Men's Basketball

Borchardt and Teasdale to Serve as Assistants

Head Men’s Basketball Coach Neal Ring has announced that Jeff Borchardt and John Teasdale will be serving as his assistant coaches for the 2009-2010 season. “Some of the best advice that I was given when I accepted the coaching position was to find the right assistants,” Coach Ring said. “God has blessed us with two Maranatha graduates who clearly love the institution and desire to see the basketball program be consistently competitive.”

Borchardt, a 1979 graduate, played basketball for Maranatha from 1975-1979 and is 13^th in career scoring with 1097 points. Coach Borchardt has been developing players for 30 years and has served for several years as an instructor at the Maranatha summer basketball camps. “I am excited about the experience and ability Jeff adds to our staff,” Coach Ring said.

Teasdale, a 1990 graduate, has worked the Maranatha summer basketball camps for 15 years. Coach Teasdale and Coach Ring coached against each other when both were high school basketball coaches. Teasdale brings 18 years of coaching experience to the staff. “I have great respect for Johns’ understanding of the game and his disciplined approach to teaching and preparing his players,” Coach Ring said. “His keen insight will be a welcomed addition to our staff.”

Coach Ring is pleased with adding the wealth of coaching experience in Teasdale and Borchardt. “It’s amazing when you realize that we have added 48 years of basketball coaching experience to our program,” Coach Ring said. “I look forward to seeing how God will use our coaching staff this season!”

Maranatha Names New Men's Basketball Coach

April 22, 2009
WATERTOWN, Wis. - Maranatha Baptist Bible College is pleased to announce that Neal Ring has accepted the position of head men’s basketball coach. Ring, a 1998 graduate of Northland Baptist Bible College, has earned a Master of Sports Science—Coaching at the United States Sports Academy (USSA) of Daphne, Alabama and is currently a candidate for a Doctorate of Education in Sports Management with an emphasis in Leadership at USSA.

Ring has basketball coaching experience at nearly every level—from middle school to college. Ring started out as a junior high boys’ basketball coach for 2 years at Union Grove Christian School in Union Grove, Wis. Ring then coached high school basketball for 12 years and served 4 years as an assistant at Northland Baptist Bible College and North Carolina Wesleyan College. Ring has also served as a high school athletic director at Christian high schools in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

While working on the doctorate degree, Ring returned to Union Grove Christian School to serve as a volunteer assistant coach for skill development for Head Coach Lee Morey. Ring is currently working as a grassroots basketball advisor for On Court Player Development^® which is based in Atlanta, Ga.

“This is the realization of my dream to become a college head basketball coach,” Coach Ring said. “Maranatha represents an opportunity to use the game of basketball as a platform for discipleship with a group of men who will become leaders for this next generation. I take that responsibility very seriously and look forward to seeing how God will use this program to sharpen lives for His glory.”

“Expectations can be difficult to establish before a team and coaching staff spend time together preparing for a season,” Coach Ring added. “Whether we are in a practice or a game, I expect us to strive for three things: to be a great team in action and attitude, to get after our opponent defensively, and to be hard to guard offensively. If we accomplish these three things, then the scoreboard will take care of itself.”

Ring will be replacing Rob Cronin who served as the head men’s basketball coach and Dean of Men at Maranatha for 5 years. “We have greatly appreciated Coach Cronin and his investment in ministry in Maranatha’s basketball program,” Athletic Director Rob Thompson said. “We trust that we will see a smooth transition as Coach Ring begins his ministry.”

Ring’s wife, Beth, will be serving as an assistant coach for the volleyball team. Neal and Beth have 4 children—RJ, Kay, Megan, and Carissa—ranging from 3 to 10 years old.

“We are excited about Coach Neal Ring coming to Maranatha,” Thompson said. “Neal’s experience and knowledge of the sport will greatly add to the overall program at Maranatha. “As Neal and his wife Beth join our coaching staff, we see great things for the future of Crusader athletics.” 

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