University of University of Tennessee at Martin athletic director Kurt McGuffin has announced an extension to keep head men’s basketball coach Ryan Ridder on the Skyhawk sideline for the next five seasons.
Ridder is entering his third year at the helm of the UT Martin men’s basketball program. Last season, the Lexington, Ky. native engineered the second-biggest turnaround in school history – increasing the Skyhawk win total up to 19. That marked the fifth-most victories since the program transitioned into the NCAA Division I ranks in 1992). UT Martin additionally advanced to its fifth all-time appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship semifinals.
“Coach Ridder absolutely deserves to be rewarded with this extension,” McGuffin said. “He has brought stability to our men’s basketball program which has done nothing but trend upward under his direction. I look forward to continuing a winning partnership with Coach Ridder for many seasons to come.”
The Skyhawks tied for their third-most OVC victories in school history last season, piling up 10 league wins while defeating each OVC school at least once (including a season sweep of eventual OVC Tournament champion Southeast Missouri). UT Martin got off to its best home start to a season in program history as its 14 victories inside the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center were tied for the most in the school’s NCAA Division I Era.
“My family and I love being a part of Skyhawk Nation,” Ridder said. “We’re a players-first program and we’ve been fortunate to bring in quality young men who do things the right way. Our staff has implemented a winning culture here and we’re fired up for the future of UT Martin men’s basketball.”
The 2022-23 version of the Skyhawks ranked second in school history in scoring (2,658 points) and rebounding (1,293). UT Martin ranked in the top-15 nationally and led the OVC in defensive rebounding per game (28.7, seventh), fast break points (15.09 per game, ninth), scoring offense (80.5 points per contest, 14th) and rebounding per game (39.18, 15th). The Skyhawks also topped the OVC in scoring margin (+5.1), field goal percentage (.459) and field goal percentage defense (.422) a year ago.
Individually, UT Martin set a school record for most All-OVC recipients in a single season (three) and was one of only a dozen NCAA Division I programs to produce multiple National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District first team performers in 2022-23.
In Ridder’s debut season as a Skyhawk, he presided over the only NCAA Division I program to not return a single player from the previous season. As a direct result, UT Martin was responsible for seven of the OVC’s 16 Newcomer of the Week award winners – marking the second-most honorees in that category in school history.
Off the court, the Skyhawks were the only current OVC institution to earn the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award with a 3.22 cumulative Grade Point Average in 2021-22.
Ridder, 38, boasts a 170-109 record in nine seasons as a head coach at the collegiate level. He graduated from Embry-Riddle University in 2008 and obtained his Master’s degree from California University of Pennsylvania in 2009. athletic director Kurt McGuffin has announced an extension to keep head men’s basketball coach Ryan Ridder on the Skyhawk sideline for the next five seasons.
Ridder is entering his third year at the helm of the UT Martin men’s basketball program. Last season, the Lexington, Ky. native engineered the second-biggest turnaround in school history – increasing the Skyhawk win total up to 19. That marked the fifth-most victories since the program transitioned into the NCAA Division I ranks in 1992). UT Martin additionally advanced to its fifth all-time appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship semifinals.
“Coach Ridder absolutely deserves to be rewarded with this extension,” McGuffin said. “He has brought stability to our men’s basketball program which has done nothing but trend upward under his direction. I look forward to continuing a winning partnership with Coach Ridder for many seasons to come.”
The Skyhawks tied for their third-most OVC victories in school history last season, piling up 10 league wins while defeating each OVC school at least once (including a season sweep of eventual OVC Tournament champion Southeast Missouri). UT Martin got off to its best home start to a season in program history as its 14 victories inside the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center were tied for the most in the school’s NCAA Division I Era.
“My family and I love being a part of Skyhawk Nation,” Ridder said. “We’re a players-first program and we’ve been fortunate to bring in quality young men who do things the right way. Our staff has implemented a winning culture here and we’re fired up for the future of UT Martin men’s basketball.”
The 2022-23 version of the Skyhawks ranked second in school history in scoring (2,658 points) and rebounding (1,293). UT Martin ranked in the top-15 nationally and led the OVC in defensive rebounding per game (28.7, seventh), fast break points (15.09 per game, ninth), scoring offense (80.5 points per contest, 14th) and rebounding per game (39.18, 15th). The Skyhawks also topped the OVC in scoring margin (+5.1), field goal percentage (.459) and field goal percentage defense (.422) a year ago.
Individually, UT Martin set a school record for most All-OVC recipients in a single season (three) and was one of only a dozen NCAA Division I programs to produce multiple National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District first team performers in 2022-23.
In Ridder’s debut season as a Skyhawk, he presided over the only NCAA Division I program to not return a single player from the previous season. As a direct result, UT Martin was responsible for seven of the OVC’s 16 Newcomer of the Week award winners – marking the second-most honorees in that category in school history.
Off the court, the Skyhawks were the only current OVC institution to earn the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award with a 3.22 cumulative Grade Point Average in 2021-22.
Ridder, 38, boasts a 170-109 record in nine seasons as a head coach at the collegiate level. He graduated from Embry-Riddle University in 2008 and obtained his Master’s degree from California University of Pennsylvania in 2009.
Tennessee Martin extends Ridder through 2027-28
