Former UA basketball letterwinner Rick McFadden is in his seventh season on Keith Dambrot's staff, the second as the recruiting coordinator. He held the position of director of basketball operations for each of his first three seasons. McFadden is heavily involved in the program's recruiting effort and helps out with all aspects of game preparation and on-court instruction.

As a student-athlete, McFadden played three seasons for the Zips (2003-05) and averaged 8.4 points-per-game as a senior. He scored a majority of his points from behind the 3-point arc, with 107 of his 174 made field goals over his career coming from long range. During the 2003-04 season he set the school's single-season record for 3-point field-goal percentage, converting 48 percent (56-of-118).

McFadden spent his first two years of collegiate eligibility as a quarterback on the Ohio State football team. He completed his bachelor's degree in secondary education from Akron in 2005. He and his wife, Christie (who played basketball at Youngstown State), are both natives of Struthers, Ohio, and have one daughter, Reece. Christie is the learning center coordinator in the Student-Athlete Academic Support Services Department.