By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Tyler Ryerson.
After spending two years at Lamar as head boys basketball coach and athletic director, the Willard native will return back to the greater Springfield area to replace Hall of Fame coach Mike Wilson at Strafford.
Ryerson takes over a program that has had seven 20-win seasons since 2010 with five district championships and three Final Four appearances.
“My parents live near Springfield and my wife and I have recently purchased a house in Springfield, so it was the right time for family move,” said Ryerson. “Coach Wilson has done an unbelievable job at Strafford and I am more than excited to try to continue the success that they’ve always had.”
He’s also had stops at Paragould (Ark.) and Willard. Ryerson played college basketball at Missouri Southern, where his 578 assists in 116 games still ranks second all-time in program history.
In his time at Lamar, the Tigers have enjoyed unparalleled success from a basketball standpoint, winning 39 games and back-to-back Big 8 championships for the first time in program history. Ryerson also led his team to a district title in 2017.
“My time at Lamar is very hard to put into words,” said Ryerson. “All that really pales in comparison to the support system athletically, and academically, which has been amazing. The network of coaches is truly a unique support system, that I’ve never been around before. I was lucky enough to walk into a culture of hard work and dependability at Lamar that Coach Bailey and Coach Lundine have built throughout their years there. I’ve learned so much about relationships, motivation, and leadership from Coach Bailey that I will hang on to forever. He was my biggest supporter while at Lamar, helped me through many tough issues.”
Strafford won 22 games in 2017-18 and the program returns all-state guard Riley Oberbeck and All-Mid-Lakes guard Dillon Hester.
