By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball program has gained a new assistant coach as Reed Ridder will take over those duties this summer.
The younger brother of Skyhawk head coach Ryan Ridder, Reed comes to UT Martin from Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Fla., where he was an assistant last season for head coach Joey Cantens. Reed also spent time as a director of player development and recruiting at Georgia Southern (2020-21) under head coach Brian Burg after serving as a graduate assistant on head coach Tom Crean’s staff at Georgia from 2018-20.
“Reed has earned this position,” Skyhawk head coach Ryan Ridder said. “I’ve watched Reed learn and develop under some great coaches over the years. His experience as a professional basketball player will be a major benefit to our players as well. Reed is ready for this opportunity and will be a great asset for our program.”
Last season at Daytona State, Ridder was instrumental in the development of a trio of NJCAA All-Central Conference honorees. Reggie Quezada tallied first team accolades while Johan Crafoord and Ky Stattmann each collected second team honors for the Falcons, who ranked third in the country in three-point field goals per game (10.2).
During his lone year at Georgia Southern, Ridder helped the squad to a 13-13 season in the first year of a rebuilding process. After the Eagles returned just two scholarship players from the previous season (the fourth least amount in NCAA Division I), Georgia Southern led the Sun Belt Conference with 15.8 forced turnovers per contest.
At Georgia, Ridder worked closely with a pair of eventual NBA Draft picks in Anthony Edwards (No. 1 overall pick in 2020) and Nicolas Claxton (No. 31 overall pick in 2019). Edwards was crowned as Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year before the Minnesota Timberwolves made him the first Bulldog to become the top pick in the NBA Draft.
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, Fla. before transferring to play his final three years for his father Steve Ridder at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Fla.
During his junior campaign, Reed helped the Eagles to a 35-2 overall record, a championship in The Sun Conference and a Final Four appearance in the NAIA national tournament. He averaged a career-best 13.0 points per game as a senior as the school transitioned into the NCAA Division II ranks, capping off his Eagle career with averages of 10.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals over 94 games played. In just three seasons, he ranked eighth in program history with 181 three-pointers made – converting 37.6 percent of his career attempts from beyond the arc.
Ridder played professionally for two seasons following his collegiate career, competing in Spain (2017-18) and Australia (2016-17).
An Ormond Beach, Fla. 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 Georgia in 2020.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information