isn't going to be the place for you.'"
The Spartans finished the 2018-19 season, Dickerson's first season at the helm, with an overall record of 6-26. That's one win below their 7-25 record during the previous season.
Dickerson knows that's not the record of a program headed in the right direction. But he remains confident because he can see something most people can't— what lies beyond the light at the end of the tunnel.
"This is the first time (in 20 years of coaching) that I've ever been in a place where you feel important," he says. "I can feel that I'm part of something special. I love my job, the people I work with. As a coach, you are judged by your record — wins and losses. But I believe USC Upstate is a place you can win on and off the court at a high level."
Dickerson says he is excited about his talented crop of rising sophomores and incoming freshmen. Those players are poised to become the base of a team he believes will compete with anyone in the country.
In bold, poster-worthy terms, Dickerson says he wants his players to follow three principles:
- All in — completely dedicated to the team.
- Do your job — everyone doing their part to benefit the team.
- We, not me — an understanding that the needs of the team must always come first.
On the sideline, Dickerson is animated and charismatic — cheering on his players; giving them instructions in the huddle; experiencing all the highs and lows of the game right along with them.
He knows what it means because he was once in their shoes.
Dickerson grew up in the tiny town of Olar in Bamberg County, South Carolina. He was a star player at Olar Denmark High School, and was courted by some of the nation's most prominent collegiate basketball programs. One was the University of Maryland, where he played forward from 1986-89 and received a bachelor's degree in government and politics in 1990.
"I wanted to play in the NBA and then go back to my hometown and serve as mayor," he says. "When it looked like I wasn't going to be good enough to play in the NBA, I started to lean on my degree. I still wanted to be around the game, though."
He decided to pursue coaching. He landed his first gig in 1991 as a second assistant at Gardner-Webb, and since then has held multiple coaching positions, most recently serving as an associate head coach at Ohio State until 2016.
But in March 2017, Dickerson's wife, Laurette, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.
He made the decision to step away from coaching in order to care for her and the couple's son, Dave III, who they refer to as "D3."
"My father had always told me there was going to be a moment in my life when I'd have to make a huge decision," Dickerson says. "I could see my father's face. I had several job offers. But I made the decision to focus on being a husband and a father."
Dickerson took a job as a scout for the NBA's Utah Jazz, a position that allowed him to work from home.
"That was probably the best year for our family," he says.
When he received the head coaching offer at USC Upstate in 2018, Dickerson says his family was prepared to stay in Ohio. But after they visited Spartanburg, they fell in love, and Dave III decided to spend his senior year at Dorman High School.
Dickerson says it's an exciting time to be at Upstate.
"You can just feel the energy of Chancellor (Brendan) Kelly and the energy of our campus," he adds. "This is the first time that we, as a family, can articulate and participate in the vision of (a) college."
As an added bonus, Dickerson says his mother-in-law, Linda Newsom, 76, recently moved to Spartanburg. She's already a huge fan of the Spartans, he says, and can be spotted giving the players high-fives as they enter the court for their pre-game warmup.
"I mean, that wouldn't be possible anywhere else," Dickerson says. "We're very happy here."
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