Wofford College star Noah Dahlman already has a bachelor's degree and is working toward certification

Senior Noah Dahlman is the teacher every time he walks into class this semester.

The reigning Southern Conference basketball player of the year is teaching American history classes at Chesnee (S.C.) High School instead of taking classes in person at Wofford College.

Already possessing a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a SoCon tournament championship ring, Dahlman is student-teaching to fulfill requirements to be a certified teacher in South Carolina.

"His assignment right now is to observe for the next couple weeks, but he's very eager to help and he's not good at sitting down and doing nothing," said Tripp Fogle, the history teacher to whom Dahlman has been assigned. "He's already led them through a couple of activities, and he did a 15-minute reading and question session this morning.

"A lot of [student-teachers] want to get away with doing nothing. That's not him. He wants to do as much as you let him."

Both of Dahlman's parents are educators, which helped spur his career interest and prepare him for the grind of giggles and goofballs.

"I saw a few girls passing notes. I'm pretty sure they were about me, and I caught them," said Dahlman, who has a keen interest in World War II and the Civil War. "They were embarrassed and put the notes back in their backpacks right away."

It's understandable that Dahlman is a topic of conversation at Chesnee High, which is about 30 minutes away from Wofford's Benjamin Johnson Arena in Spartanburg.

It's not often that a 6-foot-6 man is a history teacher, let alone one who's played basketball on national television and helped the Terriers come within four points of beating Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament last March.

"A couple of the guys in our class play on the team, and he connects with them," Fogle said. "But I think it's a bit refreshing for him to come here where students don't ooh-and-ahh over him. When he goes to class at Wofford, everybody knows who he is."

He's one of the best players ever to don a jersey at Wofford. And basketball coach Mike Young said he'll be one of the best teachers the college has produced.

There is little reason to doubt the coach on his statement. Dahlman is not intimidating during warmups. He can barely dunk. But after loss after loss for opposing teams, it's apparent that he plays as much with his mind as his body.

"He'll be the best teacher that the good Lord ever put on the face of this Earth," Young said, without a hint of exaggeration. "Like everything else he does in life, he will be the best because he will work like a dog. He is intensely committed to his work here academically. Nothing he does will be second-rate."

But teaching second grade, or 11th grade as he's helping teach now, may have to wait a bit. Dahlman said he'd like to check out professional playing opportunities overseas.

He's not quite ready to hang up his Nikes, regardless of Wofford's postseason fate.

"If somebody thinks I have a shot, then I'm going to pursue it," said Dahlman, who is averaging 19.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in his final college season. "That would be a dream come true."

He's also got other options. Dahlman could stay stat-side to teach and coach basketball. Or perhaps he could continue wearing black-and-gold as a member of the Wofford coaching staff.

"We haven't had a lot of discussions about his future because it's always about what's next, like App on Thursday," Young said. "If he's in grad school next year and doing GA work and coaching next year, it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

"Looking down the line, if you saw him on the Wofford sideline, don't let that surprise you, either."

Teacher and coach have a very similar definition. Dahlman has the skills to be both.

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484.

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