Former Wisconsin basketball star Sam Dekker lands SEC assistant coaching job
Former Wisconsin Badgers star Sam Dekker is returning to college basketball as an assistant coach at South Carolina under Lamont Paris.
For a lot of Wisconsin men’s basketball fans, Sam Dekker will always be remembered as the hometown hero who helped carry the Badgers to back-to-back Final Fours and a national championship appearance.
Now, more than a decade after arriving in Madison as one of the most decorated recruits in state history, Dekker is returning to the college basketball scene not as a player using a final year of unused eligibility, but as an assistant coach in the SEC under Lamont Paris at South Carolina.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of Gamecock Basketball. I’m so grateful to Coach Paris for trusting me with this role, and I take it very seriously,” Dekker said. “The decision to transition from player to coach is not one I took lightly, but joining Coach Paris and this program was a dream opportunity. I am thrilled to return to the college game and compete at such a high level in the SEC. My 11 years as a pro have provided so many experiences with amazing players, coaches, and styles.
“Some of my best memories as a player were competing in two Final Fours with Coach Paris, and I look forward to doing that with him again. My goal is to win in March and give our players the best opportunity for success on and off the court.”
In a lot of ways, the move feels fitting.
Paris was a longtime assistant coach on Bo Ryan’s staff during Dekker’s entire career at Wisconsin, helping recruit and develop the former five-star prospect from Sheboygan Lutheran High School into one of the faces of one of the greatest stretches in modern program history.
And few players embodied Wisconsin basketball quite like Dekker did during that era.
Across three seasons from 2012-15, Dekker appeared in 113 games with 81 starts for the Badgers while scoring 1,363 career points, which still ranks 15th in program history. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 12.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for his career while steadily developing into one of the Big Ten’s most dangerous and versatile forwards.
By his junior season, Dekker, who earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds, had become one of the driving forces behind Wisconsin’s run to the 2015 national championship game alongside National Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky and a supporting cast that included Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Josh Gasser, Duje Dukan, Traevon Jackson, and Zak Showalter, among others.
That NCAA Tournament performance remains part of Badgers lore.
Dekker averaged 19.2 points per game during Wisconsin’s Final Four run, including a memorable 27-point performance against Arizona in the Elite Eight featuring the now-iconic dagger three-pointer. He earned West Region Most Outstanding Player honors during that tournament run. He finished his college basketball career as a two-time second-team All-Big Ten selection after also making the conference’s All-Freshman Team.
From there, basketball took him all over the world.
Dekker left school with one year of eligibility remaining, opting to enter the 2015 NBA Draft when his stock was arguably at its highest point following Wisconsin’s run to the national championship game against Duke. He was selected 18th overall by the Houston Rockets and spent parts of five seasons in the NBA with the Rockets, Clippers, Cavaliers, Wizards, and Raptors. Injuries prevented him from ever fully settling into a long-term NBA role, but his professional career hardly stopped there.
Overseas, Dekker carved out a highly successful second chapter.
He became one of the more accomplished American-born forwards playing internationally, earning All-EuroCup honors while helping lead the London Lions to multiple championships and individual MVP awards across Europe and the British Basketball League.
Now, the next chapter begins on the sideline.
Paris pointed directly to Dekker’s winning background, professional experience, and ability to help develop players as reasons for the hire.
And from Dekker’s perspective, returning to the college game alongside someone he already won with at the highest level made the transition feel natural. He’s also stepping into a program led by Paris, who earned SEC Coach of the Year honors in 2024 after leading one of the conference’s biggest turnarounds. However, South Carolina has struggled to maintain that momentum over the past two seasons and is looking to right the ship.
Dekker will also have the chance to coach former Wisconsin forward Aleksas Bieliauskas, who signed with South Carolina this offseason.
“Development of each player’s individual abilities is as important now as it has ever been in college basketball,” Paris said. “Sam’s unique experiences and skill set will allow him to have a tremendous impact on our players and program immediately. He is a winner through and through, and I am thrilled to add him to our staff as an assistant coach.”
For Wisconsin fans, though, it’s another reminder of just how special that era of Badgers basketball truly was — and how many of the figures from those teams continue finding success both on and off the court.
Dekker has spoken about feeling like he stepped away from the game before the game left him, and now he’ll be positioned to make a major impact in a college basketball landscape where leadership, experience, and the ability to connect with players may matter more than ever.
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