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Sullivan East boys basketball coach Dyer built 3-point institution in his final year
John Dyer (center) was a Tennessee coaching staple for over 30 years and recently retired from his long-held boys basketball position at Sullivan East High School. Though his time with the Patriots is up, Dyer is happy with what he was able to produce in over three decades with the team. (Photo: Patriot Pride Association)

Sullivan East boys basketball coach Dyer built 3-point institution in his final year

BLUFF CITY, Tenn. (BVM) — Names of historic coaches adorning the outside of arenas are nothing new. Lambeau Field may be the most famous of such examples where a coach so personified an organization or team that just the mention of the team’s nickname elicits thoughts of such names. It is a distinct and rare honor, but one that keeps the coach forever remembered for their impact in the community. The same is the case for the Sullivan East Patriots basketball arena known as the “Dyer Dome,” which was named after the successes of longtime Patriots boys basketball coach John Dyer.

“That is just one of the most humbling experiences,” Dyer said. “Words can’t describe when they did that. It was an honor you can’t describe. It was greatly appreciated and humbling.”

In Dec. 2019, Dyer announced he would be retiring from his post at the helm of the Sullivan East team after 32 years. On Feb. 29, Dyer coached his last game courtside for the Patriots in a 74-71 loss against Grainger in the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association (TSSAA) Region 1-AA first round.

“You just feel like you know it’s time,” Dyer said of his decision. “I think it’s just the right time to retire and look to the next chapter of my life.”

With the loss, Dyer would end his coaching career, a 36-year long journey, one that had started when the coach was just a young college graduate.

In 1984, the Lexington, Ky. native had just graduated from Milligan College when he took his first head coaching position at Johnson County. At only 23 years old, the opportunity was an immense one for a young coach trying to get his feet wet in the industry. 

“I’ve wanted to be a coach ever since I was in seventh grade, that’s the one thing I ever wanted to do is be a coach,” Dyer said. “I interviewed for the JV job and didn’t hear anything. School had actually started and I interviewed again and at the end of the interview they said ‘You think you could handle being the varsity coach?’ and I said ‘Sure!’ so that was exciting.”

Dyer would only coach at Johnson County for four years, but the lessons he learned at the stop would remain with him through the rest of his career. Dyer adopted the motto “tough times don’t last, tough people do.” That mindset not only helped Dyer through Johnson County, but through his entire tenure as a head coach.

Dyer’s next stop lasted much longer than that when he was hired by Sullivan East in 1989. 

From that moment on, the Patriots were Dyer’s team and he reflected it in the way he coached his players. Using mostly fast and relentless offensive tactics, Dyer was able to build a program that was always competitive in the area, but one that seemingly could never break through the regional tournament. 

Dyer adopted the coaching philosophy “tough times don’t last, tough people do” and has instilled that same belief into his Patriots teams. (Photo: Patriot Pride Association)

“We’ve had some really good years, we’ve had some tough years,” Dyer said. “We survived through the good and the bad.”

That all changed in 2017.

That season, Dyer, who had just seen his name be put on the school’s gymnasium two years prior, led the Patriots to a space they’d never been before: the TSSAA state boys basketball tournament. For the longtime head coach, it was a pinnacle of a then 33-year coaching career. Though the team would be bounced in the first round by eventual champions Maplewood, Dyer would be recognized as the Boys Basketball Coach of the Year by the Bristol Herald-Courier and the season would live on as one of his favorites during his time at Sullivan East.

“That was a culmination of all the years and all the kids we coached,” Dyer said. “We had a special group. … Everybody just matched everything we had talked about for years. We’ve had lots of great teams, lots of great players, lots of exciting times and that just kind of put the final stamp on everything. That was definitely an exciting time for our community and our school.”

Although this year marked the end of his illustrious career with the Patriots, Dyer made sure his final season was a memorable one for Patriots fans.

During the 2019-2020 season, Dyer let his offense shoot the ball with reckless abandon. Not only did the Patriots put the ball up in the air at an unprecedented rate, they did most of it from behind the arc. The Patriots relied so much on the 3-point ball that they set a new TSSAA record for 3-point attempts in a season with 1,032, the only team to ever eclipse 1,000 attempts. Not only did they take a record amount of threes, but they also converted at nearly a record rate, finishing with the second highest total made in a season with 377, just 11 short of the TSSAA record. 

“We’ve been known as shooters,” Dyer said. “They call it the dribble-drive now, but we’ve done that before that was famous. … We give them the green light. As long as they take good shots, we’re not going to get mad as long as they’re good shots.”

This is not a bad adjustment considering that when Dyer started coaching, the 3-point line had yet to be established for Tennessee high school basketball.

“When I first started coaching there was no 3-point line, that came in ‘87-’88,” Dyer said. “Everyone was cautious for a while with the 3-point shot. … We embraced the 3-point shot early and it’s been good to us.”

Perhaps the most memorable 3-point shot came for the Patriots in what would be Dyer’s final coaching appearance in the gym that bears his name. In a close game against Unicoi County in the District 1-AA consolation game, the Patriots found themselves down 82-80 with seconds left. A quick offensive motion to the left corner set up Ethan Bradford with just enough space to deliver a last-second shot to win the game. The ball, as if pushed down by the belief and hope of Patriots fans, went in, giving the Patriots and their longtime head coach one last win in the Dyer Dome, good for his 565th win in his career.

“That was an incredible way to go out at our home games,” Dyer said. “That’s kind of like the end of Disney movies and the shot goes in. In life that doesn’t really happen very often, but that was really cool.”

The longtime head coach was honored during the season with a ceremony recognizing his years of dedication and commitment to the team. For Dyer, the ceremony was an emotional time to look back on his career with the Patriots.

“(There was) a lot of reflection,” Dyer said. “(I am) very humbled. We had a lot of our old players back. It was just a good time and (I have) a lot of gratitude towards our school and our community for how they have been so supportive.”

Now, Dyer hands the reins of his team over to his longtime assistant coach and former player Dillon Faver who will have the opportunity to work with a solid upcoming roster. With only one senior graduating from the team this past season, the Patriots will look to build on their finish with their new coach and Dyer is excited for the possibilities.

“We feel like it’s in good hands and we have a good team coming back so we are excited about Dillon being able to get off to a good start in his coaching career,” Dyer said.

Though he may be done coaching, Dyer may not be done teaching as he hopes to help encourage young coaches to stay in the craft. Although his time as a coach is now over, Dyer’s impact on the program and the community will be felt forever. The history of Patriots basketball cannot be written without the name John Dyer and Patriots fans of the past and the future will be reminded of how much he gave the team every time they step into the Dyer Dome. It is a rare occurrence to earn your name on the building your team calls home, but Dyer has been more than deserving of such an honor.