Columbus, Ohio: Newly appointed Ohio State men's basketball coach Thad Matta
has completed his staff with the hiring of Dan Peters as an assistant coach.
Peters, who has spent the past five years as an assistant and later the
associate head coach at the University of Cincinnati, will join previously named
assistants Alan Major and John Groce and director of basketball operations
Brandon Miller on Matta's staff. All three of the latter accompanied Matta from
Xavier.
"Dan is a terrific addition to our staff," said Matta, who was
named as Ohio State's head coach on July 7. "He is an Ohio guy who has
enjoyed success at virtually every level. He has a tremendous passion for the
game of basketball and is one of the great teachers in the game."
The 50-year-old Peters, who was born in Cleveland and grew up in Canton, is a
1976 graduate of Kent State University. Prior to Cincinnati, Peters spent six
seasons as the head coach at Youngstown State. He also has been the head coach
at Walsh College and St. Joseph's College of Indiana, amassing a combined record
of 237-140 in 14 years at those three schools.
"I am thrilled to be part of the Ohio State staff and have the
opportunity to work with Coach Matta," said Peters. "This is one of
the top programs in college basketball and I can't wait to get started. This is
a great day for my family and me."
Peters began his coaching career at Guernsey Catholic High School in
Cambridge, Ohio. He spent two years there and one season at Meadowbrook High
School in Byesville, Ohio before jumping to the college ranks as a graduate
assistant at Delta State during the 1979-80 season. His three-year record in
high school was 34-26.
In 1981, Peters moved to Walsh College as an assistant to Bob Huggins. He
succeeded Huggins in 1984 and directed Walsh to a 28-4 record in his first year.
He would go on to spend five seasons at Walsh, compiling an overall record of
116-39 and twice earning district coach of the year honors.
At the conclusion of the1988 campaign, Peters accepted an offer to become an
assistant coach at Western Carolina. The following year, he returned to Ohio and
spent two seasons (1990 and 1991) as an assistant coach at Akron.
Following the 1991 season, Peters was named head coach at St. Joseph's, where
he compiled a two-year mark of 43-14 and led his team to an NCAA Division II
tournament appearance in his second season.
In 1993, Peters moved to Youngstown State as head coach. He directed the 1998
Penguins to a 20-8 record and a berth in the championship game of the
Mid-Continent Tournament. Following the season, he was named Mid-Continent
Conference Coach of the Year. During his stay at Youngstown, he worked with
current Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel.
Peters joined the Cincinnati staff in May of 1999 as an assistant coach. He
was promoted to associate head coach of the Bearcats in 2002.
Dan and his wife, Nancy, have two sons: Danny (18) and Michael (15).