Daytona State College has announced the hiring of Reed Ridder as the new Head Men’s Basketball Coach, ushering in a new era for the Falcon men’s basketball program.
Ridder brings a strong passion for player development, competitive excellence, and program building to Daytona State College. Known for his commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the court, Ridder will oversee all aspects of the men’s basketball program, including recruiting, player development, game strategy, and academic success.
“We are excited to welcome Reed back to Daytona State College this time as our head coach,” said Alison Mohr, Associate Director of Athletics. “Coach Ridder has demonstrated the leadership, basketball knowledge, and vision necessary to guide our men’s basketball program forward. We are confident he will make an immediate and lasting impact on our student-athletes and our college community.”
Ridder succeeds Joey Cantens who recently took the Florida International University head coach position and will begin his tenure immediately as he prepares the Falcons for the upcoming season. His approach emphasizes discipline, teamwork, and creating a culture of accountability and excellence.
“I am honored to be named the head men’s basketball coach at Daytona State College,” Ridder said. “This is a tremendous opportunity to work with committed student-athletes and to build upon a program that represents the college with pride. I look forward to connecting with our players, staff, alumni, and the Daytona Beach community.”
With Volusia County roots that run deep, Ridder has returned home to continue the winning tradition of past coaches. Most recently Ridder served as assistant coach for the Mercer University Bears for two seasons (2024-2026). While coaching for the Bears, Mercer’s record was 19-13 in year 2—most regular season wins since joining the SOCON. Finished 2nd in the SOCON and Ridder recruited 2 All Conference players—Baraka Okojie (1st team) and Armani Mighty (2nd team and Defensive Player of the Year)
Prior to his successful run at Mercer, Coach Ridder was the Assistant Coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin for two seasons where the team’s combined record was 40-25. UTM earned OVC regular Season Championship (2023-24), Tied most OVC wins in school history (14-4) and tied most wins in school history (21-11). The Skyhawks had the second biggest turnaround in UTM history, going from just 8 wins to 19 wins (2021-22 to 2022-23). Ridder recruited 1st team All OVC/All Newcomer, Jacob Crews (former DSC Falcon) as well as coaching 5 All-OVC players.
Ridder’s first full time assistant coaching position in 2021-22 was with Joey Cantens and the Daytona State Falcons where he helped both on the court with three All Conference selections and in the classroom where their team GPA was a 3.0.
As a player, Ridder racked up 1,003 career points at a pair of NCAA Division II universities. He spent his freshman season at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL. before transferring to play his final three years for his father Steve Ridder at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Eagles won the Florida Sun Conference Championship as well as a Final Four appearance, Ridder was an integral part of their 35-2 championship run.
An Ormond Beach, FL. native, Ridder graduated from Embry-Riddle with a degree in business administration in 2016. He later earned his master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Georgia in 2020.
Reed Ridder has a basketball pedigree following in the footsteps of his father, legendary Hall of Fame Embry-Riddle Coach Steve Ridder (800+ wins) and older brother, Ryan Ridder, current NCAA Division I head coach at Mercer University and former head coach at Daytona State College (2014-2018).
Reed is married to the former Kamryn Chappell, standout Division I soccer player earning 2021 OVC Defensive Player of the Year.
