David Ragland coming home to coach Evansville Basketball

David Ragland is leaving Butler and coming home to become the head coach at Evansville Basketball. The formal announcement is Wednesday.

David Ragland is coming home to become the head coach of the University of Evansville basketball team. The Evansville native began his coaching career in 2004 and has earned the head coaching position at the Missouri Valley Conference school.

Ragland leaves an assistant coaching spot at Butler to replace the recently released Todd Lickliter. His prep career included stardom at nearby Harrison High School and his collegiate exploits included two years at the Evansville-based University of Southern Indiana.

Ragland has enjoyed successful coaching stops in the junior college, small college and Division 1 levels. Three twenty-win seasons at Utah State, four years of postseason action at Indiana State, a Horizon League Championship at Valparaiso are parts of his resume that includes work at Northern Kentucky and Bowling Green.

During his time working for Greg Lansing at Indiana State, the Sycamores went to one NCAA Tournament, the CollegeInsider.com Tournament and were twice invited to the National Invitation Tournament.

This would have been his second season at Butler. He was hired by the now-departed LaVall Jordon but was retained by new head coach Thad Matta.

Ragland told gopurpleaces.com that he’s excited to come home.

“It is a dream come true to return home.  Evansville is such a special place for my family and myself and the opportunity to come back to where it all started means the world,” Ragland exclaimed.  “Growing up in the city, I understand what the Purple Aces program means to the community.  From day one, I will work to establish a program that the entire University of Evansville campus community and the city of Evansville will be proud of.”

The new head coach faces difficult first-year problems. He has a thin roster and no coaching staff as he closes in on the month of June. UE’s roster contains six players and three ‘confirmed’ in-coming players. Lickliter’s original four-person recruiting class saw one player depart after his firing.

Junior guard Blaise Beauchamp (8.0 ppg) is the leading scorer among the six returners and sophomore Preston Phillips (4.0) returns as the leading rebounder. Three freshmen and Akron transfer Sekou Kalle are tentatively still on the way to Evansville.

The Purple Aces haven’t reached postseason play since the D.J. Balentine-led team of 2015. Their last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 1999 under the direction of Jim Crews. The Aces were led by Valley Player of the Year Marcus Wilson.

Ragland is coming home and many in the Evansville community are hoping that Wilson will too be as a part of Ragland’s coaching staff. He reconnected with Crews in Saint Louis as part of a Billiken coaching staff.