Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Dickerson Makes Major Impact in Year One
7/9/2021 10:33:00 AM | Women's Basketball
“She came in and meshed with the team right away. All of her advice, we accepted right away.” - Kaia Harrison
Erin Dickerson moved to Winston-Salem a year ago to take a Wake Forest Women's Basketball assistant coach position without visiting campus, meeting head coach Jen Hoover in person or even stepping foot inside her family's new house.
But in her first season on the bench with Hoover, the Demon Deacons made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 31 years, she earned a promotion to Associate Head Coach and earned Assistant Coach of the Year in the 2021 Black & Golden Globes.
"I'd have to say they worked out perfectly," Dickerson said. "Things tend to work out the way they are supposed to. It's hard to remember that when you're jumping into something, but looking back at it in hindsight, everything usually works out for the best. I'm blessed for that and blessed for an easy transition."
Even without having settled into her new house, Dickerson hit the ground running with the Demon Deacons on the practice floor.
"The staff helped me in that transition," she said. "Coach Hoover was extremely flexible with me as I got settled. It was September when I got here and I could even move into my house until September 5, and the first day I was here I stepped right into practice. There was no buffer time. I got right into drills, then she told me to take care of what I needed to. The transition went very smoothly."
A sharp-shooting guard during her playing days at Northwestern, Dickerson gave particular attention to the perimeter players last season.
"She's helped me a lot with my shooting," Wake Forest sophomore point guard Kaia Harrison said. "We're actually working out now, and she's been helping with my pull-ups, working through ball screens and moving without the ball to get open. Even knowing the game as a point guard, she's helped me a lot too. We watch film together all the time."
Dickerson and Harrison already knew each other, from the coach working to recruit her when she was an assistant at Georgetown. But Dickerson came in and immediately made a connection with all the players in a year in which connections were even more difficult to make with Covid-19 restrictions.
"She came in and meshed with the team right away," Harrison said. "All of her advice, we accepted right away. She didn't come in too hard. She was herself. We liked how much she bonded with the team. She was very personable. That allowed us to really connect with her.
"You'd think it would be difficult, but she made bonds with us right away. She is transparent, authentic and just herself. She gives you advice you need as a player, and I respect that. I feel that's what really gained her respect from the players — her authenticity and ability to communicate."
It was important for Dickerson to communicate and share the vision Hoover has for the Wake Forest program. To achieve that goal, that meant the two had to be on the same page throughout the challenging campaign, that saw the staff and players make incredible sacrifices just to be able to play the season.
"Coach Hoover and I stayed in constant communication," Dickerson said. "I was a new person, so I wanted to over-communicate with her, because I wanted to see her vision. I wanted to make sure I was mirroring her vision, and not just assuming what I thought it should be.
"I'm coming to Wake Forest two-feet in. I don't know how to be any other way. I was completely bought in. Let's do this and let's do this together. There was a lot of trust built in a very small time, in the middle of the season. I wanted Coach to know she had all of me, and I had her back. That's where responsibilities gradually started growing. I'm extremely thankful for her belief and trust in me. Our connection was able to grow because of that throughout the season."
Hoover could sense the impact Dickerson was making on the team from day one.
"It's the whole package with her," Hoover said. "It's her ability as a coach, but also her ability to connect with our kids. There was an immediate connection. Her basketball knowledge and experience that she brought, I knew she would be instrumental with our guards.
"Her energy and passion was just immediately felt by our players. There was an immediate bond and trust that was fun to watch."
Her first season on the bench with Hoover culminated in an NCAA Tournament berth as a number nine seed, with the entire tournament taking place in San Antonio. The team gathered with a select group of family and friends for the official selection show.
"That was the best moment for me, without a doubt," Dickerson said. "We had some really high highs, like when we beat North Carolina in the first round of the ACC Tournament, because everyone had said if we won that game, we'd make the NCAA Tournament.
"But when you're sitting in that decorated arena, then see our name on the screen, there's no better feeling in the world."
Assured of her decision to join the staff from the start, Dickerson is now confident the Demon Deacons are going to continue to build on the successes of last season.
"When I first got here, I knew it was the right choice," she said. "As soon as I stepped foot in practice, the girls were so welcoming. They were excited to meet me. The girls accepted me, they took me in and were ready to work. I knew I made the right decision.
"It's only the beginning. When I spoke with coach Hoover about this position, she told me where this program has been and where it is going. This year just gave people a little glimpse of what's to come. We built a very good foundation this year and will keep building on that for years to come. With coach Hoover's leadership and the belief we have in her as a staff, I think the sky's the limit for us. It's only up from here."
But in her first season on the bench with Hoover, the Demon Deacons made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 31 years, she earned a promotion to Associate Head Coach and earned Assistant Coach of the Year in the 2021 Black & Golden Globes.
"I'd have to say they worked out perfectly," Dickerson said. "Things tend to work out the way they are supposed to. It's hard to remember that when you're jumping into something, but looking back at it in hindsight, everything usually works out for the best. I'm blessed for that and blessed for an easy transition."
Even without having settled into her new house, Dickerson hit the ground running with the Demon Deacons on the practice floor.
"The staff helped me in that transition," she said. "Coach Hoover was extremely flexible with me as I got settled. It was September when I got here and I could even move into my house until September 5, and the first day I was here I stepped right into practice. There was no buffer time. I got right into drills, then she told me to take care of what I needed to. The transition went very smoothly."
A sharp-shooting guard during her playing days at Northwestern, Dickerson gave particular attention to the perimeter players last season.
"She's helped me a lot with my shooting," Wake Forest sophomore point guard Kaia Harrison said. "We're actually working out now, and she's been helping with my pull-ups, working through ball screens and moving without the ball to get open. Even knowing the game as a point guard, she's helped me a lot too. We watch film together all the time."
Dickerson and Harrison already knew each other, from the coach working to recruit her when she was an assistant at Georgetown. But Dickerson came in and immediately made a connection with all the players in a year in which connections were even more difficult to make with Covid-19 restrictions.
"She came in and meshed with the team right away," Harrison said. "All of her advice, we accepted right away. She didn't come in too hard. She was herself. We liked how much she bonded with the team. She was very personable. That allowed us to really connect with her.
"You'd think it would be difficult, but she made bonds with us right away. She is transparent, authentic and just herself. She gives you advice you need as a player, and I respect that. I feel that's what really gained her respect from the players — her authenticity and ability to communicate."
It was important for Dickerson to communicate and share the vision Hoover has for the Wake Forest program. To achieve that goal, that meant the two had to be on the same page throughout the challenging campaign, that saw the staff and players make incredible sacrifices just to be able to play the season.
"Coach Hoover and I stayed in constant communication," Dickerson said. "I was a new person, so I wanted to over-communicate with her, because I wanted to see her vision. I wanted to make sure I was mirroring her vision, and not just assuming what I thought it should be.
"I'm coming to Wake Forest two-feet in. I don't know how to be any other way. I was completely bought in. Let's do this and let's do this together. There was a lot of trust built in a very small time, in the middle of the season. I wanted Coach to know she had all of me, and I had her back. That's where responsibilities gradually started growing. I'm extremely thankful for her belief and trust in me. Our connection was able to grow because of that throughout the season."
Hoover could sense the impact Dickerson was making on the team from day one.
"It's the whole package with her," Hoover said. "It's her ability as a coach, but also her ability to connect with our kids. There was an immediate connection. Her basketball knowledge and experience that she brought, I knew she would be instrumental with our guards.
"Her energy and passion was just immediately felt by our players. There was an immediate bond and trust that was fun to watch."
Her first season on the bench with Hoover culminated in an NCAA Tournament berth as a number nine seed, with the entire tournament taking place in San Antonio. The team gathered with a select group of family and friends for the official selection show.
"That was the best moment for me, without a doubt," Dickerson said. "We had some really high highs, like when we beat North Carolina in the first round of the ACC Tournament, because everyone had said if we won that game, we'd make the NCAA Tournament.
"But when you're sitting in that decorated arena, then see our name on the screen, there's no better feeling in the world."
Assured of her decision to join the staff from the start, Dickerson is now confident the Demon Deacons are going to continue to build on the successes of last season.
"When I first got here, I knew it was the right choice," she said. "As soon as I stepped foot in practice, the girls were so welcoming. They were excited to meet me. The girls accepted me, they took me in and were ready to work. I knew I made the right decision.
"It's only the beginning. When I spoke with coach Hoover about this position, she told me where this program has been and where it is going. This year just gave people a little glimpse of what's to come. We built a very good foundation this year and will keep building on that for years to come. With coach Hoover's leadership and the belief we have in her as a staff, I think the sky's the limit for us. It's only up from here."
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