Keene State Announces Ryan Cain as Interim Men’s Basketball Coach

Keene State College Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Interim Athletic Director Kemal Atkins has announced the hiring of Ryan Cain as the interim men’s basketball coach.

“Becoming a full-time head collegiate coach has been a goal of mine and having the opportunity to fulfill that dream at an institution with a tremendous academic and athletic reputation like Keene State College is a dream come true,” said Cain.

“I want to thank President Huot, Vice President Atkins, the entire search committee and all the members of the Keene State community I met during the interview process. Keene is well-known as a close-knit community and I could sense that on my visits to campus. My wife and I are so happy to become part of the Keene community. Our basketball program will immediately focus on connecting with our returning and incoming student-athletes, building relationships with them, and developing our vision for both individual and team development.”

“I can’t thank WPI enough for the last 12 years as a player and assistant coach. I am grateful to have played for Coach Chris Bartley and been a part of his staff for the previous seven seasons. I would like to thank Athletic Director Dana Harmon, Associate Athletic Director and SID Rusty Eggen, and the entire WPI administration for their tremendous support over the last 12 years. I would also like to thank Tata & Howard for everything they have done for me over the last 8 years of employment.”

Cain comes to Keene from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he spent 12 years as both a player and a coach. One of the greatest players in WPI history, Cain is the Engineers’ all-time leading scorer and led the Engineers to four New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season championships and a pair of NEWMAC tournament titles. The Engineers reached the NCAA tournament in Cain’s final three years as a player (2005-07), including the Sweet 16 in 2005.

“Ryan is a winner,” said Atkins. “His successful experience, knowledge of the game, energy and commitment to developing student athletes make him the right person to lead our program at this time.”

A three time NEWMAC All-Conference selection, Cain was the league’s Player of the Year in 2005 and 2007, and was named the Jostens Award winner in 2007 as the top student-athlete in NCAA Division III men’s basketball.

“Ryan stood out to us as someone who is ready to be a head coach,” said Abe Osheyack, sports information director at Keene State and chair of the search committee. “His success as both a student-athlete and an assistant coach have prepared him well for this position.”

After the conclusion of his playing career, Cain moved to the Engineers’ bench, serving as an assistant coach to Chris Bartley, and continuing WPI’s success with NCAA tournament appearances in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Cain helped WPI to five NEWMAC regular season championships, one tournament title, and developed Antoine Coleman (2008) and Jeffrey Robinson (2011) as NEWMAC Players of the Year.

Cain has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from WPI. He will begin his duties on August 17.

What they are saying about Ryan Cain

Chris Bartley, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at WPI: “I am thrilled to see Ryan take on the challenge of leading the Keene State College program. Ryan will lead from his heart and his student-athletes will be challenged to be their best academically, athletically and in the Keene community. As both a player and coach at WPI, Ryan has been instrumental in our success and I know he is well prepared to be a successful leader for Keene State College. I feel extremely fortunate to have coached Ryan and coached with him for so many years; I love him and we will all miss him at WPI.”

Dana Harmon, Director of Athletics at WPI: “Keene State has made a great hire in Ryan Cain to lead your men’s basketball program. Ryan is not only one of WPI’s all-time great players but also one of our all-time great people who is committed to developing young men in the classroom, in the community and on the court. We will miss him but wish him nothing but success with the Owls.”