Murray State University Athletics
Cronin Rounds Out Staff By Hiring Wolf
6/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Murray State head basketball coach Mick Cronin completed his coaching staff by hiring former Barton County Community College head coach Ryan Wolf, the first-year Racer head coach announced Tuesday.
Cronin said that Wolf will be in charge of the Racers' recruiting, as well as serve as his top assistant.
"I'm really excited to have Ryan join our program," said Cronin. "He's the best recruiter I know, whether it's the junior college or the Division I level. And, the fact that he's been a head coach the last four years is a major plus and his experience will be invaluable to me.
"Ryan and his wife Laura will be a great addition to the Racer program and the Murray community."
Wolf, 30, brings excellent credentials to the position after helping build Barton Community College into one of the top junior college programs in the country.
"Murray State has a great tradition and is well-known around the country, but the biggest reason I came here was the opportunity to work for Coach Cronin," said Wolf. "I really enjoyed my time at Barton, but it was not a tough decision to come here because I really wanted the opportunity to learn from and work with a coach like Mick."
In four seasons at Barton, Wolf crafted a 111-25 record and coached five National Junior College Athletic Association all-Americans, including Ebi Ere of Oklahoma and Eric Bush of Alabama-Birmingham. His teams were consistently ranked in the NJCAA top 20 and were also ranked as high as No. 1 in three different seasons. One publication listed Barton as the top junior college program in the country.
"Barton is a great program and I will never forget that they gave me my first head coaching job at age 25," said Wolf. "I learned a lot while I was there and was very fortunate to have that opportunity. I think it prepared me well for this job at Murray State."
Cronin began his coaching staff in April with the hiring of Chris Goggin and Matt Grady as assistant coaches.
Wolf began his stint at Barton as an assistant coach in 1998-99 and helped the Cougars post their most successful season ever. Finishing with a 35-3 record, Barton advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament where they finished second. Wolf was named the head coach the following season and guided the Cougars to a Region VI title in 2001, as well as a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament.
Wolf's coaching career began at Howard College in Big Spring, Texas. In three seasons as an assistant coach at Howard, Wolf helped guide the Hawks to a combined 56-36 record.
Wolf is a 1995 graduate of the University of Minnesota, earning a bachelor's degree in marketing. He played guard on the Gophers' basketball team from 1991-95 and his career included trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1994 and 1995, as well as an NIT championship in 1993.
A native of Martinsville, Ind., Wolf is the all-time leading scorer at Martinsville High School and was an all-state selection and McDonald's All-American nominee.
