Ryan Johnson, who recently completed his second season with the Montana State women’s basketball program, has been elevated to associate head coach, Tricia Binford announced.
“Ryan is being rewarded for the knowledge and experience he brings to the table,” said Binford, who just finished her 20th season at the helm of the Bobcat program. “With the evolving and changing landscape of the NCAA, a lot of that has fallen on Ryan’s plate.
“This past season, Ryan also took on more offensive responsibilities, especially in special situations,” Binford added. “He brings a great mindset to the game.”
Johnson, a 20-year coaching veteran, served as MSU’s offensive coordinator last winter. Off the court, he is the program’s academics liaison, and oversees financial aid, scheduling, post development, while serving as the contact with Bobcat Collectives.
“This season, he mentored twelve players to All-Big Sky Academic honors, the most in the league,” Binford said. “Ryan also put together one of the best schedules we’ve had during my time at Montana State. He was able to secure a lot of non-conference home games- which is always challenging- and we were able to play competitive road games against the likes of Florida Gulf Coast, Central Florida, and East Carolina.”
Binford and Johnson, along with Associate Head Coach Sunny Smallwood and Assistant Coach Devin Perez, led MSU to its most successful season in program history as the Bobcats recorded a 30-4 overall record and a 17-1 Big Sky slate. Montana State captured the regular season Big Sky title as well as the Big Sky Tournament championship en route to its fourth NCAA appearance, and the third under Binford’s watch.
“I’ve been fortunate to have this staff intact for two seasons,” Binford said. “We have outstanding chemistry. Sunny continues to crush things as our recruiting coordinator, and what she did as our defensive coordinator this season was phenomenal.
“Devin has also played a vital role and has taken on more responsibilities within the program,” Binford said. “He oversees the spring player development sessions and was instrumental in developing Esme Morales into our first WBCA Honorable Mention All-American since 2012.
“Devin also manages official and unofficial visits, camps, and serves as liaison to our support staff (strength coach, athletic trainer, and nutritionist).”
In all, Binford’s current coaching staff brings 62 years of combined experience at the NCAA Division I level to the program. “This staff is second to none,” Binford commented. “What they do for the program is off the charts.”
Binford also stated that Director of Basketball Operations and radio play-by-play announcer Daniel Salle and Graduate Assistant Coach Maddie Geritz will return for the 2025-26 season.
“Daniel and Maddie are our unsung heroes behind the scenes,” Binford said. “We couldn’t do this without them.”
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