Hobart Basketball Head Coach Stefan Thompson announced the addition of DJ Harter to his staff as an assistant coach. A native of Holland Patent, Harter joins the Statesmen after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Cortland.
“I’m excited to welcome DJ to the Hobart basketball coaching staff, HWS and the Geneva community,” Thompson said. “DJ is a go-getter who is enthusiastic and thrives on connecting with people. He’s gathered valuable experience during his time at SUNY Cortland and has impacted winning in many aspects of their program. He’s organized and excels at building relationships, something that’s evident in his player development. DJ is going to elevate our program immediately and will connect well with our returning roster and work tirelessly to bring in great additions to our program.”
At Cortland, Harter helped the Red Dragons compile a 56-29 record, including two SUNYAC championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances. His responsibilities included on-court instruction, scouting, recruiting, budgeting, scheduling and compliance.
This past season, Harter was part of a Cortland staff that guided the Red Dragons to a 24-5 overall record, matching the best mark in program history. Cortland captured the SUNYAC regular-season title with a 17-1 conference record and secured its second consecutive SUNYAC Tournament championship with an 84-51 victory over Oswego in the title game.
Harter also helped Cortland earn its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2016, a 75-66 win over Franklin & Marshall. The Red Dragons’ coaching staff was named the 2025-26 SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Harter has served as an AAU head coach for 15U and 16U teams during the past three summers.
As a student-athlete, Harter was a four-year member of the Utica men’s basketball team and served as a team captain during his senior season. He helped the Pioneers win two Empire 8 regular-season championships and one Empire 8 Tournament title. Harter was named to the NABC Honors Court for academic excellence and earned 2021 Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year honors.
Harter earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Utica in 2023 and a master’s degree in physical education from Cortland in 2024.
