COVID-19 has been a content killer when it comes to sports media. I’m not talking about stories that cover how sports are being affected by the pandemic — that has been discussed ad nauseam. I’m talking about actual sporting event coverage, Xs and Os, season previews — it has all fallen by the wayside and left journalists racking their brains for content ideas.
But Stadium Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman is one of the best in the biz — having covered basketball at the NBA, college, and high school levels for more than two decades — and he has found ways to engage his audience while still talking college hoops as if there’s a season right around the corner.
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A recent series of articles by Goodman ranked the best assistant coaches in college basketball. The former ESPN basketball insider polled at least 20 coaches from each conference in college basketball and asked them to name their top assistant coaches in their respective conference. He then used that data to compile a top five assistants for each league. Goodman also included some info on each coach that’s recognized — as well as quotes from both their boss (head coach) and another assistant in the conference.
When it comes to the Big Ten, Maryland assistant Bino Ranson came in at No. 5. Let’s take a look at why Ranson made the cut.
Orlando “Bino” Ranson has been an assistant coach at Maryland since 2010. Nine of his 10 years in College Park have been as a member of head coach Mark Turgeon’s staff. Throughout Ranson’s tenure at Maryland, the Terps have won 223 games, made four NCAA Tournament appearances, reached one Sweet 16, and earned a Big Ten regular season title (2019-20).
But it is Ranson’s recruiting prowess that makes him an elite assistant. The Baltimore native played an integral role in helping Maryland sign top-25 recruiting classes in five out of seven seasons between 2012 and 2018. One of the biggest fish he landed recently was former McDonald’s All-American Jalen “Stix” Smith, who also hails from Baltimore and cited his relationship with Ranson as a major factor in his decision to play in College Park. Landing Smith helped Maryland finish with a top-10 recruiting class in 2018.
Besides Smith, Ranson has also helped the Terps recruit and develop seven NBA Draft selections: Alex Len, Jordan Williams, Jake Layman, Diamond Stone, Kevin Huerter, Justin Jackson, Bruno Fernando.
Turgeon certainly has a lot to be thankful for in terms of having Ranson as a member of his staff throughout his time at Maryland.
“Bino is a passionate person that loves engaging with people,” Turgeon said in Goodman’s article. “He has developed many friends in the business that trust him. Finally, he is an everyday guy.”
While recruiting is his calling card, Ranson has a great basketball mind and plenty of playing and coaching experience to be effective.
As a standout player at Southern New Hampshire University, Ranson graduated in 1999 as one of the program’s most accomplished players. He finished his collegiate career at SNHU ranked seventh in career scoring (1,899 points), fifth in assists (598), and fourth in 3-point field goals (226) after lettering for four seasons. He was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in January 2007.
Since that time, Ranson has coached at St. Francis Academy in Baltimore, Loyola (Md.), Marist, James Madison, Xavier, and Maryland. He is currently the second-longest tenured assistant coach in the Big Ten behind only Michigan State’s Dwayne Stephens, who we’ll talk about in a bit.
Before coaching in the high school and college ranks, Ranson cut his teeth coaching on the AAU circuit. Some of the notable players he worked with at the AAU level are Sean Mosley and Juan Dixon of Maryland, Ricky Harris of Massachusetts, Jermaine Dixon of Pittsburgh and Donte Greene of Syracuse.
The respect Ranson has earned in basketball circles is unquestioned.
“Bino has the ability to adapt to any and all situations,” an anonymous Big Ten assistant told Goodman. “First, he’s a very good coach. As importantly, he has a heart of gold. His players revere him and he always seems to be in the thick of things when trophies are being raised.”
Terps Analyst
Pat has been covering sports in the DMV area since 2012. He is a former Washington Redskins beat reporter for PressBoxDC.com and has been covering University of Maryland football and basketball recruiting and daily beats for Rivals.com’s Terrapin Sports Report since 2013. Pat graduated from College Park with his master’s degree in journalism and has received bylines in publications such as USA TODAY Sports, The Philadelphia Inquirer, SB Nation, and Yahoo! Sports. A Philadelphia native, Pat enjoys fishing, golfing, and playing fantasy sports when he’s not covering or watching a game.