Bio

Few people, if any, understand The College of Wooster basketball experience more fully than Doug Cline, a 1995 graduate of the school, does. Cline, who just completed his 28th year as a full-time member of the coaching staff, is now at the helm of the program he once starred for, following the retirement of Steve Moore at the conclusion of the 2019-20 academic year.

As an assistant, and more recently as associate head coach, Cline’s been heavily involved with every facet of the tradition-rich program, which has sustained a remarkable run of success, rivaled even by household name Div. I programs. Wooster’s won over 600 games (653-178) during Cline’s 28 years as a full-time staffer, and he’s helped the program make 23 NCAA appearances during that stretch, headlined by trips to the Div. III “Final Four” in 2003, 2007, and 2011. At the conference level, Wooster’s won 16 of its North Coast Athletic Conference-leading 19 titles during Cline’s tenure on the staff, including seven straight from 2005-11, and his first as head coach during the 2022-23 season. Cline, and Wooster's staff, were selected as the NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2023.

Since taking over as head coach, Wooster has posted a 61-29 record. The Fighting Scots won the 2022-23 NCAC championship and have earned two National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District honors. Nick Everett was voted the NCAC Player of the Year in 2023-24, Jamir Billings has twice been named the NCAC's Most Outstanding Defensive Player, and Wooster ended the 2023-24 season with the second-highest field-goal percentage in Div. III.

As a player for the Scots, Cline was a member of one of the top basketball classes ever at Wooster. Along with teammates Scott Meech, Craig Bradley, Jason Zerger, and Jeff Hamilton, Cline helped lead the Scots to three NCAA Tournament appearances, three North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championships, two NCAC regular season titles, and a record of 91-21 (.813) in four years.

For his career, Cline finished with 1,396 points, placing him 17th on Wooster’s all-time scoring list (No. 8 upon graduation). The three-time all-conference honoree also holds the fifth-best career field-goal percentage mark (.607) and the ninth-best field-goal percentage in a season (.634). An outstanding rebounder as well, Cline led the team in that category twice, including his senior year when he averaged 8.2 boards.

Prior to joining the Wooster team, Cline was a local high school star at Northwestern where he was an all-county and all-state selection as both a junior and senior.

Personally, Doug, and his wife, Lauren, live in Wooster. They are the proud parents of JJ (22), a senior at Wooster, the late Corey (3), and twins Courtney and Jordan (14).