OLLU men’s basketball Head Coach Chris Dial has accepted the men’s basketball head coaching position at Texas A&M University – San Antonio (A&M-San Antonio). Dial will complete the 2023-2024 season with the Saints and report to A&M-San Antonio in mid-March to launch the program that will begin competing in 2024-2025. Both OLLU and A&M-San Antonio are members of the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC).
A&M-San Antonio began its intercollegiate athletics program in 2019 and started competing in the NAIA and RRAC in 2020 with women’s softball, men’s golf and men’s and women’s soccer. In November 2023, the university announced that it would add men’s and women’s basketball. Former OLLU women’s basketball Head Coach Christopher Minner will launch the women’s program for the Jaguars.
OLLU Athletic Director Tom Norris said, “We are sad that Coach Dial will be leaving us, but his legacy at OLLU will live on. He has brought much respect and prominence to the program throughout his five years here. His teams have been shining examples of servant leadership working with the San Antonio Spurs and the organization’s youth camps. The men have also been ardent volunteers with the Haven for Hope homeless community and the San Antonio Food Bank. In addition, his teams have consistently earned scholar-team recognition. We are proud of all his accomplishments both on the court, out in the community and in the classroom.”
Dial began his tenure at OLLU in the 2019-2020 season, and in his five years with the Saints, he has accumulated a record of 46-79. Two of his teams qualified for the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Championship Tournament. Eight of his players have received All-Conference and All-Tournament recognition. His teams have received NAIA Scholar-Team recognition, a first for the program since its inception in 2009. He has had 124 student-athletes earn GPAs of 3.0 and above.
Dial commented, “I am genuinely thankful for my time and experiences at Our Lady of the Lake. The past five and a half years have been extremely impactful and a lot of that has to do with the quality of people and the relationships I have developed here. OLLU is a terrific university and is continuing an exciting path under its new leadership. My family and I consider the Lake as a part of us, and I am thankful that I was entrusted with restoring faith in the program here. While this year’s work is not done, I am especially proud of our players and staff and all they continue to accomplish on and off the court. We have assembled a team that has been highly impactful on this campus and in our community and it really is a blessing to be a part of their journeys. I am sincerely appreciative of Dr. Chavez (President Abel A. Chávez, MBA, PhD) and Athletic Director Norris for their support in embarking on the next chapter in my personal journey and feel well about where our program is as we look into the new year.”
Assistant Coach Marcus Thompson will be interim head coach upon Dial’s departure.