Roosevelt University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Joe Griffin has announced the promotion of Roy Ramos to Associate Head Coach of the program.
“Roy is very deserving of this promotion as Associate Head Coach and going into his fourth year with us, he has improved in every area of coaching and now has a firm grasp and ownership of all aspects of our basketball program,” stated Griffin. “Like Aaron Rolle and Kevin Devitt before him, he has evolved into a true partner in running our entire program versus just an assistant coach, which naturally took time to develop and grow into. In that time, Roy has been responsible for spearheading the recruitment of several of our promising Lakers, highlighted by our 2020 incoming class that we are ecstatic about. There is no doubt that Roy is a head coach in waiting somewhere, and I am lucky to have such a reliable, promising young coach alongside me to help push our program towards achieving our vision of becoming the destination small-college program in the Midwest.”
Ramos joined the Lakers during the summer of 2017 as an assistant coach after spending three seasons at NCAA Division III member Illinois Tech, where he was pivotal in turning a winless program into a 23-5 program and 2017 USCAA National Champion by his third season in 2016-2017.
During Ramos’ time at Roosevelt, the Lakers have achieved the third highest winning percentage amongst Chicago based four-year institutions. The program has also averaged a team GPA of 3.0 or higher over the last seven years.
“I would first like to thank Coach Griffin and John Jaramillo (Director of Athletics) for affording me this opportunity,” said Ramos. “Coach Griffin gave me an opportunity as a young assistant in 2017 to join his staff, and over the last three years, I have been able to learn, grow, and make lifelong relationships. The players and managers have made this a special time in my life, and I am very grateful for all of them. I am excited to continue to coach in my hometown, grow relationships, and keep the Laker program trending up. I am looking forward to and embracing the next challenge here at Roosevelt as the Associate Head Coach.”
In his first season at Roosevelt, the Lakers achieved their best record in modern history, as Roosevelt finished 26-8 in 2017-18 and turned in runner-up finishes in both the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) regular season standings and tournament. The 2017-18 Lakers cemented their legacy as the first team in Roosevelt history to clinch a bid to the NAIA National Tournament. Ramos worked closely with class of 2019 point guard, Jake Ludwig, who was honored as an NAIA All-America Honorable Mention selection.
During Ramos’ second year at Roosevelt, the program followed up the 2017-18 history-making campaign with another strong year in 2018-19, as the Lakers finished 19-13 and advanced to the CCAC Tournament semi-finals for the second consecutive year. Ludwig again was honored as an NAIA All-America Honorable Mention selection and represented Roosevelt at the NAIA All-Star Game in Kansas City, Mo.
For the 2019-2020 campaign, the Lakers were the youngest team in the CCAC. Ramos was responsible for recruiting CCAC Freshman Player of the Year Josh Redic (SO/Chicago, Ill.) out of Mount Carmel High School in Chicago.
Prior to his time at Illinois Tech, Ramos played for and coached under legendary coach Gene Pingatore of St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Ill.
