Will Ryan, son of Wisconsin legend Bo Ryan, lands DI head coaching job

Another member of the Ryan family will be coaching in Wisconsin again.

Green Bay announced over the weekend that Will Ryan, son of legendary Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan, has been named the next head basketball coach of the Phoenix. He comes to Green Bay after spending one season at Wheeling University, a Division II program in West Virginia.

“What a great day for UW-Green Bay and Green Bay men’s basketball,” said Green Bay Athletic Director Charles Guthrie. “Hiring leaders is about getting the right fit at the right time and I have no doubt that Coach Ryan is exactly the right person to lead our program today and into the future. Will’s overall body of work as a collegiate coach has been remarkable and I believe that experience will serve us tremendously well as he embarks on his tenure at GB. We look forward to having Will, Emily, Owen, Liam and Callen join our family and the Green Bay community.”

Will Ryan led Wheeling to a 14-13 record in his lone season as the head coach. Before landing his first head coaching job, Will Ryan spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at North Dakota and five seasons as an assistant at North Dakota.

“I am beyond excited to be the next head coach of the Green Bay Phoenix men’s basketball program. It’s an honor and a privilege to come back to my home state of Wisconsin and join a great University,” said Ryan. I look forward to building a program with a group of hard-working student-athletes who are proud to represent Green Bay.”

Bo Ryan was the head coach at Wisconsin from 2001-15, posting a 364-150 record with the program. The Badgers reached the NCAA Tournament in each of his 14 seasons as head coach and appeared in back-to-back Final Fours in 2014 and 2015.

Wisconsin won four B1G regular season titles and three B1G Tournament crowns under Bo Ryan’s leadership.