Ridder had eyes on Mercer five years ago, is now ready to make up for missed time as the new head men's coach

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Better late than never.

          Ryan Ridder is now where he hoped to be five years ago.

          Ridder was then the head coach at Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Bob Hoffman was fired after the most successful run by a Mercer men’s coach.

          That run, keyed by an NCAA Tournament win over Duke, no doubt put Mercer on the radar of many coaches.

          “I remember thinking at that point, ‘Man, if I could be the head coach at Mercer University, that'd be a dream come true,’” Ridder said. “Obviously, five  years ago, it didn't go that route.”

          But it went that route very quickly after Greg Gary and his staff were fired on March 11 and Ridder announced as his replacement only four days later.

          “To be standing up here as your head coach, and serve this community and and serve this community, serve Mercer, and represent you guys,” Ridder said Friday afternoon at his introduction, “it truly is an honor.”

          Friday’s gathering on the floor of Hawkins Arena came 28 days after the school made the announcement of his hiring.

          There is still no schedule yet for the public introduction of women’s head coach Michelle Clark-Heard, announced as Susie Gardner’s replacement on March 22, a week after Ridder’s hiring.

          Clark-Heard was on hand, meeting some of the 75 or so family, friends, staff, colleagues, players, and fans able to negotiate rush-hour traffic on a Friday afternoon.

          The only staffer listed with Ridder had been Griffin Myers as a graduate assistant, in his second season. The school announced Thursday afternoon the hiring of three assistants: Jonathan Mitchell, Reed Ridder, and Ben Witherspoon.

          All three and their families, including a posse of young ones, were on hand, as were Ridder’s parents, his wife’s sister and children, and his wife’s mother, and her sister.

          “You're going to hear this word a lot, it's my favorite word, it's the word ‘family’,” Ridder said. “And there's different. There's immediate family, there's extended family, there's basketball family, there's Mercer family.

“Family is is super important to me.”

Macon has already grown on Mrs. Ridder, the family’s home boss and director of moving.

“I know you’re fired up,” he said to her. “She went to Publix yesterday. She hadn’t done that … Guys, you think I’m joking. Publix is like a gold mine.

“Again, I love Martin, Tennessee, I’m so appreciative. But we didn’t have a Publix.”

Going downtown to eat out, Ridder said, was another refreshing experience for the couple.

          Ridder has a little familiarity with Mercer. He was an assistant under Robbie Laing at Campbell from 2010-13, when the Camels were in the Atlantic Sun with Mercer. Campbell moved to the Big South in 2011-12, making its CAA debut in 2023-24.

          “Actually competed in this (arena),” Ridder said. “In 2011, we ended our season in Mercer’s gym when we were part of the A-Sun.”

Jen Ridder (middle) amid kids, her mother and aunt
Photo: Mercer

          It was during his second job, at Bethune-Cookman, that he married Jen Calnan – after years and years of official and unofficial courtship - and they have three daughters: Brixton, Remi, and Marlee.

          Ridder was hired at UT-M in late March of 2021, and got a contract extension two summers later hoping to keep him there through the 2027-28 season.

          For a reason.

          Bethune-Cookman improved when Ridder moved across town from Daytona State Junior College, and Tennessee-Martin did the same when he took over.

          ‘In 72 years (of Division I competition), there’s been four championships” at the two schools, Ridder said. “And our (staff) has had a chance to be two of those.”         

          Ridder has some redecorating plans.

          “I know the tradition here, I know that 10 years ago, we had a chance to do something pretty special,” Ridder said. “I got reminded about once a week how we beat Duke 10 years ago, so I’m very well aware that it can be done here, and I understand that’s an expectation.

          “We expect to put some banners up there, too.”