Dean College Men's Basketball

Erik Chipman is a seasoned athletics coach and procurement professional, currently serving as the Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach and entering his 2nd season as Head Men’s and Women’s Golf Coach. With a background in sport management and a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern New Hampshire University, Coach Chipman brings over a decade of experience in coaching, recruiting, and program development. In his long-standing role with Dean College, Erik has played a vital part in building and sustaining a competitive basketball program, mentoring student-athletes both on the court and academically. He has successfully recruited and coached three All-Americans, guided several all-conference players, and contributed to the development of student-athletes reaching the 1,000-point milestone. He also as extensive experience working camps at some of the nation's top collegiate programs, including Duke, UConn and Providence College. As Head Coach of the college’s golf teams, he oversees all aspects of scheduling, recruiting, and operations, competing in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. With additional experience in sports media through The Hoop Group and operational roles with the University of New Hampshire Men’s Basketball team, Erik brings a dynamic combination of business acumen and coaching expertise. His deep understanding of team management, strategic operations, and student-athlete development makes him a respected leader in both collegiate athletics and corporate procurement.

Jackson Garner enters his second season as an Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator. He is also in his first season as the Head Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach. He joined the Bulldogs' staff in the fall of 2024. Originally from Wheaton, Illinois, Garner studied and played at Saint John’s University (MN), before earning a degree in Communication Studies and Political Science from Marquette University in 2020. In his time at Marquette, Ganer served as a digital media and marketing intern for the Marquette athletic department,  After graduation,  he spent time in the San Diego Padres organization, working in operations through 2023. After his time in San Diego, Garner relocated to Johnston, R.I. and joined The Kraft Group as an Operations Associate. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Health & Physical Education at the University of Rhode Island.

Rico Cabral, now a volunteer assistant coach under his son Joe, will be on the Dean sideline for the 12th season in 2025-26. He spent his first seven years at Dean as the head coach. Over a 40-year career as a Head Coach, Rico finished with a 576-443 record.  In his six seasons (no games during his seventh season) as the Head Coach of the Bulldogs, Cabral guided the program to an impressive 105-54 record. Among those 105 wins, was the 500th of his legendary coaching career on November 22, 2015. Under his watch, a pair of student-athletes moved on to Division I as full scholarship student-athletes and both earned National Junior College Association of America (NJCAA) All-American accolades. In his first season with the Bulldogs, Cabral guided Dean to the 2015 Region XXI Championship and in 2017, he led his squad to the United States Collegiate Association of America (USCAA) National Tournament. Prior to his arrival at Dean, Cabral spent 21 seasons as the head coach at Mount Ida College in Newton, Massachusetts. While with the Mustangs, Cabral took them from the junior college level all the way to full NCAA Division III membership. Under his tutelage the Mustangs captured their first-ever (and still only) conference crown in 1999-00, when Mount Ida went 18-7 overall and 8-0 in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), culminating a two-year stretch where they went undefeated against league competition (15-0). Overall, Cabral won 281 games with the Mustangs and is still the program’s all-time winningest coach. Prior to his time at Mount Ida, Cabral spent five seasons stalking the sidelines at Massasoit Community College (Brockton, Massachusetts) where his teams went a combined 108-50 and won 20 or more games in four of those five seasons. Cabral has served as an assistant coach at Division I institutions as well, beginning at Saint Bonaventure in Olean, N.Y. and continuing on to Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. A former two-year star on the court at Massasoit from 1969-71, Cabral moved on to Boston State where he played for Boston Celtics legend Jim Loscutoff, serving as captain before graduating in 1976. Cabral has received numerous honors throughout his coaching career, including being inducted into the Sharon (Mass.) High School Hall of Fame, the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the respective Hall of Fames at Massasoit and Mount Ida. In addition, he was named the NJCAA Region XXI Coach of the Year six times and was named NAC Coach of the Year in 2000. Cabral has two sons, Michael and Joseph.

Joe Cabral enters his sixth season as Head Coach of the Dean College Men’s Basketball program in the 2026-2027 season. He was named Assistant Director of Athletics and Recruiting Coordinator in summer 2024.  In the 2025-26 campaign, the Bulldogs finished with an impressive 15-11 record and earned their third consecutive postseason appearance. In addition, three seniors officially eclipsed 1,000 career points (Christian Yeates, Xavier Rubio, Xavier Boyd). It's the first time in program history that players reached the milestone in the same season. Under the direction of Cabral, the Bulldogs finished with a historic 2024-25 season. the team finished with a 16-11 record, surpassing their win totals from the previous three seasons. They also hosted a first round playoff game, defeating Anna Maria College in storybook fashion. In additional to the regular season achievements, Billy Ray Barnes also earned Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Third Team All-Conference honors and was named a USBWA Division III National Player of the Week.  Coach Cabral has also guided the Bulldogs to several high-level accolades. Guard AJ Weston was named GNAC Second Team All-Conference two years in a row (2022-23, 23-24). The team received the prestigious NABC Team Academic Excellence Award in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. In 2022-23, the Bulldogs went 14-11. Cabral also spent time as the Cross Country Head Coach from 2018 to 2023. Under his guidance, the Men’s program won back-to-back NECC Conference Championships in 2018 and 2019. Cabral was named 2019 NECC Cross Country Coach of the Year. Prior to being named Head Coach, Cabral served as the Associate Head Coach under his father Rico for four seasons. The 2018/19 team finished with a 17-9 record.  He was instrumental in recruiting and developing NECC All Conference selections Jordan Booker, Dayvon Russell, Armani Baker and Jordan Lynch – Rexroth. Rexroth was also named 2021 GNAC Man of the Year. Booker was named NECC player of the Year in 2019-20. Cabral’s first stint at Dean took place in 2012-13 as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs.  The team finished 17-6 and advanced to the NJCAA Region 21 championship game. Prior to Dean, Cabral spent three seasons at Lasell University. The Lasers finished 18-12 in 2013-14 and advanced to the ECAC Championship contest.  Lasell’s 2016-17 squad finished 19-9, finishing as GNAC runner up.  Cabral was responsible for recruiting Clyde Niba, Pat Marchand, and Armin Omanovic to Lasell, all of which were GNAC All Conference selections.  Omanovic was also a finalist for the Jostens trophy, the nation’s top player.  Cabral also spent the 2015-16 season at Rhode Island College as an assistant coach. Cabral was a four-year letter winner at Mount Ida College, where he was team captain for three seasons. He started 71 games for the Mustangs during his playing career and appeared in 100 overall.  He is part of the GNAC 500 career rebound club. A three-time GNAC Academic All-Conference selection, Cabral was a member of the Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society for business students. A 2012 graduate of Mount Ida College, Cabral is a multiple time Dean’s List honoree with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.  

Peter Stathakis enters his second season as an Assistant Coach & Head Coach of the JV Men's Basketball Program.  Since his arrival at Dean, Stathakis has become an integral part of starting the JV Men's Basketball Program. In their inaugural season last year, the team finished with a 6-5 record, a positive percentage over the span of the three month slate. The team also picked up key wins versus Mitchell College, Qunnsigamond Community College, and Northern Essex Community College.  In addition to their success in the win column, several players from the team also went on to be key players in varsity program. Stathakis oversaw the development of center Noah Ritchards, who went on to start several GNAC playoff games for the Bulldogs in 2025. Stathakis is a graduate of Western New England University, earning his bachelor's in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management. He also played two seasons for the Golden Bears' men's basketball program.