Topic: Bo Ryan

William "Bo" Francis Ryan, Jr. (born December 20, 1947 in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States) is the current head coach of the University of Wisconsin–Madison men's basketball team.

Bo Ryan began playing basketball at a very young age. His father, Butch Ryan, coached basketball to under-privileged children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Butch Ryan taught his son the skills to be a successful point guard, generally the position of the team leader. With these skills, he became a star basketball player, leading his high school team to a 25-1 record in his senior year. His center in high school was Ted Cottrell, who later served as a defensive coach and coordinator for a number of teams in the NFL. Ryan lettered in football, basketball and baseball, and was president of his class. After high school, Ryan starred as a point guard at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. His love for the game drove him to remain involved with the sport, choosing to delve into the coaching profession.

After graduating from Wilkes University, Ryan began graduate work at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. After working at the Dominican College of Racine (now defunct -- not to be confused with the earlier Racine College) in Racine, WI, Ryan became head coach at Sun Valley High School in Aston, Pennsylvania, where he was named conference coach of the year in 1976. His success at Dominican College and Sun Valley led to a job as assistant head coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison under head coaches Bill Cofield and Steve Yoder from 1977–84.