May 12, 2010
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IOWA CITY, IA – – University of Iowa Head Basketball Coach Fran McCaffery has named Sherman Dillard an assistant coach on his Hawkeye staff. The hiring of Dillard was announced Wednesday and becomes effective immediately. The hire completes Coach McCaffery’s full-time staff.
“I am thrilled beyond measure for this opportunity to be a part of Coach McCaffery’s staff at the University of Iowa,” said Dillard. “Coaching collegiate basketball has been a strong passion of mine for decades, and although my experience with Nike afforded me the opportunity to stay in the game, I simply missed the intrinsic rewards of coaching and developing players at the collegiate level. I simply do not have the words to express how excited I am to be back in the saddle again, doing what I love the most.”
“We are very excited to have Sherman Dillard join our staff,” said McCaffery. “I’ve known Sherman for 30 years and have always had tremendous respect for his professionalism and success. He comes to us with a broad-based experience level, both as a head coach and an assistant, and has been successful at the highest level. He will have a great impact on our program.”
Dillard has over two decades of coaching experience, serving as a college assistant or head coach for 25 years. He spent his first 15 years as an assistant coach at three institutions. Dillard began his coaching career under Head Coach Lefty Driesell at Maryland, spending five seasons (1979-85). He helped coach the Terrapins to four 20-plus win seasons and five post-season appearances, including four NCAA Tournament berths. Both the 1984 and 1985 squads reached the Sweet 16, while the 1984 team won the ACC Tournament.
He then spent three years at California (1985-88) under Lou Campanelli. The Bears posted two third-place Pac-10 finishes and two NIT appearances during his tenure in Berkeley. After three seasons at California, he returned to the ACC and Georgia Tech for six seasons (1988-94). While in Atlanta, he helped Head Coach Bobby Cremins lead the Yellow Jackets to six winning seasons and postseason appearances. Georgia Tech played in five NCAA Tournaments, including the Final Four in 1990 and Sweet 16 in 1992.
Dillard received his first head coaching opportunity at Indiana State of the Missouri Valley Conference (1994-97). During his three seasons in Terre Haute, the Sycamores posted a 29-51 record. He then left Indiana State to return to his alma mater, James Madison. He replaced Driesell, who served as head coach the previous nine seasons (1988-97). Dillard was the Dukes’ head coach for seven years (1997-2004). He posted a 93-106 record, sharing a league title and recording three first-division finishes in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). During his tenure, he earned CAA Coach of the Year and NABC District Coach of the Year laurels. His 10-year head coaching record stands at 122-157.
“I have known Coach McCaffery for close to 30 years, dating back to our days as counselors working the University of Maryland basketball camps, and I couldn’t be happier to join him now in this capacity,” added Dillard. “Fran is a proven winner and, without a doubt, he is the consummate coach, with the expertise, professionalism, and energy that is sure to bring success to the Hawkeyes.”
Dillard, an academic all-American, played guard at James Madison (1973-78). He racked-up 2,065 points while on the Dukes’ roster. After his collegiate career, he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the 1978 NBA Draft. Additionally, Dillard is a member of JMU’s Hall of Fame and was honored as a CAA “Legend” in 2009.
Since 2004, Dillard has worked as a basketball marketing representative for Nike. He served as Global Camp Director, responsible for administrative and operational facets of a series of highly acclaimed camps and academies sponsored by Nike. Those camps included the Nike All-America Camp and select skills academies hosted by NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Vince Carter, Amaré Stoudemire and LeBron James (until January, 2009).