Named an "Impactful Low Major Coach" across 13 different conferences by SilverWaveMedia and listed as a Top 5 America East Assistant by Jeff Goodman of Stadium, Dan Rickard enters year No. 19 with the Stony Brook men's basketball program. Across two stints with the Seawolves, he has helped elevate the program to new heights, aiding the team's ascent to America East Champions in 2016 and continuing to build back to that standard with a new staff.
The Seawolves are coming off an 8-24 year in 2024-25. This season, Rickard's sixth since rejoining the program in 2019-20, saw him help develop freshman guard Collin O’Connor who went on to make the CAA All-Rookie Team in addition to picking up four Rookie of the Week awards. Under Rickard's and the rest of the staff's guidance, junior transfer CJ Luster II also became the second Seawolf in as many years to make the All-Met Third Team after Tyler Stephenson-Moore did so in 2024.
In Stony Brook's second season as a member of the CAA in 2023-24, Rickard helped lead the team to 20 wins and a trip to the CAA Championship Final for the first time. This marked the sixth time in the Division I era and the first time since 2016 that the team made it to a conference final. The squad also broke the record for three-pointers in a season with 277, besting the previous record set back in 2019-20.
During the prior season, Rickard helped oversee the program’s transition to the CAA in 2022-23, as the Seawolves went 11-22 overall and 6-12 in league play.
With Rickard's guidance, Stony Brook made the most of its final season in the America East as the 2021-22 Seawolves proved to be the most explosive in recent memory, scoring 80 points on 12 different occasions, going 11-1 in those contests. Stony Brook had reached that mark six times in the previous two seasons. Led by a dynamic backcourt that contained a pair of all-conference guards, the Seawolves offense had its fourth-most efficient year in the Division I era, per KenPom. The squad also produced the second-lowest turnover rate in program history and was top 25 nationally in fewest fouls, fewest turnovers, and turnovers per game.
The 2019-20 season marked the return of Rickard to the Seawolves following a three-year hiatus. That year, Stony Brook's offense reached new heights, setting what was then the program's new three-point record with 274 makes on the season, along with Makale Foreman setting the individual record with 104.
Before rejoining the Seawolves staff, Rickard was a men's assistant at NYU for the 2018-19 season. Under his tutelage, NYU made great strides on the defensive end of the floor, jumping from eighth to third in defensive efficiency in the UAA. Prior to this, Rickard served as associate head coach of the Stony Brook women’s basketball team from 2016-18 and helped lead the team to a 30-30 record across two seasons.
Rickard was promoted to assistant coach on the men's basketball staff in 2007 and was a part of the program's first Division I NCAA tournament team in 2015-16, as well as four America East regular season championships, three postseason NIT berths, and two spots in the CBI in nine years. He played a key role in the complete renaissance of the program under head coach Steve Pikiell that included the most successful run in program history. In eight seasons from 2008-16, Stony Brook went 172-89 overall and 96-32 in the America East. In the last five seasons of this run, Stony Brook posted win totals above 20 every year and went 119-48 with a 67-13 conference mark, giving them the most wins in the league during this time.
The 2015-16 season was Stony Brook's finest as it captured the America East regular season championship and tournament title. For the first time in Division I program history, the Seawolves advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they faced Kentucky.
Stony Brook also made the CBI in back-to-back seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The 2013-14 campaign in particular saw Rickard coach a Seawolves squad that won 23 games and reached the America East Championship final for the third time in four years. Under his tutelage, the Seawolves offense averaged 71.4 points a game, more than a 3.0 point jump from the previous season. Stony Brook was top-four in America East in scoring offense, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, assists and assist-to-turnover ratio. He also was mentor to two All-America East selections in the backcourt in seniors Dave Coley and Anthony Jackson.
In the 2012-13 season, Rickard guided the Seawolves to a Division I program record 25 wins, which also led all Metropolitan New York schools. This team captured the program's third regular season championship and third NIT berth in the last four years, before winning its first-ever national postseason game with a 71-58 victory at Massachusetts in the first round of the NIT. The team finished the year ranked No. 20 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
As offensive coordinator, Rickard helped develop a Seawolves offense that consistently stood atop the conference. Stony Brook saw its offensive output improve almost every year in points per game, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, assists, and assist-to-turnover ratio. In 2012-13 alone, Stony Brook was in the top three in the America East in six different offensive categories and led the conference in scoring (68.0 PPG) for the first time ever.
As a recruiter, Rickard's tireless efforts saw the arrival of some of the best and brightest in program history. Most notably he helped land Tommy Brenton, who went on to develop into a two-time America East Defensive Player of the Year and the 2013 America East Player of the Year. Brenton's 2012-13 season went down as one of the greatest in team history as he led the team in rebounds, steals and assists. He was later honored with the 2013 Lefty Driesell Award as the National Defensive Player of the Year and was named an All-America honorable mention by the Associated Press. Brenton graduated as the program's all-time leader in rebounds, assists and steals.
Rickard's work as backcourt coach saw him mentor a trio of All-America East guards in Bryan Dougher, Dave Coley and Carson Puriefoy. Dougher graduated as the program's all-time Division I leader in points and three-pointers made and was a three-time All-America East selection, including first-team honors in 2012. Coley, a steady offensive threat and one of the team's best defenders, developed into an All-Conference guard, earning Third Team and All-Defensive honors in 2013 and 2014. Puriefoy finished his career fourth in the program's Division I history in points (1,572). A two-time First Team All-Conference guard, Puriefoy was part of the winningest senior class in school history.
Rickard has been at Stony Brook for over two decades, having also played for the Seawolves from 2002-04. He appeared in 14 games over two seasons and helped the Seawolves reach the America East Championship semifinals in 2004, the furthest the program had advanced in the tournament at that time. Rickard graduated from Stony Brook in May 2004 with his bachelor's degree in mathematics. He went on to earn his Master of Arts in liberal studies in 2006 while serving as the men's basketball graduate assistant.
Rickard lives in Port Jefferson with his wife, Courtney, their sons, Patrick and Braden, and daughter, Mallory.
