Ridder Agrees To Contract Extension Through 2030-31 Season
6/9/2026 10:11:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON - Athletics department officials from Mercer University announced Tuesday morning that men's basketball head coach Ryan Ridder has agreed to a contract extension to lead the Bears through the 2030-31 season.
"I want to thank President Penny Elkins, Athletics Director Jim Cole and the entire Mercer University community for the opportunity to continue to lead the men's basketball program," Ridder said. "My family and I are so excited to be at Mercer and build on the foundation that we have laid. This is a special place, and we are grateful to be here. Go Bears!"
In his second year as head coach of the Bears in 2025-26, Ridder led the Bears to their most wins since joining the Southern Conference with a 19-13 overall record and 11-7 mark in SoCon play which was tied for the second-best record among league teams.Â
Mercer boasted the top offense in the SoCon last season, averaging 82.7 points per game. The Bears tallied three games in which they topped the 100-point scoring plateau, including a 102-point night in a win at UNC Greensboro which marked the most points scored in a conference road game since 2005.
Mercer went 14-1 at home in 2025-26 which was the second-best record at home in program history, and Ridder was named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award for his coaching efforts.
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"I want to thank President Penny Elkins, Athletics Director Jim Cole and the entire Mercer University community for the opportunity to continue to lead the men's basketball program," Ridder said. "My family and I are so excited to be at Mercer and build on the foundation that we have laid. This is a special place, and we are grateful to be here. Go Bears!"
In his second year as head coach of the Bears in 2025-26, Ridder led the Bears to their most wins since joining the Southern Conference with a 19-13 overall record and 11-7 mark in SoCon play which was tied for the second-best record among league teams.Â
Mercer boasted the top offense in the SoCon last season, averaging 82.7 points per game. The Bears tallied three games in which they topped the 100-point scoring plateau, including a 102-point night in a win at UNC Greensboro which marked the most points scored in a conference road game since 2005.
Mercer went 14-1 at home in 2025-26 which was the second-best record at home in program history, and Ridder was named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award for his coaching efforts.
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| Â Â About Mercer University |
| Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. With 9,000 students enrolled in 12 schools and colleges, on major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; medical school sites in Macon, Savannah and Columbus; and at regional academic centers in Henry and Douglas counties, Mercer is ranked among the top tier and best values of national research universities by U.S. News & World Report. The Mercer Health Sciences Center includes the University's School of Medicine and Colleges of Nursing, Health Professions and Pharmacy. Mercer is affiliated with six teaching hospitals – Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center and Piedmont Macon Medical Center in Macon; Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah; Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital and St. Francis-Emory Healthcare in Columbus; and SGMC Health in Valdosta. The University also has an educational partnership with Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer Medicine, the clinical faculty practice of the School of Medicine, is based in Macon and operates additional clinics in Sumter, Clay, Putnam, Harris, Taylor and Glynn counties. Mercer is one of only 293 institutions nationwide to shelter a chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation's most prestigious academic honor society; one of eight institutions to hold membership in the Georgia Research Alliance; and the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu. |
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