Chuck Driesell is the 28th head coach in The Citadel’s basketball history.

In 2010-11, Driesell’s first at the helm, The Citadel went head-to-head with 11 teams that reached postseason play, including six that finished in the top 100 of the Rating Percentage Index (RPI). Among those teams included eventual NCAA Tournament “Sweet 16” participant Richmond, who finished with the highest RPI (41) of any Bulldog opponent.

Driesell became the fifth coach in school history, and first since Dick Campbell in 1967-68, to win his Southern Conference debut, 65-52 victory over Georgia Southern. He guided The Citadel to 10 wins over the course of the season, placing the 2011 graduating class (46 wins) one victory shy of the most successful three-year span in program history, which came from 1958-61.

During a four-game winning streak in late January, the Dogs posted wins over Samford, Appalachian State, Western Carolina and Davidson. During that stretch, the team hit 60 percent or better from the floor in four different halves, including both the first and second half against the Mountaineers. For two weeks, Driesell’s team held the title as being the “Team on the Rise” in the Omni Rankings over the likes of Utah and Georgia Tech. Coincidentally, it also placed The Citadel alongside Davidson and College of Charleston as the only three programs in the SoCon to win four or more consecutive games in each of the last three seasons.

In the final weekend of the regular season, Driesell led The Citadel to the largest second half comeback in program history since the 1934-35 season with a 70-62 victory over Western Carolina. The Dogs trailed by 17 points at the intermission, which grew to 21 points in the early stages of the second half, before mounting the comeback. Driesell’s team managed 19 double-digit offensive rebound performances on the campaign and closed the season with the sixth-most offensive rebounds (350) in program history.

A former Academic All-ACC shooting guard and Maryland alumnus, Driesell served for four seasons on head coach Gary Williams’ Maryland staff. Respected as a recruiter, he has gone head-to-head with schools from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and the Big East.

Maryland finished the 2009-10 season with a 24-9 overall record (11-3 ACC). Driesell assisted the Terrapins to a tie for the regular-season championship in the Atlantic Coast Conference, earning a No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament. The Terrapins followed the conference tournament with their 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the past 17 seasons as a No. 4 seed, advancing to the second round.

Driesell joined the Maryland staff after serving as head coach at Bishop Ireton High School from 2004 to 2006. Prior to his stint at Bishop Ireton, he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Georgetown University in 2003-04.

Driesell spent six seasons (1997-2003) as head coach at Marymount University (Division III) in Arlington, Va., where he guided the Saints to an 88-72 mark. In 1999-2000, he led Marymount to the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and its first Division III NCAA Tournament appearance. Driesell also served as assistant athletics director at Marymount from 1999-2003.

Before arriving at Marymount, Driesell spent nine seasons as associate head coach at James Madison under his father, Charles ‘Lefty’ Driesell, where he helped guide the Dukes to unprecedented success. From 1989-94, JMU either won or tied for five consecutive Colonial Athletic Association regular-season championships (the only team in the country to do so at the time). The Dukes captured the 1994 CAA Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where James Madison lost to eventual national finalist Florida, 64-62. JMU compiled a 159-111 record (85-45 CAA) and made four postseason appearances in nine seasons under Driesell.

As a four-year letterwinner at Maryland from 1981-85, Driesell was a member of four postseason teams under his father’s leadership, earning Academic All-ACC honors. The Terps won 85 games during his career, while making three NCAA Tournament appearances and capturing the 1984 ACC Championship. The Silver Spring, Md., native was also an ACC Honor Roll selection three of his four years at Maryland and graduated with a bachelor of science in business marketing in 1985. Following graduation, Driesell began his coaching career at the United States Naval Prep School, where he amassed a 40-29 record from 1985-88.

Rob Burke enters his second season with The Citadel after joining Driesell’s staff in May 2010. The high energy assistant coach on the Bulldogs staff previously served as the head coach at Spartanburg Methodist College. He finished with a 112-67 record in six years at the helm of the program. With a winning record in every season as head coach, Burke won 20 or more games in the 2005-06 (22-11) and 2007-08 (24-8) seasons. He was named Region 10 Coach of the Year in 2008-09 after returning only two players from the previous season’s squad.

Burke graduated 94 percent of his players from SMC from 2004-10, including Terrence Grier (Charleston Southern), John Anderson (Bethune-Cookman), Brendon Knox (Auburn), Chad Dewitt (Winthrop) and Vernon Taylor (Troy University), all of whom moved to NCAA Division I programs. His work with the Pioneers drew four first-team All-Region and eight second-team All-Region performers. 

He brings two years of NCAA Division I coaching experience to Driesell’s staff, serving as an assistant coach at Campbell University during the 2002-04 campaigns. Burke also served as an assistant coach at Limestone College, assuming the responsibilities as the junior varsity head coach from 2000-02.

Through his affiliation with Ganon Baker Basketball as a Pro Staff Skill Development Trainer, Burke spent the summer of 2008 in the Nike National Skills Academy.

Burke received a bachelor of science in sports management and a minor in business administration from Chowan College.

Burke and his wife, Neily Ruiz, reside in Charleston with their two daughters Mina and Marissa. 

The 2011-12 season will mark J.D. Powell’s eighth in Charleston and second with The Citadel as an assistant coach on Driesell’s staff. A graduate of Clemson University, Powell came to the Bulldogs after six seasons as an assistant at Charleston Southern. Known as a solid recruiter, Powell was instrumental in the addition of seven players during the 2011 early signing period that brought The Citadel players from as far away as Michigan, New Mexico and Texas.

Powell was a key part of Jim Platt’s 2004-05 staff that defeated Liberty and High Point and advanced to the Big South Conference championship game. Instrumental in player development, Powell mentored Big South Freshman of the Year recipients Omar Carter (07-08) and Jimmy Sexton (08-09) during his tenure.

His work with player development, recruiting, scouting and academic success of Charleston Southern student-athletes garnered Giedrius Knysas Academic All-America honors in 2008-09.

Prior to joining the staff at CSU, Powell spent two seasons as a graduate manager with the Furman University basketball program. His duties with the Paladins included day-to-day team operations, post player development and director of film. Powell also served as co-camp director of the Larry Davis basketball camp.

Prior to his work at Furman, Powell worked in basketball operations for the Greenville Groove of the NBDL. He earned a bachelor of arts in communications from Clemson in 2001. Powell also earned a master’s degree in technology and human resource development from Clemson in December 2003.

Powell played for the Clemson Tigers from 1998-2000, which included a runner-up finish in the 1999 NIT. He began his time there as a manager but later became a walk-on and eventually earned a scholarship.

Powell married the former Kerri Tucker from Greenwood, S.C., in 2008 and the couple resides in Summerville with their son Jack.

Damien Price begins his second year as an assistant coach with The Citadel Basketball program. Coach Price made an immediate impact on the classroom performance of the cadet-student-athletes, helping the team improve its overall GPA to above 3.0, along with duties that include player development and recruiting. Price joined Driesell’s staff after spending the three seasons as a graduate manager and Director of Player Development at The University of Tulsa.

While at Tulsa, Price served under Golden Hurricane Head Coach Doug Wojcik, and was a key member of the 2007-08 staff that captured the College Basketball Invitational title with a 70-64 victory over Bradley. The 2008-09 Tulsa team reached the second round of the NIT following a 68-59 win over Northwestern. The success continued in 2009-10 when the Golden Hurricane reached the first round of the NIT, finishing with a 23-19 record. Price was a staff member of three straight 20-win seasons while at Tulsa, including the 2007-08 and 2008-09 squads that finished 25-14 and 25-11, respectively

Price spent one year in the business sector after serving as the assistant junior varsity basketball coach at the University of North Carolina in 2004-05.

A 2004 graduate of North Carolina, Price was on the junior varsity team for one year (2000-01) and three seasons (2001-04) on the UNC varsity. Price was a member of the 2002-03 Tar Heels who finished 19-15 overall and reached the third round of the NIT before falling to Georgetown.  The following season North Carolina, under new Head Coach Roy Williams, reached the the second round of the NCAA Tournament before bowing out to No. 11 Texas. A native of Greensboro, N.C., Price earned a bachelor’s degree in African-American History from North Carolina in 2004.

Former point guard and 2006 graduate Kevin Hammack returns to The Citadel as a graduate assistant under on Chuck Driesell’s staff. The position will allow Hammack to focus on the creation of The Citadel Basketball Players Association, travel plans and other game operation responsibilities for the 2011-12 season. He served as the coordinator for the 2011 Chuck Driesell Basketball Camps.

Hammack joins the Bulldogs after spending the last season at Mount Olive College. While there he served as assistant coach and junior varsity head coach, focusing on academic success as well as the recruiting of Northern Virginia and Maryland. The Trojans were 14-13 and extended their string of consecutive winning seasons to nine by virtue of winning four of their final six contests.

During his playing days at The Citadel (2002-07), Hammack earned the starting nod in 107 of 118 contests, converted 133 3-point field goals, grabbed 457 rebounds, dished out 432 assists and scored 1,237 points. He still holds the program record for career steals (223) and is responsible for more assists (134) than any other Bulldog freshman since the 1972-73 season, when the NCAA unilaterally granted freshmen eligibility. 

A native of Baltimore, Md., Hammack earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from The Citadel in 2006 and is currently seeking a master of arts in teaching. 

Dan McNeely enters his second season as a graduate assistant with The Citadel Basketball program. McNeely brings a great deal of basketball knowledge after serving two years as the Assistant to the Athletic Director at Cedarville University, located in Ohio. His primary responsibilities included scheduling of recruiting trips, accommodations of all 13 varsity athletic teams, maintaining the Yellow Jacket Club and various duties in a transition phase from NAIA to NCAA Division II.

McNeely also served as the freshmen boys’ head basketball coach and varsity assistant coach at Waynesville (OH) High School.

He gained his first experience as a coach while serving as the varsity assistant coach at Xenia (OH) Christian High School. While at Xenia, McNeely assisted in scouting, daily instruction and practice and conducted one-on-one workouts with the teams’ guards.

A native of Beavercreek, Ohio, McNeely was a multi-sport athlete at Wittenberg University. He was a member of the 2005-06 basketball squad and played tennis (2008-09). He earned a bachelor of science in business management, while minoring in Russian, from Wittenberg University in 2010.

McNeely and his wife, Elisabeth, reside in Mount Pleasant.