Rick Ray is in his fourth season as an assistant coach for the University of Colorado men's basketball team, joining the program on July 20, 2020.

His first season in Boulder was memorable to say the least.  The Buffaloes navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic, managing to achieve one of the best seasons in team history. Colorado finished 23-9 overall and third in the Pac-12 Conference at 14-6. The Buffaloes were the runner up at the 2021 Pac-12 Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed - the best in program history.

With a young team in 2021-22, Ray helped guide the Buffaloes to their fourth-straight 20-win season, finishing at 21-12, a fourth place finish in the Pac-12 and an appearance in the Postseason NIT. The 2021-22 campaign capped off a four-year run with 88 wins, second in program history (92 from 2010-14).

Ray helped coach McKinley Wright IV to All-Pac-12, All-District and honorable mention All-America honors. He also helped the Buffaloes bring in the 13th ranked recruiting class in the nation, and best in the Pac-12, in 2021 according to 247Sports.com.

Ray has 26 years of experience coaching at the NCAA Division I level, including eight as a head coach. Prior to coming to Colorado, he spent five years as head coach at Southeast Missouri State (2015-20) after initially joining the head coaching ranks at Mississippi State from 2012-15.

“I have a ton of respect for coach Boyle and what he’s done at CU,” Ray said. “He’s well renown in this business for doing it the right way. I want to work for people in that same ilk; Brad Brownell (Clemson head coach), Matt Painter (Purdue head coach), just reminds me of those guys who do it the right way and are in it for the right reasons.”

Boyle has known Ray for more than two decades, dating back to their days as assistant coaches in the Missouri Valley Conference; Boyle at Wichita State and Ray at Indiana State in the early 2000s.

“He’s a tremendous coach on every level,” Boyle said. “He can teach the game, knows the game, recruits and builds relationships with players. We are very fortunate to be able to bring him on board.”

Ray brings a wealth of relationships and recruiting experience in the Southeast and Midwest, and now turns his attention to the Mountains, and West, of the Pac-12 Conference.

“I’m in this business to help young men,” Ray said. “I’m there to help them on and off court. I want (the players) to know there’s no ego, I’m humble, I just want them to reach their goals and dreams in classroom and on the court. Recruiting is about relationships. I’m a person who is honest and truthful to recruits and parents and people appreciate that.”

Ray’s best year at SEMO came in his second season (2016-17) where he led the Redhawks to 10 more wins than the year before, ranking 22nd among Most Improved Teams in NCAA I. SEMO finished at 15-18 and second in the Ohio Valley Conference West Division with a 9-7 record after going 5-24 and placing last in the league in 2015-16.

His three-year tenure at Mississippi State was highlighted by the development of two All-SEC Freshmen in Craig Sword and Gavin Ware, as his recruiting classes received national attention. Ray also led the Bulldogs to a pair of SEC Tournament wins including an upset over Vanderbilt in 2014.

Before embarking on his first head coaching position with MSU, Ray was an assistant coach, or associate head coach, at four schools over 15 seasons. During that span Ray’s teams went to seven NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of Sweet 16 appearances.

Ray spent two seasons at Clemson (2010-12), where he was the associate head coach. Ray also spent four successful years on the staff at Purdue (2006-10) and two seasons at Northern Illinois (2004-06). He began his Division I coaching career at Indiana State, serving seven seasons (1997-2004).

All three programs participated in the NCAA Tournament.

While at Clemson coaching in the highly-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference, the Tigers won 38 games during Ray’s two-year stint as associate head coach. In 2010-11, the Tigers finished the year with a 22-12 overall record and 9-7 mark in the ACC en route to making the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight season. Clemson advanced to the second round of the tournament that year.

Ray was an assistant coach from 2006-10 under Painter at Purdue, where the Boilermakers won 103 games during his first four years on staff, including 15 victories over Top 25 competition. During his tenure, Purdue advanced to the NCAA Tournament each season and made the Sweet 16 his last two years there.

In 2009, the Boilermakers won the Big Ten Tournament and secured a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A year later, Ray helped the Boilermakers to 29 wins, tied for the most in Purdue history for a single season. Purdue earned a No. 4 seed and lost in the round of 16 to eventual NCAA champion Duke during the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Ray was part of the 2006-07 Purdue staff that signed arguably the top class in school history, a group that was rated No. 5 nationally by Scout.com and No. 6 by Rivals.com. That class included All-Americans Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson and current NBA player E’Twaun Moore.

While at Purdue, Ray was on Painter’s staff that also included  Cuonzo Martin (Missouri head coach) and Paul Lusk (former head coach at Missouri State).

Ray coached at Missouri Valley Conference member Indiana State for a period of seven years (1997-2004), helping ISU to consecutive 20 -win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. In 1999-2000, the Sycamores compiled a 14-4 record in the MVC and won the regular season title. ISU then won the MVC Tournament the following season. The Sycamores later upset No. 4 seed Oklahoma in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. In addition, Ray was part of the ISU staff that defeated perennial power Indiana in back-to-back seasons.

Following his time at ISU, Ray spent two seasons (2004-06) as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Northern Illinois. In 2005-06, the Huskies were regular season Western Division champions in the Mid-American Conference for the first time in school history with a 17-11 overall record and 12-6 ledger in the MAC.

Ray began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, a Division II program. He helped orchestrate a seven-win turnaround during his second season in 1996-97.

A standout player for Grand View College (Iowa), Ray was an All-American Scholar-Athlete and honorable mention all-conference performer in 1993. He earned his undergraduate degree in applied mathematics and secondary education from Grand View in 1994. Ray received his master’s degree in athletic administration from Nebraska-Omaha in 1997.

In 2013, he was the recipient of Grand View’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Ray and his wife, Breyana, have two sons, Deacon and Mason, and a daughter, Katriece.