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Longtime Wilkes men’s basketball coach Jerry Rickrode has been selected to join the 2024 class of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Hall of Fame, according to a release issued by the university on Friday.
During his tenure as head coach, the Colonels became a mainstay in both the MAC (and later MAC Freedom) playoffs and the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m humbled to be selected into the Middle Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame,” Rickrode said in the release. “For decades, the MAC has set a standard of excellence in athletics and so many outstanding coaches and athletes have been part of that.”
Rickrode guided Wilkes to 17 appearances in the MAC and MAC Freedom playoffs, including a run of 10 straight appearances from 1992-2002.
The Colonels also made five Division III NCAA Tournament appearances in a row, six in a seven-year span, from the 1994-95 through the 2000-01 seasons.
Those appearances included four runs to the NCAA Div. III Sweet Sixteen, three trips to the Elite Eight and a spot in the Final Four after a 26-5 season in 1997-98.
In 22 years at Wilkes, Rickrode amassed a record of 382-191, with a winning percentage of .667 ranking as one of the best in Division III among coaches with at least 10 years of experience.
He still holds the Division III record as the fastest coach to reach 200 wins, getting there in just 249 games.
Rickrode was named Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year four times, and MAC Freedom Coach of the Year three times. His tenure saw 38 Colonels make all-conference teams, six conference Rookie of the Year awards and three conference Player of the Year awards, all won by Dave Jannuzzi, who would also be named the Division III National Player of the Year after the 2000-01 season.
“At Wilkes, I was able to recruit and coach some outstanding student athletes and they are why I’ve been selected into this prestigious group,” Rickrode said. “We had a great run and I’m indebted to all of my former players, assistant coaches and the Wilkes University family.”