Dexter Gooding

Bio

Dexter Gooding joined head coach Linc Darner's staff at the University of Tampa for the 2023-24 season. He is entering his third season as an assistant coach.

Gooding is also a highly regarded skills trainer for professional basketball players, with many of his players competing across multiple high-level leagues, including, but not limited to, the NBA, EuroLeague, CBA, and NBL. Recently, Gooding trained 2024 and 2025 NBA Draft picks Anton Watson and Jahmai Mashack.

Gooding was part of the coaching staff in 2024-2025, during which the Spartans achieved the most regular-season wins since the 2012-13 season (19 wins) and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The team finished the season with 20 wins and advanced to the semi-final of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. They went undefeated in non-conference play to start the year and reached as high as No. 19 in the national rankings. The 2024-2025 team was ranked in the top ten nationally in team rebounds and three-point field goal percentage.

Gooding previously served on the coaching staff at his alma mater, returning to High Point University as the Director of Player Development for Men's Basketball in August of 2021. He held the position through the 2022-23 season. Gooding was key in the development of Big South all-conference players John-Michael Wright, Zach Austin, and Jaden House.

Before High Point, he served for two years as a graduate assistant coach at the University of South Florida, under the guidance of head coach Brian Gregory. While at the University of South Florida, Gooding played an instrumental role in the development of AAC All-League players, including Alexis Yetna, David Collins, Laquincy Rideau, and Caleb Murphy.

Before his role as a graduate assistant, Gooding spent four seasons playing for High Point from 2015 to 19. While at HPU, he was part of the 2015-2016 Big South Regular Season Championship team, which also made an NIT appearance that same season. Throughout his playing career, Gooding accumulated numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Academic All-American and being named to the Big South Presidential Honor Roll four times.

Gooding graduated from High Point University in 2019, earning his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. In 2021, he earned his master's degree in Global Sustainability with concentrations of Food Security and Sustainable Energy. Before High Point, Gooding graduated from Spruce Creek High School in Daytona Beach, Fla.