The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tracy Dildy to Join Ole Miss Basketball Staff
4/22/2004 | Men's Basketball
April 22, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss head basketball coach Rod Barnes announced Thursday he has selected Tracy Dildy to occupy the Rebels' vacant assistant coach position. The appointment is pending approval of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning.
A 15-year coaching veteran with a proven track record as a recruiter, Dildy spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Auburn and served as assistant head coach for recruiting in 2003-04. In his first year on the Plains in 2002-03, the Tigers, a preseason last-place pick in the SEC, posted a 22-12 mark and lost to eventual NCAA Champion Syracuse 79-78 in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
Prior to coming to Auburn in 2002, Dildy spent five years at DePaul. He was an associate coach in his final two seasons (2000-2002) and was responsible for four outstanding recruiting classes for the Blue Demons. The 2001 class was ranked No. 1 in the nation while the 1999 group was tabbed as the second-best in the country.
At DePaul, Dildy recruited the Los Angeles Clippers' Quentin Richardson, who was both the Conference USA Player and Freshman of the Year in 1999. Bobby Simmons and Lance Williams earned All-C-USA honors along with Freshman All-C-USA selections Steve Hunter and Imari Sawyer.
Dildy came to DePaul after three seasons at Ball State where he served as an assistant from 1994-97. The Cardinals reached the 1995 NCAA Tournament, and Dildy recruited the Memphis Grizzlies' Bonzi Wells, who earned Mid-American Conference Player of the Year honors twice and is the all-time leading scorer in MAC history.
"We're glad and feel fortunate that Tracy is going to be a part of our staff and the Ole Miss family," Barnes said. "After a national search of college coaches, my thoughts kept coming back to Tracy. We felt like this was an important hire for our program. We found the best man for the job.
"He brings an enormous amount of experience in recruiting and a broader recruiting base, even though he's not a one-man show. We feel his connections and relationships will allow us to recruit on a national basis.
"All of his former colleagues speak highly not only of Tracy's ability to recruit, but his relationships with the players and his on-the-floor enthusiasm. We couldn't be more excited to have him here."
Prior to Ball State, Dildy spent three seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, Illinois-Chicago, from 1991-94. He recruited three players who were named the Midwestern Collegiate Conference's Player of the Year in Kenny Williams (1993-94), Sherrell Ford (1994-95) and Mark Miller (1997-98).
Dildy was a two-year letterman at UIC, where the point guard ended his career sixth on the school's all-time assist list (260) and ninth in steals (105). He was inducted into the UIC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
Before earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 1991, Dildy spent his first two years of college enrolled at San Diego State. Besides the UIC Athletic Hall of Fame, he was also inducted into the State of Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Chicago Public League Hall of Fame in 1998.
