After a competitive national search, Lake Forest College Director of Athletics Nicki Pieart announced that Ryan Davis will have the interim tag removed and continue to lead the Forester men’s basketball program.
“Throughout the interview process, Coach Davis emerged as the top candidate and during his interim appointment consistently demonstrated that he has the qualities we are looking for in a head coach,” began Pieart. “I am confident the Forester men’s basketball program will continue to flourish under his leadership. He is a skilled recruiter, has built strong relationships within the team, understands and embraces the Division III student-athlete experience, and is a key contributor to the Department of Athletics and campus community.”
“I want to thank Lake Forest College President Jill Baren, Vice President for Athletics and Career Advancement Jackie Slaats, Director of Athletics Nicki Pieart, and the entire search committee for their confidence in my ability to lead this program,” stated Davis. “I am eager to continue the positive trajectory established during my previous two seasons as interim head coach. This program is and always will be focused on our student-athletes. We aim to provide them with the best possible experience while giving them the necessary tools to be successful after graduation. I am excited to continue developing our current players, recruiting new ones, and leading a program all Foresters can be proud of.”
Lake Forest has posted an 82-56 record in Midwest Conference play since Davis joined the staff in 2015 and a 17-15 mark in his two seasons as interim head coach. He has helped the Foresters qualify for five of the last seven MWC Tournaments and they won the championship in 2019, resulting in the program’s first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance.
Davis has coached two different players to First Team All-MWC honors and another to Second Team All-MWC status since taking over in 2021. Six Lake Forest players have earned a combined nine all-conference awards, including five first team distinctions, since 2015. A program record 11 Foresters were named Academic All-MWC after the 2021-22 academic year, including five who were also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court.
Prior to coming to Lake Forest in 2015, Davis served for two years as an assistant coach at the University of Chicago Lab School in Chicago and was also a coach with the Nike Meanstreets AAU program.
He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and nearby Deerfield High School.
https://www.goforesters.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/releases/20230511puemn5
