Custom Search DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- – Bethune-Cookman University has announced the departure of head men's basketball coach Ryan Ridder to accept the head coaching position at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Ridder, hired in 2017, posted an overall 48-45 record in three seasons as head coach (all B-CU athletics were suspended for the 2020-21 academic year due to the Covid-19 Pandemic). Ridder's 31-17 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference record places him atop the men's basketball record books as the Wildcat coach with the highest winning percentage and best career conference record for Bethune-Cookman in its Division I era.
"I want to thank Ryan Ridder for his great work as our head coach. I often challenge recruits when they become a part of the Wildcat Nation to have as much impact on the institution as it will have on them personally. In Coach Ridder's case, it worked both ways. His success and impact on our program have provided him a tremendous opportunity for his family and that is what a coach's life and journey is about," said Lynn W. Thompson, B-CU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. "Not only did he become a significant part of our family, but he was successful in leading us to a conference regular season title and consistency in the upper division of our league as he transformed the lives of the young men in our program. Even more importantly, he will carry the legacy of our university and his love for Daytona Beach wherever he goes. This is his home and we wish him well. Once a Wildcat…always a Wildcat."
"The success of our program and quality of our staff presents constant challenges and opportunities such as this. To ensure that we continue our current course and momentum, Associate Head Coach Dominique Taylor has been appointed Acting Head Coach to navigate the program during the transition" said Thompson.