Randall Duane Ayers (born April 16, 1956) is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

coach who is currently an assistant coach (through a coaching advisor position) for the Phoenix Suns of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

. Ayers grew up in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County, Ohio, Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approxim ...

and played college basketball at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

in Ohio. He has been a basketball coach since 1979. He was selected in the third round of the 1978 NBA draft by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

. He began his coaching career that year as an assistant coach at Miami and played one year of professional basketball for the Reno Bighorns of the

World Basketball Association The World Basketball Association (WBA) was a semi-professional men's spring basketball league in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Con ...

. After four years on the Miami staff, Ayers was an assistant at

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

from 1982 to 1984. From 1984 to 1989, Ayers was an assistant at

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

under

Gary Williams Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. I ...

and was promoted to head coach in 1989. In eight seasons at Ohio State, Ayers had a 124–108 record with three straight NCAA tournament appearances from 1990 to 1992. In 1991 and 1992, Ohio State won back-to-back

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

regular season titles and top-five national finishes. However, amidst declining team performance and an ethics violation, Ayers was fired in 1997. Since leaving Ohio State, Ayers has coached in the NBA, starting as an assistant with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

from 1999 to 2003. Ayers was head coach for the 76ers in the 2003–04 season, the last head coaching job he would hold. Subsequently, Ayers was an assistant for the Orlando Magic from 2005 to 2007,

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

from 2007 to 2009, the New Orleans Hornets (later Pelicans) from 2010 to 2012 and 2014 to 2015, and then the Phoenix Suns beginning in 2019.

Early life

Ayers was born in

, the fourth of eight children of Frank Ayers and Betty Basey. He played basketball at North High School in Springfield, where he was named Ohio high school Class AAA (big-school) player of the year in 1974.

College career

Ayers attended

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...

, where he played basketball. Ayers made his mark more as a defender, rebounder and playmaker than as a scorer, as Miami teammates Archie Aldridge as well as Chuck Goodyear provided much of the offense. As a freshman in 1974–75, Ayers saw significant playing time, averaged 8.5 points per game (ppg) with a .560 field goal percentage as the Redskins, coached by Darrell Hedric, posted a 19–7 record. He was named honorable mention All-

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great L ...

(MAC) As a sophomore in 1975–76, Ayers became a starter and averaged 10.9 ppg as the team finished 18–8 and second in the MAC. He was again named honorable mention All-MAC. As a junior in 1976–77, Ayers increased his scoring average to 12.8 ppg and 8.1 rebounds per game (rpg) as, for the third season, he was named honorable mention All-MAC. The Redskins posted an overall record of 20–6 and were MAC co-champions. In his senior year of 1977–78, Ayers increased his scoring average for the third straight year with 13.4 ppg and had 7.0 rpg. He was named second-team All-MAC as his teammate, Archie Aldridge, earned MAC Player of the Year. Ayers was also named Miami's Defensive Player of the Year. Miami's record was 19–9 but they earned an outright MAC championship and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. Miami opened the tournament with a thrilling 84–81 overtime win over defending national champion Marquette, a game in which Ayers had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds plus three assists. In the next round they were defeated by eventual national champion

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, 91–69, although Ayers had another big game with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Ayers earned a bachelor's degree in Education in 1978 and master's degree in 1981, both from Miami.

Professional playing career

He was drafted in the third round of the 1978 NBA draft by the

, but was cut from the team and then played professionally in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

for the Reno Bighorns in the fledgling

Western Basketball Association The Western Basketball Association was formed in 1978 and played for one season during 1978–79. Organized by Larry Cregar, a former assistant coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), and real ...

. Ayers earned second-team all-league honors, but the WBA folded after one season.

Coaching career

Early coaching career (1979–1989)

In 1979, Ayers returned to Miami University for graduate school and became a graduate assistant for his former coach Hedric. After completing graduate school, Ayers became an assistant coach at

, where he spent two seasons until 1983. Then from 1983 to 1991, Ayers was an assistant coach at

, first as a part-time assistant under

Eldon Miller Eldon Miller (born June 19, 1939) is an American college basketball coach. The Gnadenhutten, Ohio native has led four different programs in 36 years of coaching: at Wittenberg University (1962–70), Western Michigan University (1971–76), Ohio ...

until 1986. New head coach

retained Ayers on staff and promoted Ayers to full-time in 1987.

Ohio State head coach (1989–1997)

On July 3, 1989, Ohio State promoted Ayers to head coach after Williams left to take the head coaching job at

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Ayers led Ohio State to a 17–13 record in his debut season; Ohio State lost in the second round of the 1990 NCAA tournament to eventual national champion

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

. The 1990–91 Ohio State Buckeyes finished 27–4 with a share of the Big Ten regular season title, the program's first conference title in 20 years. In the 1991 NCAA tournament, Ohio State advanced to the Sweet 16. After the season, Ayers was unanimously voted by peer Big Ten coaches as

Big Ten Coach of the Year Coaches and media of the Big Ten Conference award the following individual honors at the end of each American football, football season. In addition, the ''Chicago Tribune'' awards the Chicago Tribune Silver Football to the most valuable football p ...

and won the

Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year The Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year award was established in 1967 to recognize the best men's college basketball coach of the year, as voted upon by the Associated Press (AP). A parallel award for women's coaches was added in ...

award. Then in 1991–92, Ohio State went 26–6, won the Big Ten title outright, and made the Elite Eight round of the 1992 NCAA tournament. This was the first time since 1964 that Ohio State won two consecutive conference titles. Ohio State forward Jim Jackson became the fourth overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. However, Ohio State regressed after that early success. In 1992–93, despite peaking at no. 21 in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...

, Ohio State finished 15–13 and exited after the first round of the

1993 National Invitation Tournament The 1993 National Invitation Tournament was the 1993 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 32 teams selected for the tournament.

with a loss to Miami University. The next season, Ohio State dropped to 13–16, the first losing season in 17 years. In June 1994, the

National Collegiate Athletics Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

placed Ohio State on one year's probation after finding that Ayers improperly met with a high school recruit and basketball coach during a restricted time period and paid $60 to the coach. Also that year, Ohio State power forward Lawrence Funderburke was selected in the second round of the NBA draft. However, Ohio State continued to struggle with three straight losing seasons, as low as 6–22 in 1994–95. On March 10, 1997, Ohio State athletic director

Andy Geiger Ferdinand "Andy" Geiger (born March 23, 1939) is a former athletic director at six different institutions, most recently holding that position from May 10, 2012, to August 30, 2013, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His most notable time ...

fired Ayers. In eight seasons, Ayers had a cumulative 124–108 record at Ohio State. On April 29 that year, Ohio State reached a nearly $637,000 settlement with Ayers to buy out the remaining two years of his contract.

Philadelphia 76ers assistant and head coach (1997–2004)

Ayers was named head coach of the

on June 20, 2003, after serving as an assistant coach with the team since 1997. He compiled a 21–31 record during the 2003–04 season, but was fired in the middle of the season.

Later NBA career (2005–present)

He then served as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic. On July 24, 2007, Ayers was hired as an assistant coach for the

. On August 5, 2009, Ayers returned to the

to serve as an assistant coach under

Eddie Jordan Edmund Patrick Jordan, OBE (born 30 March 1948), also known as EJ, is an Irish businessman, television personality and former motorsport team owner. Born in Dublin, Jordan worked first at the Bank of Ireland. He won the Irish Kart Championship ...

. Ayers then joined the coaching staff of the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) in 2010, continuing his position until 2012. He returned with the Pelicans for the 2014–15 NBA season before being hired as a scout for the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

on November 3, 2015. On June 26, 2019, Ayers was hired as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. On June 28, 2022, Ayers was moved to the team's coaching advisor position, which allows him to take on a smaller role with the coaching staff and spend more time with his family, as well as remain a key part of the Suns' coaching staff.

Head coaching record

College

NBA

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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

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Personal life

Ayers' youngest brother, Tim Ayers, served as mayor and city commissioner of Springfield, Ohio from 1984 to 1990. Ayers married high school Spanish teacher Carol Denise Peery in 1983. They have two sons. Ryan Ayers (born July 16, 1986) played college basketball at Notre Dame and was later an assistant coach there.

Cameron Ayers Cameron Alexander Ayers (born September 18, 1991) is an American professional basketball player, who last played for Trefl Sopot of PLK. He played college basketball for Bucknell. College career In his four-year career at Bucknell, Ayers playe ...

(born September 18, 1991) played college basketball at

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering ...

and played pro basketball. He was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

References

External links

Randy Ayers profile on NBA.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayers, Randy 1956 births Living people American men's basketball players Army Black Knights men's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from Ohio Basketball players from Ohio Chicago Bulls draft picks College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Miami RedHawks men's basketball players New Orleans Hornets assistant coaches New Orleans Pelicans assistant coaches Orlando Magic assistant coaches Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches Philadelphia 76ers head coaches Phoenix Suns assistant coaches Sportspeople from Springfield, Ohio Washington Wizards assistant coaches Western Basketball Association players