Jamere Dismukes continues to climb the coaching ladder.
After leading Homewood-Flossmoor to unprecedented success, including 81 wins in three seasons and the program’s first-ever state championship in 2024, Dismukes is headed to Long Island University.
Dismukes stepped down as the H-F head coach last month. He now embarks on his dream of being a college coach and begins his college coaching journey as an assistant for coach Rod Strickland.
“My end game has always been to be a college basketball coach,” said Dismukes, who spent three seasons at H-F and previously coached at Hyde Park and Rich. “My goal in coaching is to be a Division I head coach. I hope the Lord blesses me with that opportunity.”
The Division I program has improved in each of Strickland’s three seasons. Long Island won just three games in Strickland’s first season, followed by seven victories in year two and 17 wins and a second-place finish in the Northeast Conference this past season.
Dismukes, who officially starts his job this week at Long Island, is thrilled about the opportunity and the challenge. Strickland has assured the 34-year-old, first-year assistant college coach that he will have an immediate voice in the program.
“I am just excited because he is going to put a lot on me and is going to expect a lot of me,” Dismukes said of Strickland, the former DePaul and NBA star. “He wants me to do what I do, help with the X’s and O’s, the skill development. The opportunity he’s giving me to actually coach at that level was important.”
While there was a previous relationship with Strickland that helped secure the job, Dismukes believes his time and success at H-F also helped.
“I appreciate the opportunity H-F gave me, because without the last three years I doubt I would be in the position to make the move I am now making,” Dismukes said. “The support I had at H-F was unwavering. I was never told no. They made sure we had everything we needed, and that played a key role in the success we had here.”
Dismukes leaves a program that is considered one of the state’s best. The Vikings followed up the 2024 state title with another 30-win season this past year, including a sectional title game appearance.
“I knew with the resources he had here that we could win,” Dismukes said of the H-F job. “But if I told you I thought it would happen in two years, that I thought we could win a state championship, go 30-2 in conference the last two years, I would be lying.”
Now Dismukes will look to Chicago and the suburbs for another opportunity — recruiting its players.
“Hopefully this can be one of my recruiting hot spots here in the Chicago area,” Dismukes said.
