05/20/2026
Hamilton Local School District is excited to announce the hiring of Dan Shackleford as the new Head Coach of the Hamilton Township High School Girls Basketball program. Shackleford brings decades of playing, coaching, training, and leadership experience to the Rangers, along with a passion for building strong relationships with student-athletes and communities.
Born and raised in Newark, Ohio, Shackleford is a graduate of Newark High School, where he played four years of basketball under High School Hall of Fame Coach Gary Walters. During his playing career, Newark captured three Central District Division II titles and won Buckeye Central Conference championships in 1991, 1992, and 1993.
Following high school, Shackleford continued his basketball career at Ohio State University-Newark/Central Ohio Technical College, where he played under NAIA Hall of Fame Coach John Kaminsky during the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
Shackleford’s coaching career spans nearly two decades across boys and girls basketball, football, and AAU athletics. He began coaching in 2007 as a Girls Varsity Assistant Coach at World Harvest Prep before serving as the Newark Boys Junior Cats Director and Coach from 2009-2014. He later held coaching positions at Newark High School as Freshman Boys Head Coach (2015-2016) and Junior Varsity Head Coach (2016-2019).
Most recently, he served as the Head Boys Varsity Basketball Coach at Lakewood High School from 2022-2026.
Beyond school athletics, Shackleford has made a major impact on girls basketball throughout Central Ohio through AAU competition and player development. In 2012, he co-founded Ohio Impact alongside former Ohio State basketball and volleyball standout and current University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Head Coach D’wan Vickroy-Shackleford. Under his leadership, Ohio Impact has become one of the most recognized girls AAU basketball programs in Central Ohio and has helped more than 32 student-athletes earn college basketball scholarships.
Professionally, Shackleford owns and operates a family solid waste and logistics company and opened Shack ‘U’ LLC Basketball Training Academy in Newark in 2017. His daughter, Jenna Shackleford, currently plays collegiate basketball at Ohio Dominican University.
Shackleford shared his excitement about joining the Ranger community, saying, “Hamilton Township has many great things happening within the school district. There are educators, coaches, administrators, school board members, and staff who have dedicated years to this district because they truly care about the students, the community, and each other. You can see the pride and investment throughout the campus and athletic facilities. Upon witnessing that commitment, I learned what the Hamilton Township represents for me, people who stayed home and watered their own grass. That loyalty and commitment to the school and community is why I know Hamilton Township is the place for me.”
Hamilton Local School District is excited to welcome Coach Shackleford to Ranger Nation and looks forward to the leadership, experience, and passion he will bring to the girls basketball program.
