Ryan Cain has been named as the next head coach of the Keene State College men’s basketball team, it was announced today by Vice President for Student Affairs and Interim Director of Athletics Kemal Atkins.
“Ryan continues to prove that he is a winner,” said Atkins. “Despite injuries that forced a change in style, he and the program persevered to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. In addition to his successes on the court, Ryan established strong relationships with students, faculty & staff, and with members of the Keene community.”
Cain spent the 2015-16 season as the Owls’ interim head coach. During the season, he led the Owls to a 20-11 record and an 8-6 mark in the LEC, as well as the No. 3 seed in the Little East Conference tournament. Working through several injuries this year, Cain and the Owls won their second consecutive Little East Conference tournament championship, and reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine years.
Keene State finished with a national ranking of No. 22 in the final d3hoops.com poll this year. Under Cain’s tutelage, junior Matt Ozzella was named to the All-LEC First Team, while seniorNate Howard was picked to the All-LEC Second Team. Howard, along with classmate Nate Stitchell were both picked to the All-LEC Defensive Team, and freshman Ty Nichols was chosen to the All-LEC Rookie Team.
“I would like to thank President Anne Huot, Vice President and Interim Athletic Director Kemal Atkins, incoming Athletic Director Kristene Kelly, the search committee, and the faculty/staff involved in the interview process,” said Cain.
“I would also like to thank the entire campus community and Keene community for their support during the 2015-2016 season. I thoroughly enjoyed the year as the interim head men’s basketball coach and I am excited for the opportunity to lead the Keene State College men’s basketball program moving forward. We hope to build on our success on and off the court. We have a tremendous group of student-athletes and I look forward to helping them develop as students, players and stewards in the community.”
Cain came to Keene from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he spent 12 years as both a player and a coach. One of the greatest players in WPI history, Cain is the Engineers’ all-time leading scorer and led the Engineers to four New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season championships and a pair of NEWMAC tournament titles. The Engineers reached the NCAA tournament in Cain’s final three years as a player (2005-07), including the Sweet 16 in 2005.
http://keeneowls.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/releases/20160503ebcn16
