Ragland completed third season at the helm of the program
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Head Men’s Basketball Coach David Ragland has signed a contract extension, University of Evansville Athletics Director Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried announced on Wednesday.
“Coach Ragland is someone who does things the right way, on and off the court. He understands the deep impact our men’s basketball program has on the University of Evansville, the community, and those who came before us as Purple Aces,” Siegfried said. “His ability to recruit top student athletes who fit the University of Evansville, his genuine care for those he coaches, and his leadership across our athletics department make him an invaluable asset.”
“This extension is a reflection of our confidence in his vision, and more importantly, in our shared belief that we can win at Evansville. We are committed to doing the work together to return Purple Aces Basketball to a level of excellence our fans and alumni proudly remember and deeply believe in.””
Ragland is coming off his third season at the helm of the Purple Aces squad. Under his leadership, the program has shown great improvement while accomplishing feats that have not been seen in six decades. Despite injuries taking a toll for the majority of the 2024-25 season, Ragland and his staff led the team to its highest Missouri Valley Conference win tally in nine seasons. With eight league victories, UE finished with its best mark since the 2015-16 campaign. The MVC road win tally from the season was also the best since 15-16 and featured triumphs at Belmont, Indiana State, and Southern Illinois.
“I want to thank President Pietruszkiewicz and Dr. Siefried for their belief in my leadership of our basketball program,” Ragland exclaimed. “I am honored to serve as the head coach at the University of Evansville. My family and I love being back home in this wonderful community. It is a true blessing to be aligned with the leader of our athletic programs along with the leader of our University.”
In just his second season with the Aces, Ragland orchestrated an unbelievable turnaround that saw the program improve its win total by 12 games from the season prior. The 2023-24 team wrapped up the year with 17 victories, its highest win tally since 2017-18. UE opened the season with victories in its first six games, becoming the first Aces team in its Division I era to accomplish the feat. The last Evansville squad to open a season at 6-0 was the 1964-65 National Championship team. In its opening game at Arch Madness, the team defeated Illinois State to win its first game in St. Louis since 2017. Following the season, Evansville was invited to the Ro CBI, marking the first postseason appearances for Evansville since winning the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament Championship.
Ragland was recognized with the Ben Jobe Mid-Season Honor in January of 2024. His work in directing the Aces to the strong start garnered national attention and saw him as one of the frontrunners for the postseason award, which is given to the top minority head coach at the Division I level.
On the individual side, UE student-athletes are receiving as much MVC recognition as any other time in program history. Following the 2024-25 campaign, four players earned prestigious league honors. Highlighting that list was Connor Turnbull, who was honored as the 2025 MVC Defensive Player of the Year. Turnbull joined Egidijus Mockevicius as the only two in UE history to earn the award.
Over the last two seasons, the Aces other honors include two All-Newcomer Team honorees (Tayshawn Comer, Ben Humrichous), two on the All-Freshman Team (Chuck Bailey III, Gabriel Pozzato), a pair of Scholar-Athlete honorees (Cam Haffner, Humrichous), two All-Bench Team members (Bailey, Tanner Cuff), and Most Improved Team (Haffner). Humrichous was also named the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2024.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with Prez. P and Ziggy in pursuit of reviving our storied program,” Ragland added. “Together we will strive to empower our student-athletes to be courageous leaders by acting bravely in a diverse, ever-changing world. Go Aces!”
