We are still about 4 weeks away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Ohio State director of professional development Terence Dials, who talked about some of his team’s new additions and his expectations for this season.
You played for Coach Thad Matta during your final 2 years as a player at Ohio State: what makes him such a great coach? Thad was a motivator who was able to get the best out of his guys by letting them play free, which did not happen under the previous coach. He instilled a lot of confidence in us, which is why we were able to be so successful.
As a senior in 2006 you averaged 15 PPG/8 RPG and were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot. We went 26-6 that year so it was a testament to all of our coaches/players who all had 1 common goal and believed in what Coach Matta was preaching. We made the Big 10 tourney title game before losing to Iowa and made the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney before running out of gas against a juggernaut in Georgetown.
After going undrafted you spent almost a decade playing pro basketball overseas: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in other countries? It is more about fundamentals in other countries. Players born in the US are more physically advanced from a younger age. When you see team USA play in U16/U17 tourneys we are more physically imposing. A lot of basketball in the US is about a highlight-driven/1-on-1 kind of game but the game overseas was a little bit slower for me. The NBA game is built for entertainment while European ball is more about “real basketball”.
In 2015 you were inducted into your school’s Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That is right up there with winning a Big 10 title and playing in the NCAA tourney. When you get inducted into the Hall of Fame at a prestigious school like Ohio State it is very humbling. It was never in my thoughts because I was just playing because I loved the game.
After a few years out of basketball you were hired at your alma mater in 2019 as director of professional development: why did you take the job, and how do you like it so far? I took the job because it gave me an opportunity to be around the sport and get paid for it: there is literally no better feeling than coming to “work” and having fun on the court while talking strategy with coaches and helping student-athletes. It was a no-brainer for me and is very fulfilling because I love my school: I am so glad that Coach Chris Holtmann gave me the opportunity.
How much involvement do you have with NIL stuff, and how would your own college experience have been different if NIL had been around 20 years ago? That is something new on my plate so I am starting to help guys get out in the community because there are a lot of local small businesses who love the Buckeyes. A lot of it is relationship-based: the more people you engage with, the more possibilities are out there. It is a mind-shift for them but it is happening. I see what a lot of the players now are getting and the biggest thing is to take care of your own. 20 years ago I was the best player on my team for 3 straight years so I feel that I would have garnered a few dollars! However, I am not mad that I missed out because I walked so they could run. It is just about advancing the culture and how the NCAA views student-athletes: the NIL intentions are correct.
2 of your new additions this year are FR Scotty Middleton and grad transfer Jamison Battle: how are the new guys looking so far? They are looking pretty good. Jamison is a proven commodity in the Big 10 after playing at Minnesota the past 2 years so we know he can shoot/score and is very smart. Scotty is a highly-ranked recruit but we do not know how he will perform until the bright lights come on. He is a big-time communicator and is 1 of the more vocal freshmen that we have: he has been doing a really good job in practice.
Last summer you started co-hosting a podcast with Coach Holtmann called “More Than Coach Speak”: any advice for those of us who want to do our own podcast? Like with anything you should do your research with whoever you have as a guest so that you do not offend anyone or look unprepared. You should read all of your notes in advance and just let the conversation flow a little bit, which Coach and I have gotten better at. You can always ask a foundational question if things go dry but a back-and-forth conversation is the best. It is easier than I thought it would be to start.
The Big 10 will be adding several new teams next year: how do you feel about the future conference realignment? We all know why we are realigning: football/money. The 4 new teams are really good schools/programs and will boost our conference footprint on the West Coast. I look forward to going out to California during the winter where there is not 6” of snow: LA will be a breath of fresh air!
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Last year was a down year so we are looking to be much better this year and compete for a Big 10 title in a very tough conference. Michigan State/Purdue are bringing most of their rosters back so it is a tough task ahead, but if we get better every day then we can be peaking in February/March. There are definitely some salty vibes in our office and we have a chip on our shoulder.