Tracy Dildy – Up and Coming

Tracy Dildy is currently in his 2^nd year as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Tracy has been one of the most well respected assistant coaches and recruiters in the nation over the last two decades. During his career he has helped rebuild programs such as Ball State, Depaul, Ole Miss, Auburn, UAB, and now UIC, his alma mater. Tracy is widely regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the land, a true rising star. In fact, he was rated the #1 assistant coach at the Division I mid-major level by Hoop Scoop. According to Hoop Scoop, “we wouldn’t be surprised to see assistant coaches such as Illinois-Chicago’s Tracy Dildy…step into head coaching jobs this spring.”

Beyond being one of the most well respected assistant coaches in college basketball, Dildy is also valued for his recruiting abilities. In his first full-time assistant coaching job at UIC (1991-94), Dildy helped recruit three of UIC’s all-time greatest players: Kenny Williams, Sherrell Ford, and Mark Miller. While at Depaul, Dildy was the driving force behind the nation’s #1 recruiting class in 2001 and the 2^nd ranked recruiting class in 1999. In addition, during his short stay at the University of Mississippi, Tracy put together a top 3 recruiting class. Dildy has recruited and coached several players that went on to play in the NBA, namely Sherrell Ford, Bonzi Wells, Eddy Curry, Quentin Richardson, Bobby Simmons, and Tony Douglas. In 2005 Dildy made Rival.com’s list of the top 25 recruiters in college basketball.

Tracy has been paying his dues for almost two decades. During his 18 years he’s been an assistant coach at six different schools along the way, making a profound impact at every stop. His skills are renowned; he is truly a hot commodity among the coaching ranks. His coaching abilities are proven, but he has also proven his ability to recruit elite players to his programs. Dildy’s recruiting strengths won’t be overlooked. Great programs start with great players, and great coaches make great players succeed. Dildy certainly has the makings of a very successful head coach at the Division I level. With this said, it won’t be long before Dildy inevitably grabs the reigns at a respected program. Look for him to be at the helm of a very fortunate program in the near future.