June 9, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Orlando "Bino" Ranson has been hired as an assistant coach for men's basketball at the University of Maryland, head coach Gary Williams announced Wednesday.
Ranson, 35, replaces Chuck Driesell, who left Maryland's staff this summer to become the head coach at The Citadel.
Maryland's newest coach has strong ties to the Baltimore-Washington area, having coached for two seasons at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. He comes to Maryland after one season as an assistant at Xavier, during which the Musketeers went 26-9 and reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
"This is a dream come true," said Ranson. "Opportunities like this don't come along very often. You have to jump at them when you get the chance. I'm super-excited."
Ranson said he's followed the Maryland program for a long time and is familiar with its national reputation and rich history. He spent two years as an administrative assistant at Loyola University on the staff of longtime Maryland assistant Jimmy Patsos.
"I grew up a die-hard Maryland fan," he said. "I've always studied the program from afar. I'm excited to be working for someone I consider to be a future Hall of Famer in Coach Williams. I worked for one of his disciples in Jimmy Patsos, and I'm ready to help however I can at this next challenge."
"Bino has been a winner everywhere he's been," said Williams. "His proven success in recruiting and his work ethic will be a very positive influence on our program."
Prior to Xavier, Ranson was an assistant coach at James Madison for one season, helping the Dukes to a 21-15 mark, the most wins by JMU in a season since 1992-93. The Dukes advanced in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament for the first time since 2003 and their berth in the College Insiders.com Tournament marked their first postseason appearance since 1994.
Ranson also worked for Matt Brady at Marist University for three seasons. The Red Foxes were 62-33 in those three seasons and won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season in 2007. That season, Marist won at Oklahoma State in the Postseason NIT.
Considered an outstanding recruiter, he helped bring in excellent classes at James Madison, Marist and Xavier. Ranson helped land Jay Gavin at Marist, who went on to become the MAAC Rookie of the Year.
Ranson coached at St. Frances Academy for two seasons before joining the Loyola staff. He handled St. Frances' junior varsity program, directing the 2003-04 team to a 24-5 record, titles in the MIAA and the Baltimore Catholic League. He also founded Team Baltimore, one of the top AAU programs in the Northeast.
Among the players Ranson worked with at the AAU level are Sean Mosley and Juan Dixon of Maryland, Ricky Harris of Massachusetts, Jermaine Dixon of Pittsburgh and Donte Greene of Syracuse.
A 1999 graduate of Southern New Hampshire with a B.S. in sports management, Ranson completed his collegiate career as one of the top players in the history of the school. He ranked seventh in career scoring (1,899 points), fifth in assists (598) and fourth in 3-point field goals (226) after lettering for four seasons. He was inducted into the school's hall of fame in January 2007.
Ranson's teams at Southern New Hampshire went 85-33 and made four straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. The team won the New England Collegiate Conference during his junior and senior seasons.
Ranson was a three-time Street & Smith's Division II preseason All-American. He also received preseason All-America recognition from Dick Vitale's College Basketball, The Sporting News and the Division II Bulletin.
Ranson, who was born in Baltimore, and his wife, Shannon, have a son, Orlando.
ORLANDO "BINO" RANSON
2009-10 -- Xavier, Assistant Coach (NCAA Sweet Sixteen, A-10 Regular Season Co-Champions)
2008-09 -- James Madison, Assistant Coach (21-15, CIT Quarterfinals)
2004-05 to 2006-07 -- Marist, Assistant Coach (MAAC Regular Season Champs in 2007)
2003-04 & 2004-05 -- Loyola, Md., Administrative Assistant
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