Notable Contributor
Dick Bender
Bender's love of basketball leads to coaching career
Former Northern Huskie and GC Laker now a Clemson assistant coach
Coach Dick Bender
Dick Bender didn't necessarily envision himself as a college basketball coach.
"I thought if I could be head coach at my old high school by the time I was 40, that would be great," said the Northern Garrett High alum. "It wasn't like I had this high-level goal of being a college coach. I knew I wanted to teach and coach because I really loved the game. Each job just kind of evolved."
That evolution, which included stops at the community college and NCAA Division III levels, has led Bender to Clemson University, where he is an assistant coach with the Atlantic Coast Conference Tigers. Bender coaches under Brad Brownell, whom Bender coached when Brownell was a player with Division III DePauw University from 1987 to 1991.
Bender said the allure of college coaching was the chance to combine his "pure love of basketball" with the ability to "help kids get a degree, learn about basketball and the concept of sacrificing for the team."
"Really, that was the driving force behind everything," said Bender.
Bender fondly recalls his playing days at Northern Garrett – "I had really good coaches and really good teammates," observed Bender – which included three years on the varsity under head coach Harv Speicher.
"He really enjoyed the offensive part of the game," Bender said of Speicher, whom Bender credited with teaching him an array of offensive concepts. "His system was simple and fun – there were some reads to it, but you had the freedom to make plays."
Bender said those Northern Garrett teams had a lot of height, including 6-foot-8 Tony Doerr along with 6-5 and 6-4 starters up front.
"I was 6-2, and now-a-days I might be playing inside at that height," recalled Bender. "But we were so big I was able to play point guard – that's what helped me be ready to play in college."
After a stint at Waynesburg University, Bender came back home to play for Garrett College and legendary head coach Tom Bosley.
Clemson University assistant men’s basketball coach Dick Bender grew up in Garrett County, playing for Northern Garrett High, Garrett College and Western Maryland College.
"I really enjoyed it," Bender said of playing for Bosley and the Lakers. "He was all about defense, toughness and teamwork. He was a very fair guy, but also very demanding – and he always had the gym open for us."
"He [Bender] was a workaholic," said Bosley, who is now on his fourth stint as Southern Garrett High's coach. "He paid attention to detail like nobody I've ever coached. Of all the players I've coached, he probably got the most out of his ability. He was so intent on being good. His passion for the game was just off the charts."
After GC, Bender transferred to Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College). Bender was a two-year letterman and team Most Valuable Player for the Green Terror, finishing third in the nation in 1985-86 in free-throw shooting accuracy.
"We had a pretty good two-year run," said Bender, noting he enjoyed the Division III philosophy. "You're not on scholarship, but the guys really loved the game. They were all real committed to it. And we had some good conference rivalries – Gettysburg, Dickinson, Moravian – and a really strong non-conference rivalry with Catholic University. The whole school was really into it. Being a basketball player was part of your identity and that was pretty cool."
By the time he graduated from Western Maryland, Bender said he "knew I wanted to coach and teach." He got a teaching job in the Charles County Public Schools system and was immediately hired by Charles County Community College head coach John Mappas as an assistant. "He was really young, but you knew he was going to be a great coach," recalled Mappas. "He'd been a very smart player.
"Dick and [future University of Georgia head coach] Dennis Felton were the two best assistant coaches I ever had," added Mappas.
After one year at Charles County, Bender became an assistant coach at NCAA Division III DePauw University. Bender, coaching under Royce Waltman, helped the Tigers go 80-30 over the next four years, including a national runner-up finish in 1990.
Bender credited Bosley with helping his former player land the DePauw job. "Tom knew the DePauw coach [Waltman] and told him, ‘If you need a young assistant I know just the guy for you,' " recalled Bender.
Bosley remembers that phone call with Waltman.
"Royce called and said, ‘I need an assistant and I want you to be it,' " recalled Bosley. "I told him, ‘Royce, I can't do that – I'm in the middle of my teaching career and I'm coaching at Southern. But I know a guy who played for me and played at Western Maryland who would be perfect.' "
Bender then spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Division I Radford University before teaming up again with Waltman, who had become head coach at Indiana State. Bender coached with the Sycamores for a decade, including back-to-back 20-win seasons highlighted by a first-round upset of fourth-seeded Oklahoma in the 2001 NCAA tournament.
Bender, who also had a two-year stint as a Division I assistant at the College of Charleston, has had two tours with Clemson. He was director of basketball operations for the Tigers from 2010 to 2014 and returned from his two years at the College of Charleston in 2016 to join Brownell's staff.
Bender's work with Clemson's guards has included the development of Marcquise Reed, who twice made the all-ACC team and helped the Tigers to a 25-win season in 2017-18.
"I've been really fortunate to be with good coaches, but even better people," Bender said of his college coaching career. "They've been people who have integrity and are all about the team. Our teams have been able to maximize their potential because we've had good people who were driven and willing to sacrifice."
Bender noted his coaching career has included some unforgettable experiences.
"Coaching DePauw in the Division III championship game was special and getting to the Sweet 16 with Clemson was an unbelievable experience," said Bender. "Coach [Ron] Bradley is still the all-time winningest coach at Radford; I learned so much working with him. It was also about the relationships you build in the coaching fraternity – you make life-long friends."
Bender and his wife, Beth, have two sons – Dalton, who works for Outdoor Works Company in Pasadena, California, and Dillon, who is sports information director at Manchester (Indiana) University. Bender, whose mother and brother still live in Garrett County, said he tries to get back to the area whenever possible.
"It's an awesome place," Bender said of Garrett County. "I am very thankful to have grown up in such a nurturing environment that Garrett County provided me."
