Dick Heller

The Benton-Carroll-Salem School District and Oak Harbor Athletic Department welcome Dick Heller as Head Varsity Girls Basketball Coach for the 2023-24 school year.

“We are extremely excited to bring back Coach Heller to lead the Lady Rockets Basketball program. Heller is a great role model for our student athletes. He is a teacher of the game,” said Oak Harbor Athletic Director Dan Hoover.

“He is very passionate about the sport of basketball and Rocket Athletics. He has the experience and know how to lead the program to great things as we enter into the NBC next year. He will be an awesome addition to the Oak Harbor Athletic Department.”

After 35 years in the Sandusky Bay Conference, starting in the 2023-2024 school year the Rockets will begin play in the Northern Buckeye Conference. The NBC is located just to the west of the SBC, and provides stability with eight teams in the conference. It also includes a number of teams from the old Suburban Lakes League, which Oak Harbor was a member of for decades.

Heller brings 45 years of coaching experience to Oak Harbor, including his head coaching experience at Lakota High School and Danbury High School, earning nearly 340 wins.

Heller also served as Head Girls Basketball Coach at Oak Harbor High School from 2001-2009, earning a league title and three sectional championships during that time.  Heller was named Ohio’s Coach of the Year in 2002-03 and ended his tenure at Oak Harbor with a record of 121-73.

Developing strong relationships with his student-athletes to help them grow and mature as individuals will be a key objective for Heller at Oak Harbor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a masters degree in exercise science from the University of Toledo.

Serving as a science teacher for Lakota Local Schools for several years, Heller also has leadership experience with career coaching and coordinating a mentoring program.