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'''Randall Duane Ayers''' (born April 16, 1956) is an American [[basketball]] coach. He is currently an assistant for the [[Phoenix Suns]] of the [[National Basketball Asosciation]].
'''Randall Duane Ayers''' (born April 16, 1956) is an American [[basketball]] coach. He is currently an assistant for the [[Phoenix Suns]] of the [[National Basketball Association]].


Ayers grew up in [[Springfield, Ohio]] and played college basketball at [[Miami RedHawks men's basketball|Miami University]] in Ohio. He was selected in the third round of the [[1978 NBA draft]] by the [[Chicago Bulls]]. Also in 1978, he began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Miami. After four years on the Miami staff, Ayers was an assistant at [[Army Black Knights men's basketball|Army]] from 1982 to 1984.
Ayers grew up in [[Springfield, Ohio]] and played college basketball at [[Miami RedHawks men's basketball|Miami University]] in Ohio. He was selected in the third round of the [[1978 NBA draft]] by the [[Chicago Bulls]]. Also in 1978, he began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Miami. After four years on the Miami staff, Ayers was an assistant at [[Army Black Knights men's basketball|Army]] from 1982 to 1984.

Revision as of 20:24, 12 December 2021

Randy Ayers
Ayers in 2009.
Phoenix Suns
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1956-04-16) April 16, 1956 (age 68)
Springfield, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorth (Springfield, Ohio)
CollegeMiami (Ohio) (1974–1978)
NBA draft1978: 3rd round, 53rd overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Coaching career1978–present
Career history
As player:
1978–79Reno Bighorns
As coach:
1978–1981Miami (Ohio) (assistant)
1982–1984Army (assistant)
1984–1989Ohio State (assistant)
1989–1997Ohio State
1999–2003Philadelphia 76ers (assistant)
2003–2004Philadelphia 76ers
2005–2007Orlando Magic (assistant)
2007–2009Washington Wizards (assistant)
2010–2012New Orleans Hornets (assistant)
2014–2015New Orleans Pelicans (assistant)
2019–presentPhoenix Suns (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Randall Duane Ayers (born April 16, 1956) is an American basketball coach. He is currently an assistant for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association.

Ayers grew up in Springfield, Ohio and played college basketball at Miami University in Ohio. He was selected in the third round of the 1978 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. Also in 1978, he began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Miami. After four years on the Miami staff, Ayers was an assistant at Army from 1982 to 1984.

From 1984 to 1989, Ayers was an assistant at Ohio State under Gary Williams and was promoted to head coach in 1989. In eight seasons at Ohio State, Ayers had a 124–103 record with three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1990 to 1992. In 1991 and 1992, Ohio State won back-to-back Big Ten Conference regular season titles and top-five national finishes. However, Ohio State could not replicate that success in later seasons, and Ayers was fired in 1997. Since leaving Ohio State, Ayers has coached in the NBA, starting as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers from 1999 to 2003. Ayers was head coach for the 76ers in the 2003–04 season, the last head coaching job he would hold. Subsequently, Ayers was an assistant for the Orlando Magic from 2005 to 2007, Washington Wizards from 2007 to 2009, the New Orleans Hornets (later Pelicans) from 2010 to 2012 and 2014 to 2015, and then the Phoenix Suns beginning in 2019.

Early life

Ayers was born in Springfield, Ohio, the fourth of eight children of Frank Ayers and Betty Basey. He played basketball at North High School in Springfield, where he was named Ohio high school Class AAA (big-school) player of the year in 1974.[1]

College career

Ayers attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he played basketball. Ayers made his mark more as a defender, rebounder and playmaker than as a scorer, as Miami teammates Archie Aldridge as well as Chuck Goodyear provided much of the offense. As a freshman in 1974–75, Ayers saw significant playing time, averaged 8.5 points per game (ppg) with a .560 field goal percentage as the Redskins, coached by Darrell Hedric, posted a 19-7 record.[2] He was named honorable mention All-Mid-American Conference (MAC)

As a sophomore in 1975–76, Ayers became a starter and averaged 10.9 ppg as the team finished 18-8 and second in the MAC. He was again named honorable mention All-MAC.[2]

As a junior in 1976–77, Ayers increased his scoring average to 12.8 ppg and 8.1 rebounds per game (rpg) as, for the third season, he was named honorable mention All-MAC. The Redskins posted an overall record of 20-6 and were MAC co-champions.[2]

In his senior year of 1977–78, Ayers increased his scoring average for the third straight year with 13.4 ppg and had 7.0 rpg. He was named second-team All-MAC as his teammate, Archie Aldridge, earned MAC Player of the Year. Ayers was also named Miami's Defensive Player of the Year.[2] Miami's record was 19-9 but they earned an outright MAC championship and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament.[2] Miami opened the tournament with a thrilling 84-81 overtime win over defending national champion Marquette, a game in which Ayers had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds plus three assists.[3] In the next round they were defeated by eventual national champion Kentucky, 91-69, although Ayers had another big game with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists.[4]

Ayers earned a bachelor's degree in Education from Miami in 1978, and in 1981 he earned a master's in Education.[5]

Professional career

He was drafted in the third round of the 1978 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, but was cut from the team and then played professionally in Reno, Nevada for the Reno Bighorns in the fledgling Western Basketball Association.[6][7] Ayers earned second-team all-league honors, but the WBA folded after one season.[8]

Coaching career

Ayers began his coaching career at his alma mater, Miami University, in 1978, before moving on to the U.S. Military Academy and Ohio State. His first head coaching position came at Ohio State in 1989, taking the Buckeyes to the top regional seed in the NCAA men's tournament in both 1991 and 1992, but never reaching the Final Four. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1991, and Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992.[9]

Ayers was named head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers on June 20, 2003,[7] after serving as an assistant coach with the team since 1997. He compiled a 21–31 record, but was fired in the middle of the season. He then served as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic. On July 24, 2007, Ayers was hired as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards. On August 5, 2009, Ayers returned to the Philadelphia 76ers to serve as an assistant coach under Eddie Jordan.[10] Ayers then joined the coaching staff of the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) in 2010, continuing his position until 2012.[11] He returned with the Pelicans for the 2014–15 NBA season[12] before being hired as a scout for the Brooklyn Nets on November 3, 2015.[13]

On June 26, 2019, Ayers was hired as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns.[14]

Head coaching record

College

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Conference) (1989–1997)
1989–90 Ohio State 17–13 10–8 6th NCAA Division I Second Round
1990–91 Ohio State 27–4 15–3 1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16
1991–92 Ohio State 26–6 15–3 1st NCAA Division I Elite Eight
1992-93 Ohio State 15–13 8–10 7th NIT First Round
1993–94 Ohio State 13–16 6–12 8th
1994–95 Ohio State 6–22 2–16 10th
1995–96 Ohio State 10–17 3–15 11th
1996–97 Ohio State 10–17 5–13 9th
Ohio State: 124–108 (.534) 64–80 (.444)
Total: 124–108 (.534)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

NBA

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Philadelphia 2003–04 52 21 31 .404 (fired) — — — — —
Career 52 21 31 .404 — — — —

Personal life

Ayers married high school Spanish teacher Carol Denise Peery in 1983. They have two sons. Ryan Vincent (born July 16, 1986) was a student at the University of Notre Dame, a member of the Fighting Irish basketball team, and was an assistant coach at his alma mater. Cameron Alexander (born September 18, 1991) played college basketball at Bucknell University and currently plays for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League. Ayers' youngest brother, Tim Ayers, served as mayor and city commissioner of Springfield, Ohio from 1984 to 1990.

He was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame". Ohiobasketballhalloffame.com. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e [1] [dead link]
  3. ^ "Miami (OH) vs. Marquette Box Score, March 11, 1978". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Miami (OH) vs. Kentucky Box Score, March 16, 1978". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  5. ^ [2] [dead link]
  6. ^ Kirkpatrick, Curry (February 12, 1979). "Taking a gamble on the future". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Sixers promote Ayers to replace departed Brown as coach". CBS Sports. June 20, 2003. Archived from the original on August 29, 2003. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  8. ^ https://www.apbr.org/wba78-79.html
  9. ^ "Matta, Ayers Honored at Miami, Ohio". Ohiostatenuckeyes.com. September 22, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  10. ^ ESPN.com Ayers back as Philly assistant coach, August 5, 2009.
  11. ^ "Charlotte Hornets News Headlines". Nba.com. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  12. ^ "2014-15 New Orleans Pelicans Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Add Ayers and Bender to Scouting Staff". Nba.com. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Phoenix Suns announce complete coaching staff". Nba.com. Retrieved 26 November 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Randy_Ayers&oldid=1059982113"