Northwest Christian Boys’ Basketball Coach, Ray Ricks, has coached his own kids most of their lives. It took 30 years to get together on the State B court. Ray’s oldest child, Ryan Ricks, is a sophomore on the Crusaders’ Basketball team.
Ryan burst on the scene this season in a hail of 3-pointers at Springdale. When they totaled them up that night, Ryan had nine 3-pointers!
“Northwest Christian is a dream place to coach. You have talented kids, and parents putting in the time,” said Ray.
The Crusaders are a young but talented group who could will get better “There is a common vision and goals, so that is a recipe for success.”
For Ryan Ricks, his dad has been his biggest influence:
“Really, he has been coaching me for years,” Ryan says, “through AAU and travel teams, and out in the driveway. So playing for him now is completely comfortable for me.”
“He’s usually harder on me than on the other guys, but ultimately, that probably makes me a better player in the end.”
“He tells me when I’m doing something wrong by saying, ‘As your dad, you are doing everything great, but as your coach you really need to work on this certain area.'”
The Crusaders won their first match against Auburn Adventist at the State 2B Tournament Thursday morning with a score of 75 – 43. They will play Morton-White Pass on Friday afternoon at 3:45 p.m.
