Vols hoops assistant Oliver hired at ETSU
Desmond Oliver was hired at East Tennessee State after six seasons with Tennessee basketball, ETSU announced Monday.
Oliver is the second Vols assistant to land a head coaching job this offseason. Kim English was hired at George Mason on March 23 after two seasons at UT.
“ETSU basketball has a history of success that was attractive to me,” Oliver said in a school release. “This program has experienced success on the court and has also successfully cultivated strong relationships throughout the community. I'm really excited about this opportunity to build on that and lead us as we take our next steps forward."
ETSU coach Jason Shay resigned on March 30 after one season as head coach and six with the program. Shay and his players were criticized, including by the entire Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus, for the team's decision to kneel during the national anthem before its Feb. 15 game at Chattanooga.
“No one is going to outwork us as we develop young leaders within our program who will connect with this community and make a positive impact," Oliver said. "My family is eager to make Johnson City our home and engage in productive dialogue about uplifting approaches to the unique challenges our young people face.”
Oliver, 51, joined Rick Barnes' staff when Barnes was hired in April 2015. Mike Schwartz, the lone remaining assistant from last season's staff, joined a year later. Oliver is the third coach hired off Barnes' staff to be a head coach in the past two years, joining English and Rob Lanier. Lanier was hired by Georgia State in April 2019. The Buffalo, New York, native worked at Charlotte for five seasons before he was hired at UT. He has 26 years of assistant coach experience. Oliver started at Niagara from 1994-97. He also has worked at Texas A&M, Cornell, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, Georgia and Canisius.
Oliver played a key role in recruiting Grant Williams to Tennessee. Williams won back-to-back SEC Player of the Year awards and was picked by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. Oliver also headed UT'S efforts to land Jaden Springer, the second-highest recruit to sign with Tennessee during Barnes' tenure.
"My staff and I are going to hit the ground running," Oliver said, "and begin our pursuit of cementing ETSU as the hardest working and most respected program in the Southern Conference— a program admired nationwide for doing things the right way. You're going to be proud of the culture within this program."