Bo Ryan was a coach who stuck to the old-school approach of basketball, and boy did it work. Whether he was at UW-Platteville, UW-Milwaukee or UW-Madison, his players bought in, and he was rewarded with plenty of success. While Bo has been a member of the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame for quite some time, this year, he finally received his call from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He may not have been the most fun to watch, with his methodical approach to both sides of the ball. For those who recognize the importance of fundamentals and development, Bo Ryan has long deserved recognition in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Bo Ryan UW-Platteville Dynasty
Bo Ryan kicked off his collegiate head coaching career at the little-known University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He served as coach from 1984-99 and produced some of the most dominant teams in not only Division III history, but in college basketball. He had to sell the team, the school, and his plan to dominate using old-school fundamentals and tactics all while having no scholarships. In 14 of his 15 years at Platteville, he had winning seasons, including eight WIAC conference championships, five Final Fours, four National Championships, and two perfect seasons. In addition, he was the WIAC Coach of the Year six times.
From 1994-99, he held a record of 136-8. In total, he coached Platteville to a 352-76 record (.820 winning percentage). In the decade of 1990, UW-Platteville was the winningest team among all levels with a 266-26 record (.908 winning percentage). His 1997 undefeated championship team set a Division III scoring defense record that still stands to this day, allowing just 47.5 points per game. Bo was named co-coach of the WIAC’s all-time men’s basketball team in celebration of the conference’s 100th anniversary. He was also named the NABC Division III Coach of the Year four times (1991, 1995, 1998, 1999) which is more than any other coach since the award’s inception in 1976. While the style of play may not have been recognized by all casual fans at the time, his success helped propel him into a job at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Bo Ryan Brought Wisconsin Basketball Back
When Bo Ryan started his career at Madison, there was little success in recent years. While Wisconsin basketball was just one season removed from a Final Four appearance, the Badgers had no conference titles, tournament titles or championships since Bud Foster left in 1959. Prior to the Bo Ryan era, the Wisconsin Badgers had never won more than 22 games in a season. In his first 10 seasons, the team averaged 24. He would make the NCAA Tournament every year during his time at Madison, including seven Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and two Final Fours, with a loss in the championship game in the 2014-15 season. He won four conference titles and three conference tournaments. With a win over Wofford in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, Bo became just one of nine active Division I coaches with over 600 wins and only Roy Williams had a higher win percentage.
Ryan didn’t just win at Wisconsin; he turned the Kohl Center into a nightmare to come to. From the start of his time at Wisconsin until 2012, his teams posted a 152-11 (.933 win percentage) home record, with 38 consecutive wins from late 2002 until early 2005. This home record was the fourth-best in the country. His success at Wisconsin also extends far beyond him, with his coaching tree including Tony Bennett, Lamont Paris, Greg Gard and more.
Bo Ryan turned Wisconsin basketball around and took a team with no consistent success into one of the most stable teams in the country. They never missed an NCAA Tournament and were always in the mix in the Big Ten. While he never won a championship at the Division I level, he was always a tough out. Combined with his success at Platteville, his career was nothing short of incredible.
Historic and Under-Appreciated
If anyone still has any doubts about his abilities, just ask his fellow coaches. Before the 2015-16 season, 100 Division I coaches were asked to name which coach they thought was the best defensive coach in the country. Bo Ryan came in fourth, at over seven percent. The top-ranked coach amongst his peers was Ryan’s former assistant coach, Tony Bennett. Sam Vecenie from CBS Sports, who wrote the article, also pointed out that Bo Ryan received over seven percent of the vote when coaches were asked which coach they thought was the best offensive coach in the country. This made Bo the only coach to receive over seven percent of the vote in both best offensive and defensive coach in the nation. From 2003-15, Ryan was the only active coach to have coached both a No. 1 offensive and defensive team in the country.
Writers and fellow coaches saw these efforts by coach Ryan which led to him being named four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Clair Bee Coach of the Year in 2007 (given to the coach who has made the most significant positive contributions to the game), and the Jim Phelan Coach of the Year in 2008 (given to top Division I head coach of the year). Roy Williams, head coach for the University of North Carolina, said: “Bo Ryan is not only one of the great coaches in our game, he is also one of the great personalities…he’s the kind of person you could enjoy your son playing for.” Coach Ryan didn’t just put up empty stats, his fellow coaches were quick to applaud Bo on his knack for creating good solid basketball teams, year after year, with few, if any, hiccups along the way.
Deserved Place in History: Bo Ryan in Basketball Hall of Fame
While all of his head coaching career came within the state of Wisconsin, his impact was and still is felt far beyond the state lines. When talking about Bo Ryan and his abilities as a coach, ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale said:
“To me, he’s one of the most underrated coaches in the nation. The name ‘Bo Ryan’ doesn’t jump out to basketball fans. Why? Because he’s not about show, he’s not about pizzaz…Bo Ryan is old school. He’s about being in the gym and working. He understands how to build a program, and how to win, and he’s got an incredible winner’s mentality. He’s a special, special coach.”
Bo Ryan may never have been the sexiest coach. He may never have been the most fun to watch. If you’re looking for high-flying dunks and plays you never thought you’d see, don’t watch a team coached by Bo. If you’re looking for good old-fashioned basketball, methodical offense, lockdown defense, and an almost obsessive care of ball control, Bo is undoubtedly up there among the legends of the game. While he has already been in the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, his enshrinement in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has been overdue for quite some time.
He transformed three ailing basketball programs and torched the previous records of those who came before him. Welcome to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Bo Ryan, it’s about time.
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