Richard Tharp
Richard Tharp
Title: Head Men's Basketball Coach
Phone: 330-312-4228
Email: rtharp4@kent.edu

Richard D. Tharp, of East Canton, OH, is in his eighth season as the head men’s basketball coach for Kent State University at Tuscarawas. He has more than 38 years of basketball coaching experience in the East Canton and Canton South school systems, as well as Stark, Summit and Tuscarawas County AAU basketball. In addition to his coaching career, Tharp was employed by American Electric Power for 30 years, most recently as a distribution system supervisor.

Seven of Coach Tharp's Golden Eagles have earned USCAA All-American honors, while two more earned USCAA Academic All-American honors and seven have been named USCAA National Player of the Week. The 2018-19 team finished 12th in the final USCAA National Basketball Poll, just missing the national tournament. In 2021-22 however, the Golden Eagles qualified for the USCAA National Basketball Championships in Richmond, VA, and won a first-round play-in game. They lost in the quarter finals to No. 1 seed and No. 1 nationally ranked Penn State Mont Alto by five points. In 2023 the Golden Eagles made it to the Final Four and fell to the No. 1 ranked and top seed Penn State Wilkes Barre by five points.

Tharp’s successful coaching career includes a 14-year stint as a varsity boys assistant coach at East Canton High School and has presently served three years as girls varsity assistant coach at Canton South High. He has also served as an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) head coach since March 2010 and is the founder, owner and operator of the 47 Swish AAU basketball organization. He also founded and served as president and basketball coach for the Wildcat Youth Basketball Association (WYBA), the Press-News Youth Basketball League.  In addition to basketball, Tharp was also a vice-president, president and coach for the Canton South Baseball Association and was an assistant coach for the Canton South Softball Association.

Coach Tharp is certified by the American Heart Association in CPR – First Aid, has earned his Concussion Protocol Certification and is also certified by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to coach in exposure events. He was recently named Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) District 4 Assistant Coach of the Year.