Head Coach

Ryan Bertoia

Bertoia enters his sixth season at Aquinas College and his second year as head coach of the Saints. During his first year at the helm of the program, he guided AQ to a berth at the NAIA National Tournament. Bertoia has begun to put his own footprint on the program while continuing the traditions and foundations that were laid for him by previous head coach Dave Hammer. Bertoia looks for his teams to not only compete in everything they do but to hold themselves accountable and to the level of excellence expected at Aquinas College.

As an assistant at Aquinas College he directed all aspects of the programs film exchange, editing, and breakdown. He also helped manage all aspects of recruiting and fundraising and prepared and organized the team’s travel arrangements. On the court, Bertoia worked with opponent preparation and Aquinas’ offensive and defensive breakdowns. A majority of his time was spent working with post player and developing red-shirts. He also designed, implemented, and oversaw the strength and conditioning program for the basketball team. During his time at Aquinas, Bertoia also helped develop two-time All-American Jake Bullock.

Prior to Aquinas, Coach Bertoia spent five years as an assistant coach at Olivet College, where he worked with Mike McClary, Olivet’s all-time leading scorer and shot blocker. McClary was also an NCAA Division III First Team All-American, the two-time MIAA Player of the Year, and was the runner-up for the NCAA Division III National Player of the Year.

Bertoia also spent two seasons as an assistant at Muskegon Community College. Coach Bertoia currently lives in Coopersville with his wife Melissa and their five year-old daughter Gabriella.