Converse College has selected Ryan Saunders as the head coach for the Valkyries’ inaugural men’s basketball team. Saunders comes to Converse from Belmont Abbey College, where he currently serves as the associate head coach and has coached for the last five years. He began his career at Barry University.
During his time at Belmont Abbey, Coach Saunders helped lead the team to a national ranking as high as #20 in the NCAA Division II national rankings in 2019-2020. In 2020, the team finished in second place with a 21-10 record, was runner-up in the Conference Carolinas tournament championship and earned an at-large bid to the 2020 NCAA Tournament. He led the Belmont Abbey team to a turnaround record from two wins prior to his arrival to back-to-back twenty-win seasons in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. As an assistant coach at Barry University from 2007-2015, Saunders helped guide the men’s team to the NCAA Tournament three times and helped recruit a team that advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 in 2016.
He recruited and coached one All-American selection, the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, and the Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the year as well as eight all-conference, six all-tournament and three all-regional selections during his five years at Belmont Abbey.
During his coaching career, Saunders has been active in organizing volunteer and community service activities for his teams, has rallied alumni through events and newsletters, and has organized fundraising events to benefit charities. He also has led basketball camps and clinics for youth in his local community.
Saunders is a graduate of Barry University, where he was a three-year captain of their NCAA Division II men’s basketball team. As a student-athlete, he led the Barry team to its first-ever Sunshine State Conference regular season championship and its first two NCAA Division II Tournaments.
