COLUMBUS — From ball boy to the big time, Ryan Pedon is living the dream.
A former basketball player at The College of Wooster, Pedon is now an assistant coach under Chris Holtmann at Ohio State, which is having a banner year on the hardwood — something most people did not expect, at least not this soon.
"It’s unbelievable," said Pedon, a 2000 Wooster graduate. "You sort of have to pinch yourself. Coaching in your hometown and having success with great kids at Ohio State; it’s amazing."
A native of nearby Bexley, Pedon grew up 15 minutes from campus and served as one of the team’s ball boys in middle school. "I guess you could say that everything has come full circle," he said.
Buckeye head coach Chris Holtmann hired Pedon three years ago when Holtmann was the head coach at Butler. "I was looking for a guy who was very confident and would do a good job in a variety of areas — someone who was good with people, could recruit well, and was a hard worker," said Holtmann. "Ryan has been outstanding in all of those areas. He is everything I could have hoped for and more. He’s very engaging, has a dynamic personality, and has been a great connector on our staff."
Basketball, in some way, shape, or form, was always part of the long-range plan for Pedon. Once he got to Wooster, he knew for sure that he wanted to be involved in the sport. It was just a matter of figuring out how to do it.
Scot head coach Steve Moore and associate head coach Doug Cline played significant roles in helping Pedon find his way. "The Scot basketball program is very much a part of the fabric of who I am," said Pedon. "I don’t know that I would be where I am today without Coach Moore and Coach Cline. I am forever grateful for their leadership and their guidance."
"What I am most proud of at Wooster was being a team captain as a senior," added Pedon. "Things didn’t necessarily go as planned for me. Several freshmen came in and played ahead of me, but I think the way I responded and helped to prepare the freshmen had an impact, and helped us to go 26-3 that year, which surprised a lot of people because we had lost some very good players to graduation the year before."
That same unselfish, team-first attitude he exhibited as a player is evident today in Pedon’s coaching style. "What I love about coaching is being able to have an effect on young men’s lives on and off the floor," he said. "Our sport provides tremendous opportunities to teach life lessons through the game of basketball. As a coach you want to impact them as players, but more importantly as people — to prepare them ultimately for life, and I love being able to do that through basketball."
"Part of what I enjoy so much about coaching is being able to help our guys through the tough times," he added. "I can draw on my experiences at Wooster. Reacting in a positive way to adversity in basketball prepares young athletes for what much of life is like. Things are not always going to go the way you want them to go, but your ability to persevere and learn from the good and the bad is the essence of life. That is what I love most about the game — to help the guys and prepare them for life."
Of course, Pedon loves to win, too, and the Buckeyes are doing quite a bit of that this season — more than most could have imagined with a new coaching staff. "We have great kids with great character who are very coachable," he said. "They’ve accepted (the coaching staff) in a short time; we’ve been able to connect, and they’ve bought in."
Another key has been the leadership on the floor. "Our older guys have grown into those roles quickly," said Pedon. "They have responded to success and adversity in the right way."
Before joining the Buckeye staff last summer, Pedon spent two years at Butler under Holtmann. Prior to that, he was an assistant at Illinois for two seasons at Illinois, and before that, he was an assistant at Toledo for two years. Pedon got his start at the collegiate level at Miami University, where he spent five seasons.
Ultimately, Pedon would love to be a collegiate head coach someday, but for now he is content beyond words, living in Columbus with his wife (and former women’s basketball player at Wooster) Stephanie (Woodruff), and their 5-year old son, Maddox. "I’m a big believer in staying in the moment," he said. "There will be a time and place to think about future opportunities. Right now, I am focused on the success of our program."
And right now, it appears that his players are equally dialed in as they strive for even more success in a season that, at least for now, knows no bounds.