Ryan Davis is in his third season as an assistant coach at UIC, joining the Flames' staff in April 2024. He oversees special situations and assists with offensive and defensive strategy, player-personnel scouting, recruiting, player development, internal scheduling and camp operations. Davis also serves as the program's primary liaison for academics, compliance and financial aid.
Davis has been instrumental in the resurgence of UIC men's basketball, which has won 36 games and finished in the top five of the Missouri Valley Conference both of his first two seasons on the staff. Along the way, Davis has helped UIC post eight Quad 1 & 2 wins, the second-most in the MVC, as well as six wins over teams ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll (four against top-10 squads). In 2025-26, the Flames finished 19-16, advanced to the MVC Tournament (Arch Madness) championship game and earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The postseason appearance marked UIC's first since 2018 and its first NIT selection since 2003.
The 2025-26 season also brought significant individual recognition for the Flames. Elijah Crawford earned All-MVC Second Team and MVC All-Newcomer Team honors, while Andy Johnson became UIC's first-ever selection to the MVC All-Freshman Team. Sam Silverstein also earned MVC Scholar-Athlete Team recognition and the MVC Elite 18 Award for men's basketball after completing his graduate season with a 4.0 GPA.
Davis joined UIC after nine seasons on the staff at Lake Forest College, the final three (2021-24) as head coach. A lifelong Chicagoland resident, he was named to the Most Impactful Division III Head Coaches list by Silver Waves Media in 2023.
During his tenure as an assistant and head coach at Lake Forest, Davis helped the Foresters record 104 victories, including 80 conference wins, and reach the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in program history during the 2018-19 season. The program also set or tied 17 records during his time on staff, including a school-record scoring average of 83.6 points per game and 269 three-pointers in 2018-19.
An accomplished coach and tactician, Davis produced 10 all-conference honorees and 45 academic all-conference selections while at Lake Forest. He also garnered further experience as an advanced scout for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx during the 2021 season.
Prior to his arrival on Chicago’s North Shore, Davis served two years as an assistant coach at the University of Chicago Lab School, helping U-High earn back-to-back Independent School League championships. While coaching there, Davis also spent time as a coach with the Nike Meanstreets AAU program in Chicago, assisting with player development, on-court coaching and recruiting.
Davis is a 2015 graduate of the University of Chicago, where he received his bachelor’s degree in political science and played for the Maroons’ men’s basketball team in 2011-12. Originally from Deerfield, Illinois, Davis matriculated from Deerfield High School and spent a post-graduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.
Davis and his wife, Hannah, are the proud parents of a son (Nolan) and a daughter (Harper), and they make their home in Chicago.
