Oregon native and Alaska Anchorage associate head coach Ryan Orton has been named the 17th head coach of the Western Oregon men’s basketball program WOU Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Randi Lydum announced Thursday.
Orton, from Creswell, Oregon, in 10 seasons with the Seawolves (2009-12 and 2017-2025) helped them reach the NCAA Tournament three times (2011, 2012, 2024) as UAA went 175-122 during his 10 seasons in Anchorage.
“We are excited to welcome coach Ryan Orton to Western Oregon University,” Lydum said. “As a longtime coach within the GNAC and a native Oregonian, Ryan brings tremendous experience, vision and connections to our men’s basketball program.”
Orton coached 20 GNAC All-Conference players at UAA – including the 2012 NCAA D-II National Player of the Year – along with 35 GNAC All-Academic recipients. Overall, the team had a better than 95 percent graduation rate while Orton was at UAA.
“I am incredibly excited to join the team at Western Oregon University and lead this program,” Orton said. “I want to thank Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Randi Lydum, Director of Sports Performance/Senior Woman Administrator Cori Metzgar and the rest of the hiring committee for their belief in me through this hiring process. I am eager to connect with the Monmouth community. My goal is to build a program that is not only competitive but also one that is respected and admired. Go Wolves!”
During the time between his two stints at UAA, Orton was the head coach at Western Wyoming Community College where in five seasons he took WWCC to five Region IX postseason tournaments, averaged 20 wins per season over his final three years and went 82-72 overall. During his tenure, 27 out of 28 sophomores moved onto four-year schools, including 22 going to the NCAA D-I, D-II or NAIA level. His teams also finished in the top five nationally in GPA from 2014-16 – boasting 24 all-academic region recipients and eight NJCAA national all-academic recipients.
Prior to his first stint at UAA, Orton was an assistant coach at Montana State (2006-08), Northwest Nazarene (2004-06) and Eastern Washington (2000-03) with a year as the Lane Community College head coach during the 2003-04 season. He was also a graduate assistant at EWU from 1998-2000.
Orton played basketball at Eastern Oregon (named the 1996 team MVP and All-Cascade Conference Honorable Mention) and at Northwest Christian University in Eugene (1991-93).
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education from Eastern Oregon in 1996 and his master’s degree in Physical Education from Eastern Washington in 2001.
