Bio

CHRIS DIAL is entering his fifth season as head basketball coach for the men's basketball team.

The Saints went 13-16 overall and 8-12 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) in Dial’s fourth season. OLLU started the season 2-1, which included a four-overtime victory against Texas Wesleyan University. The team ranked in the top 10 of the NAIA with a 39.1 three-point percentage. They also were 24th in the nation with 15.4 free throws made per contest. Daniel Helterhoff earned Red River All-Tournament Team recognition and Ruben Monzon joined the Saints 1,000 Point Club on Nov. 16.

In the 2021-2022 season, the Saints finished 9-16 overall and 4-10 in conference play. OLLU started the season with three straight wins, including a victory over ranked Central Baptist College. The Saints qualified for the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Tournament and finished as quarterfinalists.

In 2020-2021, the Saints opted out of the RRAC championship season due to COVID-19 issues, but they were able to play five official games, plus several exhibitions. They played NCAA D1 schools: Rice University (exhibition), the University of the Incarnate Word (L 71-84), the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (exhibition), Texas State University (W 61-58), the University of New Mexico (exhibition), Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (L 72-99), the University of Texas at San Antonio (L 70-102), the University of Houston (exhibition) and Rice (L 77-80).

In the 2019-2020 season, the team finished with a 10-18 overall record and 6-12 mark in the conference.

Dial was born and raised in San Antonio, where he attended East Central High School, and where he coached basketball at St. Gerard Catholic High School and McCollum High School, as well as John Paul II Catholic High School in Schertz and New Braunfels High School.

Dial is the founder of The Basketball Embassy (TBE), a multinational, nonprofit organization that builds community through basketball and assists National Basketball Federations as well as other organizations in their quest to grow and develop the game of basketball in their country or region. Dial established TBE in 2014 to promote a fundamental brand of basketball intertwined with intangible elements like dedication, hard work, integrity and education in an effort to produce ambassadors of the game.

OLLU has been a partner with TBE since 2016, often serving as host to The Assembly, a weeklong event that brings elite youth female and male athletes ages 15-17 to campus. Participants through the years have represented over 30 countries, including the United States. Aside from on-court practice and training sessions, the campers have the opportunity to be recognized by numerous universities throughout the U.S. as well as network with stakeholders in the global basketball community. The San Antonio Spurs have endorsed the camp and were an official partner for Assembly 2019.

Also, Dial has been the program director for the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Europe U14 Development Project in Southeastern Europe. FIBA Europe pioneered a program that simultaneously raised the level of basketball in four countries, using a fifth, more established country as a source of guidance and support. Players from Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Kosovo, with Turkey playing the "Big Brother" role all participated in the program that Dial oversaw.

The Admirals Basketball Academy (ABA) in Chisinau, Moldova, and the Macedonia Basketball Federation (MBF) in Skopje, Macedonia, have also been among Dials main projects prior to coming to OLLU. He has been a head coach and camp and clinic director for ABA for several years. The organization is supported by the U.S. State Department under the direction of the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau. With the MBF, Dial has served as a coaching coordinator and advisor. He has placed several highly qualified American coaches in their system for the summer allowing them to coach and mentor the players and the assistant coaches in their national team system.

Dial's other career positions include the Kosovo Basketball Federation Coordinator of Youth National Teams (U16/U18) Head Coach; Bulgarian Basketball Federation Mentor Coach/Adviser for the Youth National Teams; Turkish Basketball Federation Head Coach, Camp and Clinic Director; Romanian Basketball Federation Head Coach, Camp and Clinic Director; International Basketball Federation Head Coach and Camp Director; Northern Cyprus Basketball Federation Head Coach, Camp and Clinic Director; Guler Legacy Basketball Advisor in Istanbul; Director of Coaching for Sporting Work in Istanbul; and Sports for Life in Palestine/Israel Head Coach, Camp and Clinic Director.

Dial has made it a priority to be actively involved in the community. He initiated and created the Youth Ambassador Program for homeless facilities in San Antonio like Haven for Hope and SAMM Ministries, as well as at risk youth-serving partners like SA Youth.

Dial received a degree in political science and psychology from Texas Lutheran University, where he played on the basketball team. He later attended Texas State University, where he completed a master's program in international studies. His son JT was born in 2017 and is the Saints biggest fan.