Sherman Dillard

Position: Assistant Coach Experience: Fourth Season Alama Mater: James Madison, 1978

Coach Sherman Dillard Photo Gallery

Sherman Dillard is in his fourth year with the University of Iowa men's basketball staff bringing a wealth of expertise on and off the court.

Dillard has helped rejuvenate the Iowa basketball program since arriving at Iowa in 2010. Not only has the attendance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena increased by 30 percent, but Dillard helped guide the program to win improvements of seven games in each of the last two seasons and back-to-back NIT appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2013.

Dillard and the Hawkeyes amassed 25 wins a year ago, which match the second-most by any Hawkeye team in history. Additionally, Iowa won a school-record 18 games in 2013 and have won 19-straight home games against unranked teams, dating back to the 2012 season -- the third-longest active streak in the Big Ten.

He helped coach the Hawkeyes to 15 more wins than it did three seasons ago, which ranks second in school history over a three-year span. The Hawkeyes improved their win total in each of the first three years Dillard has been on the Iowa sidelines. Iowa and Michigan rank second in the Big Ten with three consecutive season win improvements.

Dillard helped mentor Melsahn Basabe, Bryce Cartwright, Roy Devyn Marble, Matt Gatens and Aaron White to all-Big Ten status the past three seasons.

Dillard has nearly three decades of coaching experience, serving as a college assistant or head coach for 27 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 six seasons (1979-85). He helped coach the Terrapins to four 20-plus win seasons and six postseason appearances, including five NCAA Tournament berths. The 1980, 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, who was his collegiate coach at James Madison. 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 improved each season and posted a 29-52 record. He then left Indiana State to return to his alma mater. 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 122-158.

Dillard, a three-time academic all-American and four-time honorable mention all-American by the Associated Press, played guard at James Madison (1973-78). He led the Dukes in scoring in each of his four years (missed 1976-77 with an injury) and was the team's top rebounder as a freshman. Dillard is the second-leading scorer (2,065 points) in James Madison history, and his academic excellence merited him an NCAA post-graduate scholarship. After his collegiate career, he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the 1978 NBA Draft. Additionally, Dillard was honored as a CAA "Legend" in 2009.

Dillard worked as a basketball marketing representative for Nike for six years (2004-10). 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).

Dillard is a 1978 magna cum laude James Madison graduate earning a bachelor's degree in physical education and minor in business, and is a member of the school's sports hall of fame.

Dillard and his wife Dena have two sons, Ben (20) and Langston (18). His son Ben is a sophomore on the UALR basketball team.