Sept. 2, 2009
CHICAGO- UIC head men's basketball coach Jimmy Collins announced on Wednesday, Sept. 2 that Tracy Dildy has been promoted to the position of associate head coach.
Dildy, a veteran of 19 years as an assistant coach in the Division I ranks, has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Flames.
This marks the fourth time that Dildy, a 1991 graduate of UIC, has earned the title of top assistant at a program. He was the associate head coach at DePaul from 2000-02, where he grabbed the reins as the Blue Demons' head coach when Pat Kennedy took a leave of absence in 2001, before becoming the assistant head coach at Auburn from 2000-04. He was also an assistant head coach at UAB from 2006-07.
"I am extremely thankful and happy," Dildy said of his promotion. "Having this title at three other schools, I know what this position entails and I look forward to living up to the expectations this title brings.
"This is an even greater accomplishment for me because of the love I have for this University," said Dildy. "This is my alma mater and the place where I started my coaching career, and I am extremely proud to be the associate head coach at UIC."
"Tracy brings great experience and a tremendous knowledge of basketball and the recruiting game," said Collins. "He is experienced at game planning and instructing on both sides of the basketball, and he brings a knowledge of basketball coaching and administration that exceeds most.
"I am extremely happy to have Tracy here at UIC, and the reward I am proud to give him for his hard work is the title of associate head coach."
Dildy, a two-year letterwinner as a point guard for UIC from 1987-89, began his coaching career as a student assistant coach for the Flames under UIC Athletics Hall of Famer Bob Hallberg in 1990. He was promoted to an assistant coach at UIC in 1991, a position he held until 1994.
During his first go-around an assistant coach at UIC, Dildy was a major part of recruiting some of the Flames' all-time greatest players, including Kenny Williams, Sherell Ford and Mark Miller, three of the program's top 10 leading career scorers.
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