Garrett Gentry
In Motion Staff Writer
Lisa Silversmith/In Motion
Entering the building that houses Daytona State’s Men’s Basketball Team, a lanky fellow whose head almost scrapes the ceiling greets the reporter. The lack of wrinkles on his face signals that he is not the coach but a player.
After asking for an escort to his head coach, without a word he gestures with a hand wave that says walk this way. In a quick three steps, he heads to the elevator, stoops down and enters as the reporter quickly follows his stride.
We ascend to the second floor, but inside the elevator he leans against the handrails just to fit his tall frame inside this moving metal container. Asked how tall he is, “6 foot 8” is the reply.
The door slides open, we step out into the long corridor, moving past the first few doors on our left. As we arrive to the first open door, the name Ryan Ridder accompanies the golden plaque that reads Head Coach. It’s an unfamiliar name. The towering man points towards the inside of the room, then makes his way back down the hall.
The man sitting in the chair is, indeed, the head coach, as evidenced by the nametag on his shirt: Coach Ridder. In basketball terms he might be considered “vertically-challenged” at no more than six feet tall. More surprisingly is the fact he couldn’t be much older than his players, a maximum age of 28. Not least, he’s white.
Coming to grips with this, the interview begins and it becomes very clear why he is the man in charge. Asked the obvious question of how he strikes a balance between academics and practice, Ridder conveys his strong beliefs in players’ studies. He demands at least 10 study hall hours a week, along with hiring a full-time tutor for players. The result was a team average GPA of 3.54 last year.
As for community activities encouraged among the players, he and his team are involved in a long string of events. They hold free clinics at the Port Orange YMCA for young kids wishing to play the sport. They volunteer for the American Heart Walk, for people who have had health issues with their hearts, as well as the E-Life event which holds fundraisers for children with leukemia. That’s just to name a few.
That information is humbling. Where does he pull inspiration from? Unsurprisingly, he says, “My Dad.”
Keeping it in the family, Coach Ridder doesn’t fall too far from the elder Steve Ridder, who happens to be Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University’s men’s’ basketball coach. That’s the younger Ridder’s alma mater and his father is his former head coach.
Everyone wonders who DSC’s best player is right now. It’s a sensitive question most coaches would dodge. Ryan Ridder has no problem answering. In his opinion it’s Rashaun Stimage, a Chicago native and future DePaul University transfer that stands a colossal 6 feet and 8 inches. The elevator colleague?
The common question, “What are this year’s expectations this year coach?” is answered in just three words: “Conference Champs baby!”
Editor’s Note: Along with assistant coach Dominque Taylor, former assistant coach at the University of South Alabama, the tip off for the first Men’s Falcon Basketball Team will be Friday, Nov. 1, at home. The Falcons will take on Southwest Academy in the Lemerand Center at 8 p.m. On Nov. 6, the 7 p.m. home game will pit the Falcons against Eastern Florida State College. The season runs through Feb. 22, 2014.