Coaching Staff
Dagan Nelson
Head Coach
Dagan Nelson begins his second season as the head men's basketball coach. In his first season, Nelson guided the Hawks to a 6-19 record as they improved their points allowed per game from 77.4 to 72.1 in the past year. New Paltz defeated Keene State, a pre-season nationally ranked team, 90-86 in overtime and used a 75-74 overtime win against Buffalo State, to defeat the Bengals for the first time since the 2000-2001 season.
A native of Long Island, New York, Nelson comes to New Paltz after spending two years as the assistant coach at Concordia College in Bronxville, NY. He helped guide the Clippers to a 19-36 record over two seasons. Nelson says he is grateful to Tim Maloney, Associate Head Coach at the University of Massachusetts, for being a mentor to his coaching career.
Prior to Concordia, Nelson spent one year at Stony Brook where the Seawolves posted a 12-17 record and made it to the quarterfinals of the America East Conference tournament. Before Stony Brook, Nelson was a member of the coaching staff at Eastern Kentucky for two seasons. In 2003-04, the Colonels finished fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference and later advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time in over 13 years.
A 1996 graduate of Ramapo College with a bachelor’s degree in American studies, Nelson’s coaching background also includes stints at NYU, Pace, Melbourne Central Catholic High School in Florida, Kellenberg Memorial HS, and Suffolk West Community College. During his time at Melbourne Central Catholic School he led the team to a 37-22 record over two years, including winning the District Championship in 1998-1999. Five of his athletes went on to play basketball at the collegiate level. In addition to his coaching duties, Nelson co-founded the St. Agnes Basketball Camp for boys and girls in 1997 and has worked as an instructor at the Five Star Camp for six summers.
Nelson was a two year member of the Ramapo basketball team from 1993-1995, after transferring from Nassau Community College. He led the Roadrunners in three point field goal percentage in 1993-94, and was second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) in 1994-95. During his senior year he averaged 12.5 points led the NJAC in three-pointers made.
Contact Dagan Nelson at ext. 3917 or nelsond@newpaltz.edu.
Walter Rickard
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Walter Rickard begins his second season as the Assistant Coach of the men's basketball team.
Prior to New Paltz, Rickard served as the Assistant Coach at Orange County Community College (OCCC) for five seasons. He assisted in all aspects of the program including recruitment, practice plans, scouting of opponents, and videotape analysis. Coach Rickard led OCCC to a 62-30 record from 2004-2007, including the school's first ever trip to the national tournament in the 2004-05 season. During the summer, Rickard served as the Assistant Director of OCCC’s summer boy’s basketball camps and the boy’s high school summer league.
A native of Otisville NY, Rickard is a 2007 graduate of William Paterson University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education with a concentration in Exercise Physiology. Rickard earned an Associate of Science Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from OCCC in May 2003 and an Associate of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering Technology in May 2002.
Contact Walter Rickard at ext. 3917 or rickardw@newpaltz.edu.