[RIDDER BY THE NUMBERS]
Ryan Ridder wasted no time changing the culture of Bethune-Cookman men's basketball with immediate success on and off the court. His inaugural 2017-18 Wildcat team finished 18-14 overall, and 12-4 in MEAC play to claim a share of BCU's second-ever MEAC regular season title. The win totals were the second-most in school Division 1 history for overall and conference play. The Wildcats broke numerous school records and featured the MEAC Player of the Year, Brandon Tabb, and Defensive Player of the Year, Soufiyane Diakite, increased BCU's RPI rating by over 60 points, and while being hired on Mar. 21, 2017, maintained a 1000 APR to finish 2016-2017 academic year while signing 6 new student-athletes for 2017-18. He was chosen as the recipient of the Joe B. Hall Award, which is bestowed to the top first year Division 1 Head Coach over finalists from Miami, Louisville, Oklahoma State, and Washington among others.
His team got off to a quick start with its winningest November in school history by totaling four victories. BCU defeated two ASUN Conference opponents for the first time ever with road victories over Jacksonville and Stetson, and BCU finished with the second-most road wins ever with eight. In January, BCU put together its second-longest win streak ever with six straight wins to open up the 2018 calendar year.
In addition to Tabb and Diakite, Ridder coached All-MEAC members Shawntrez Davis and Isaiah Bailey. His team took home six Defensive Player of the Week honors, most in the conference, and had two Player of the Week Honors. Ridder himself was also named a HoopDirt.com D1 Coach of the Week during the season.
His 2017-18 team finished with new school D1 records in scoring (2622 points and 81.9 per-game), free throws (575), attempts (820), rebounds (1346), rebounding average (42.1 and second nationally behind UNC), and assists (501). The Wildcats were second in both three-pointers made (241) and attempts (759), and finished fourth in single-season history with 123 blocks.
Under the eye of Ridder, Tabb finished first in single-season and BCU career history in free-throw percentage, and finished 22nd all-time in Wildcat scoring.
The next season saw Ridder navigate the team through a series of adverse obstacles to again set milestones, including consecutive Defensive Players of the Year when Cletrell Pope earned the honor and set a MEAC single-season record with 22 double-doubles. For the first time ever, BCU was pegged as the Preseason Favorite in the MEAC. The Wildcats placed three on the All-Conference Preseason team.
BCU just posted its second ever three-win November. Coupled with 2017's 4-3 mark in the month, the Wildcats have posted their best consecutive Novembers in program history. All this came despite losing All-MEAC pick Isiah Bailey to a season-ending injury.
To cap the month, BCU defeated cross-county foe Stetson at home, 84-74, to mark the first time in series history that the Wildcats won Volusia County bragging rights in consecutive years.
In its 72-70 home victory against FAU on Dec. 1, BCU claimed its first victory over a Conference USA opponent, and the win carried the most quality of its first four, as FAU entered with a NET ranking of 90.
The Wildcats finished the month where neither the remaining All-MEAC picks, Shawntrez Davis and Soufi Diakite, played together. It again ended with a milestone in a 74-66 road win at Boston U on 12/21. It was BCU's first win in last game before Christmas break since 2009, December true “road” win since 2010, December non-conference road W since 2009, win against the Patriot League, men’s D1 Florida program to win at Case Gym, and the first time BCU shot over 60% from 3 since Feb. 3, 2014 vs. SCSU (83.3%).
As the calendar turned to January, the nation became acquainted with first-year Wildcat Cletrell Pope. In a road contest at Morgan State, he registered career-highs of 24 points and 22 rebounds that put him in rare company. He was just the 8th player in the nation to post a 20/20 game in the season, and joined Western Michigan’s Seth Dugan as the only players with at least 24 points and 22 rebounds (Dugan totaled 32 on Nov. 6).
No player in the NCAA since March of 2016 had produced 24/22 with at least 10 offensive rebounds, and only eight others have done so since 2010-11.
Pope went on to earn Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-MEAC honors. He was second in the country with 22 double-doubles, and led the nation with 4.32 offensive boards per-game. He pulled down 7.84 defensive rebounds per-game to rank 13th overall and lead the MEAC, and was third in the country with a 12.2 total rebound average. Pope's 377 total boards was fourth-most in the nation and set a BCU Division 1 record. It also placed him 5th all-time in school single-season rebounds.
Malik Maitland earned Second Team and Davis was named to the Third Team.
BCU led the MEAC in rebounding average (41.10) and was third nationally. The Wildcats also paced the conference with 13.58 offensive rebounds per-game (eighth nationally), an average of 27.52 defensive rebounds (27th nationally), and three-point defense of 30.2% (18th nationally).
The Wildcats were second in field goal defense (41.3%), steals (7.5 per-game), and rebounding margin (3.4).
BCU had a 10-4 home record that matched last year’s win total. The 20 wins represent the highest two-year total since 2009-11, when the Wildcats won 11 home contests each year. Those years, however, the Wildcats could play up to four non-Division 1 foes.
BCU finished 9-7 in the conference, and Ridder owned 32 wins through his first two seasons leading the Wildcats. That is tied for first in BCU history for a Head Coach’s first two seasons, along with his predecessor, Gravelle Craig. Ridder’s 21 MEAC wins is best in the first two-year span.
Ridder was named Men's Head Basketball Coach at Bethune-Cookman University on March 31, 2017.
No stranger to Daytona Beach area basketball as both a player and coach, Ridder came to Bethune-Cookman after a four-year stint at Daytona State College. Ridder was successful in helping lead a resurgence of the Falcons program that produced 95 victories and four Mid-Florida Conference championships.
Additionally at Daytona State, Ridder coached 17 all-conference players, four all-region student-athletes, and one NJCAA Second Team All-America performer. Daytona State also finished the regular season ranked in the NJCAA National Poll in all four Ridder's seasons. Ridder was named Mid-Florida Conference Coach of the Year in each of his four seasons at the helm of the Falcons program.
Off the court, Ridder's student-athletes had a 100 percent graduation his first two years, and 96 percent overall across four years.
Daytona State was also the only team in its region to achieve a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and one of 12 teams in the country to hold a 3.0 cumulative GPA during the 2014-2015 academic and athletic year. Sixteen of his players have gone on to play basketball at four-year schools, including Tanksley Efianayi (UCF), Rashuan Stimage (DePaul) and Wesley Alcegaire (Bowling Green).
The son of legendary Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball Head Coach Steve Ridder, Ryan first made his mark as one of Volusia County's premier high school players under Ed Miller at Father Lopez High School. While playing for the Green Wave at Father Lopez, Ridder earned all-area accolades three times while scoring over 1,100 points and dishing out 300 assists. He was named an all-state honorable mention performer in both his junior and senior years, respectively.
After starting his collegiate career at Wooster, he transferred back home to play for his father at Embry-Riddle from 2006-08, starting at point guard and serving as team captain in his junior and senior season. He led the Sun Conference with a 4.24 assists average as a senior. He earned a degree in Aerospace Studies in 2008.
Upon graduation, Ridder moved to North Carolina where he remained involved with basketball on the skill development side. He trained players from youth to those with NBA aspirations while working for the Hoop City U basketball training academy. In addition, he was the head coach for a number of teams engaged in international competition with 365 Sports, and he served as the assistant boys' basketball coach at North Raleigh Christian.
He returned to Embry-Riddle, spending the 2009-10 campaign as a volunteer assistant, helping his father coach the Eagles to a 30-6 record and a quarterfinals berth in the NAIA National Tournament.
No stranger to the Division I level of athletics, Ridder served three years as an assistant coach at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. During Ridder's three years with the Fighting Camels, the program's recruiting classes were among the highest ranked in the Atlantic Sun Conference. He helped the Fighting Camels knock off power conference members Iowa and Auburn, as well as in-state rivals East Carolina, Appalachian State and UNC Wilmington. Three of Ridder's players earned all-conference honors and one Freshman of the Year award.
Ridder earned his Master's Degree in Sports Management from California University of Pennsylvania in 2009.
He married Jen (Calnan) on May 6th, 2017, and the couple welcomed daughter Brixton in August 2018. Remi Rae joined the family on July 26, 2020.
