The Ferris State University men’s basketball program, which captured the school’s first NCAA Division II National Championship this past season, has a new full-time assistant coach with the appointment of Bulldog alum Raymoan McAfee, according to an announcement made by FSU head coach Andy Bronkema.
McAfee, who played for the Bulldogs from 2012-14 and served on the FSU coaching staff for three years following his collegiate playing career, was appointed to a full-time role after spending the 2017-18 campaign in a similar position at Indiana Tech University.
His return as Bronkema’s top assistant fills the void created by the departure of former assistant coach Jim Lake, who was recently tabbed as the new head coach at Wisconsin-Stout.
“We’re excited to add someone of Raymoan’s caliber to this position and believe he continues to have an extremely bright future in this profession,” said Bronkema. “He brings knowledge of our system and is familiar with many of our returning student-athletes so it will make for a smooth transition.
“Raymoan is one of the huge success stories in our program and has been a winner everywhere he’s been, including here at Ferris State, so we’re thrilled to bring him back,” he added.
During his previous stint on the Ferris State staff, McAfee assisted in all facets of the program, including day-to-day operations, video, analytics, fundraising, recruiting, individual skill development, position work, on-floor coaching and player communication. He spent this past year coaching as the top assistant coach at Indiana Tech under first-year head coach and former Cornerstone University assistant coach Ted Albert.
In his lone season at Indiana Tech, McAfee helped lead the Warriors to a 27-7 overall mark and a 17-3 conference season, which included a trip to the second round of the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament. The Warriors finished as the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) runner-up and were ranked as high as third in the NAIA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 poll.
“Raymoan is a perfect fit,” Bronkema said. “He has shown a love for the game and ability beyond his experience. I’m looking forward to running the program with him and drawing from his talent to make our team better.”
A former prep standout at Detroit’s Pershing High School under head coach A.W. Canada, McAfee was a member of the school’s 2009 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) State Championship team and part of a group that claimed back-to-back city championships in 2009 and 2010.
He began his collegiate career at NCAA Division I Bethune Cookman University for two seasons before transferring to Ferris State in 2012 where he became a regular in the Bulldog lineup. In his two seasons on the floor with the Bulldogs, McAfee ranked among the GLIAC’s top five players overall in blocked shots both campaigns.
The Bulldog alum graduated from Ferris State in 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Speech Communication. He is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Education.
During the 2016-17 campaign, with McAfee on the FSU staff, Ferris State set a then school record by winning 28 games, which represented the most wins in nearly 90 seasons of Bulldog Basketball. FSU also won the GLIAC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships in the same year for the first time in school history before duplicating the feat again this past year.
As an assistant on the Bulldog staff from 2014-17, McAfee helped FSU make three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, claim three consecutive GLIAC Tournament Championships, twice reach the NCAA Midwest Region semifinals, claim a league regular-season title and also reach the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen. The Bulldogs also were ranked in the top 25 nationally each of his three years on staff and twice led the nation in blocked shots.
This past season, Ferris State captured the school’s first national championship and also matched the all-time NCAA Division II record for victories in a season with a 38-1 campaign. FSU, which topped Northern State 71-69 in the national championship game in Sioux Falls, S.D., capped a magical season which saw the Bulldogs match the all-time NCAA Division II record for most wins in a year while finishing with a 38-1 mark.
FSU also won its second consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Regular Season Championship, a fourth-straight GLIAC Tournament title and the Midwest Regional crown.
While the Bulldogs lose five seniors and National Player of the Year Zach Hankins from this season’s roster, FSU will return nine letterwinners for the 2018-19 season while welcoming in a highly-talented recruiting class.
http://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/releases/20180521kwb722
