USCA alumnus talks life with the Dallas Mavericks

It isn’t every day that you land your dream job, particularly when it's working for a leading global sports company like the National Basketball Association.

Rico Hall, however, has made his dream a reality as the assistant director of sport psychology and mental coach for the Dallas Mavericks.

On a normal day, Hall stands on the sidelines, promoting peak performance among players. “When you’re in this position, you get one chance to make a good impression and one chance to mess it up,” Hall said.

Working for the NBA, however, does have its perks, including meeting the biggest stars in entertainment. “I’m still waiting to meet Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington,” he said. “Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Drake have been at the games. This year I had a chance to meet Ernie Johnson, with TNT Sports. It’s the non-athletes that I'm more excited to meet because you see the players all the time.”

“There is something special about seeing Rico in the NBA,” said Dr. Jamel Hodges, dean of students at USCA. “Rico has basketball in his heart. He was always associated with basketball as a student.”

Life at USCA

A native of Florence, South Carolina, Hall’s journey into the world of sports started at USCA in 2005. “I found USCA through basketball. That’s what intrigued me at the time,” he said.

Hall graduated from USCA with a degree in communication with a minor in exercise & sports science with an emphasis in fitness management. During his collegiate career, he was a student orientation leader, pledged the Sigma Tau Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and worked as a student employee in the Office of Intercultural Affairs, all while playing three seasons on the men’s basketball team.

While working for the Division of Student Affairs, Hall said he remembers serving on the committee that advised on the construction of the Student Activities Center. “I even remember being at the groundbreaking for the Convocation Center,” he said.

“I first met Rico during my orientation in 2006. He was a Pacesetter. It was obvious that he had an infectious personality,” Hodges said. “Everyone loved him. He was the first person I looked at as a role model at USCA. Seeing how he interacted with people and how people interacted with him really gave me the model of how to thrive socially.”

Both Hodges and Hall were initiated into the Sigma Tau Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated in same semester. “I believe it’s good that you’re able to develop solid friendships and you may not talk all the time but as soon as we get around each other it’s like nothing ever changed,” Hall said.

“Along with our two other line brothers, we really created a culture of being the best at USCA,” Hodges said. “Our goal was to be the chapter the campus population saw as leader. I learned a lot from Rico just by watching him continue to grind through college while maintaining multiple jobs. My good brother was indestructible.”

Life After Graduation

After graduating in 2010, Hall worked at the Aiken County Family YMCA for a few months before accepting a position at Eastern University as a graduate assistant/player development coach for women’s basketball.

During that time, he obtained his master's degree while playing basketball overseas in countries like South America, Bethelum, Germany, and more.

“I hooked up with a group called Athletes in Action while overseas who were really passionate about humanitarian work,” he said. “Once I finished my graduate degree, I had the opportunity to play professionally all over the world. When I wasn’t playing, I was doing a lot of humanitarian work like school development and even coached kids on basketball during my spare time.”

After five years of playing basketball overseas, Hall got his doctoral degree in sport and performance psychology from the University of Western States.

Life in the NBA

“I knew I wanted to get to the NBA level because I had so much basketball and leadership experience,” Hall said. “I connected with someone I knew in Chicago. A couple of months went by, and an opportunity opened in Dallas, and I was able to get the connection.”

Hall’s job interview with the Dallas Mavericks lasted six months before he was officially hired as the director mental performance coach during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was hired to help the players through any mental health issues they maybe facing while also handling their performance,” Hall said. “My role is connecting people and building relationships. You get in building relationships with the players, if the front office needs you to help with draft prep you help with that, if the coach needs help, I’m assisting with that as well.”

Other aspects he loves about his job with the Mavericks are getting to work with Head Coach Jason Kidd and General Manager Nico Harrison.

“Everyone at this level is really good at what they do or else they wouldn’t be here,” Hall said. “When you have a group of like-minded people it makes it fun to work together. We really like each other, and the personalities just come together.”

Hall admitted that one of the biggest sacrifices of his career is not getting time to spend with family. “You really don’t have time to yourself. You sacrifice family time for time in your work,” he said. “All this year, we were gone for every holiday and weekends so you really have to have an understanding spouse and friend group who can understand the life of a pro-sports job.”

Hall believes small beginnings can pave the way for larger opportunities. "Everything is an opportunity. When I was getting started, I had multiple internships, worked a regular job, on top of going to school and that was just the grind. But what I didn’t realize was how strong I was becoming.”

“He never gave up and he never quit,” Hodges said. “The route may have changed, but he made it to the NBA as a coach. I am thrilled to call him my friend and even more privileged to call him my brother.”

For more information, contact USCA Marketing & Communication at news@usca.edu.