Chris Victor, Nick Robinson and Ryan Madry have all been named assistant coaches on the Seattle U men’s basketball staff, Head Coach Jim Hayford announced.
“I am very excited to announce our coaching staff to the Seattle University community,” said Hayford. “All three men have had great winning backgrounds that have led to postseason success, all three have been head coaches, and all three will be great teachers on the floor.
“All three have also had great success recruiting Seattle-area players to three different DI schools outside of the Seattle area, and will be very capable to keeping that same level of talent right here in our hometown,” Hayford continued.
Victor makes the trip west from Cheney, Wash., where he served as an assistant on Hayford’s staff at Eastern Washington for the past two seasons. His first season on the Eagle coaching staff was punctuated by Eastern’s first-ever victory in a national postseason tournament as a member of NCAA Division I when the Eagles beat Pepperdine 79-72 in the College Basketball Invitational. The Eagles went 22-12 and returned to the CBI in 2016-17.
“Chris is one of the brightest young basketball minds on the West Coast,” said Hayford. “He was very successful junior college head coach in California. I am very fortunate to have had him join my staff for the last two years at Eastern and to continue his coaching journey with me at Seattle University.”
Victor led the Owls to 103 victories in his five seasons at Citrus College in Glendora, Calif., a member of the Western State Conference and the California Community College Athletic Association. He won 73 percent of his games overall (103-39) and 73 percent in league play (44-16) with a pair of CCCAA Final Four appearances and one league title.
“I am extremely excited to join Coach Hayford’s staff and the Seattle University family,” said Victor. “I am honored to be a part of this prestigious university and the rich Seattle basketball tradition. Coach Hayford has created a championship culture everywhere he’s been, and I look forward to helping him build that here at Seattle U.”
Victor spent four seasons as a top assistant at Concordia University in Irvine under head coach Ken Amman. In that span, Concordia went 118-23, won three out of four Golden State Athletic Conference Championships and made four-straight appearances in the NAIA National Tournament, even appearing in the national title game in 2006-07.
Prior to his coaching career, Victor was a decorated player at Concordia, playing a key role in helping the Eagles advance to the NAIA championship game in both 2003 and 2004. In the 2003 title game, Victor scored a season-high 26 points and dished out nine assists as he helped lead Concordia to its first national championship in program history. Victor helped his school to a 90-21 record, and is ranked in the top 10 all-time in points and 3-pointers, and is third all-time in assists and steals for Concordia.
He received his bachelor of arts degree in 2004 as a business marketing major with a mathematics minor. He earned his master’s degree from Concordia in 2010 in coaching and athletic administration.
Robinson joins the Seattle U staff after spending four seasons as the head coach at Southern Utah University. During his tenure, he had 20 student-athletes earn Big Sky Academic All-Conference honors, five named to the NABC Honors Court, one NABC Academic Excellence Team (2012-13) and two All-Big Sky selections.
“Nick and I competed as head coaches against each other in the Big Sky Conference,” said Hayford. “Prior to that, he was a member of very successful coaching staffs at Louisiana State and Stanford, and enjoyed an outstanding winning career as a player for the Cardinal.”
Before his tenure at SUU, Robinson was on staff at Louisiana State University, where he spent three seasons (2009-12) and contributed to the program’s return to post season play after a two-year drought and the development of one future NBA player. Prior to his time at LSU, Robinson served one season (2008-09) on the staff at William Jewell College where they defeated the No. 1 team in the country in the first round of the NAIA DI Tournament.
“I’m grateful to join Coach Hayford’s staff and be a part of the Seattle U family,” Robinson said. “The values of the University, the community support and the chance to develop student-athletes at a great institution are what excite me the most heading into the future.”
Before his stint at William Jewell, Robinson served two seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Stanford University. He contributed to the development of three future NBA players and assisted the team as they reached the 2007 NCAA Tournament and the 2008 NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the Sweet 16.
Robinson played his college basketball at Stanford from 2001-05, where he was instrumental in guiding the Cardinal to an impressive 92-34 record, four trips to the NCAA Tournament, a Pac-10 championship, and a No. 1 national ranking during the 2003-04 season.
Robinson holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in sociology from Stanford University.
Madry recently completed six seasons as an assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara, serving as one of the staff’s primary recruiters while also handling numerous on-court duties. During his six seasons with the Gauchos, UCSB reached the postseason three times and posted four seasons of 19-plus wins.
“Ryan has been a part of coaching teams into the postseason at UC Santa Barbara,” said Hayford. “He has a background of recruiting high caliber students to a strong academic school.”
Madry spent the 2010-11 season as the director of basketball operations at Cal State Fullerton before joining the Gauchos’ staff. Before CSUF, he spent two years (2008-10) as the video coordinator at the University of San Francisco. In 2007-08, he was the co-head coach at West Valley College in Saratoga, Calif., and in 2006-07 he served as an assistant coach for the Vikings. Madry’s first coaching experience came in 2005-06 at his alma mater, the University of West Georgia, where he was a graduate assistant.
“I cannot put into words how excited I am to be a part of the Seattle University basketball program,” said Madry. “This city and university are incredibly special, and Coach Hayford’s record speaks for itself. This is a great opportunity and I look forward to helping Coach Hayford build here at Seattle U.”
A native of the Bay Area, Madry played two seasons at West Valley College, then concluded his collegiate career at the University of West Georgia, where he served as co-captain his senior season. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from West Georgia in 2006.
“When I put a staff together, the first thing I ask myself is ‘would I want them to coach my son,’ and I would welcome all three of these men to be a part of my child’s life,” Hayford said of his staff. “They coach with love, passion and great intelligence. They are great fits for our Seattle U community and the mission of the University.”
In addition to the naming of his three assistant coaches, Hayford also announced that Jay Shiogi will continue in his role as the Redhawks’ director of operations. Shiogi, a 2014 graduate of Washington State who spent his final two years as the men’s basketball video coordinator and head manager, came to Seattle U in 2014-15 as the team’s video coordinator. He was promoted to the director of operations beginning in 2015-16.
