James Dickey
James Dickey (born April 2, 1954)
Teams coached: Texas Tech Red Raiders, Houston Cougars
Texas Tech record: 164-123 (.571) **
Houston record: 64-62 (.508)
Overall record: 228-185 (.552) **
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1993) **
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0 **
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1995)
- CBI Appearances: 1 (2013)
- Southwest Regular Season Champion: 2 (1995, 1996)
- Southwest Tournament Champion: 2 (1993, 1996)
Awards:
- Southwest Coach of the Year: 2 (1992, 1996)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2023-2024 | West Virginia (senior advisor) |
| 2014-2016 | Oklahoma State (asst) |
| 2010-2014 | Houston |
| 2002-2008 | Oklahoma State (asst) |
| 1991-2001 | Texas Tech |
| 1990-1991 | Texas Tech (asst) |
| 1985-1989 | Kentucky (asst) |
| 1981-1985 | Arkansas (asst) |
| 1979-1981 | Central Arkansas (asst) |
| 1976-1977 | Harding (asst) |
James Dickey Facts
- James Allen Dickey
- Born April 2, 1954
- Hometown: Valley Springs, Arkansas
- Alma Mater: University of Central Arkansas (BA, 1976)
- After graduating from Valley Springs HS (AR), Dickey played at then-Division II Central Arkansas
- While at UCA, played for head coaches Cliff Horton and Don Nixon
- Started his coaching career as an assistant at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas
- Spent two years as the head basketball coach at Harding Academy, a K-12 private school affiliated with the University
- Returned to his alma mater to be an assistant under new Bears’ head coach Don Dyer for two seasons
- Moved up to the Division I ranks in 1981, when he was hired to be an assistant at Arkansas under Hall of Famer Eddie Sutton
- Was a part of four NCAA Tournaments in four years at Arkansas, including a trip to the 1983 Sweet Sixteen
- Followed Sutton to Kentucky in 1985, reaching three NCAA Tournaments (though the 1988 appearance was later vacated)
- Sutton‘s whole staff was forced to resign in 1989 due to NCAA infractions committed while the program was on probation
- After a year away from the game, Dickey became one of Gerald Myers‘ assistants at Texas Tech in 1990
- Elevated to head coach at Tech a year later when Myers resigned and became the school’s assistant athletic director
- Went 164-123 in ten seasons a the helm, winning two Southwest titles and two Southwest Tournaments
- Reached the NCAA Tournament twice, though the Raiders’ 1996 Sweet Sixteen appearance was later vacated
- An NCAA investigation revealed numerous violations within the program and while Dickey was not personally sanctioned, the program was docked scholarships and the on-court results immediately declined
- Dickey was fired in 2001 following a 9-19 campaign, the fourth straight sub-.500 season for Tech
- Reunited with Sutton in 2002, spending the next six seasons as an assistant at Oklahoma State
- From 2006-08, Dickey was coaching under Eddie’s son, Sean Sutton
- After a couple years out of coaching, Dickey was hired to be the head coach at Houston
- Went 64-62 in four seasons at the helm, reaching the CBI in 2013 but never the NCAA Tournament or NIT
- Resigned from his position in 2014 after going 17-16 (8-10) in the first season of AAC play
- Returned to Oklahoma State, spending two seasons assisting Travis Ford before the staff was let go in 2016
- Spent the 2023-24 season on the staff of interim West Virginia head coach Josh Eilert as senior advisor of men’s basketball
James Dickey Coaching Tree
- Alvin Brooks (Lamar)
- Johnny Estelle (Texas A&M-Kingsville)
- Darvin Ham (Los Angeles Lakers, New Mexico Thunderbirds)
- Grant McCasland (North Texas, Arkansas State)
- Daniyal Robinson (Cleveland State)
- Doc Sadler (Southern Miss, Nebraska, UTEP, Arkansas-Fort Smith)
** Listed records and accomplishments for this coach do not include wins or appearances later vacated by the NCAA