David Ragland (born April 28, 1981) is an American college basketball coach and former player from Evansville, Indiana. He is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Evansville, returning to his hometown to take over the Purple Aces program in 2022.
Ragland previously starred at Harrison High School and played college basketball at the University of Southern Indiana, giving him deep ties to basketball on both sides of Evansville.
Harrison High School
Ragland attended William Henry Harrison High School in Evansville, where he became a standout basketball player for the Warriors.
He earned All-State Honorable Mention honors and helped Harrison make a deep postseason run as a senior in 1999. That team advanced to the Class 4A Semi-State at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Ironically, 1999 was also the last season the University of Evansville reached the NCAA Tournament before Ragland eventually returned home to lead the Aces.
College Career
Ragland began his college basketball career at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri.
During his freshman season, Missouri Southern went 30-3 and reached the NCAA Division II Final Four.
After two seasons, Ragland returned home to Evansville and transferred to the University of Southern Indiana.
The 5-foot-11 point guard played for the Screaming Eagles from 2001 to 2003 and helped USI compile a 47-14 record over his two seasons.
Ragland led the Screaming Eagles in assists in both seasons, helping continue USI’s tradition as one of the country’s leading Division II basketball programs.
He graduated from USI in 2003 with a degree in communications.
Coaching Career
Ragland began his coaching career as an assistant at Frank Phillips College before joining Vincennes University.
After three seasons as a Vincennes assistant, he was promoted to head coach in 2008. Ragland compiled a 44-19 record in two seasons leading the Trailblazers.
He then began a lengthy career as a Division I assistant coach.
Ragland served on coaching staffs at:
- Indiana State
- Bowling Green
- Northern Kentucky
- Valparaiso
- Utah State
- Butler
At Indiana State, he was part of a program that won 80 games in four seasons and reached four consecutive postseason tournaments, including the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
At Utah State, Ragland helped the Aggies compile a 74-24 record over three seasons and earn two NCAA Tournament appearances.
University of Evansville
On May 24, 2022, the University of Evansville named Ragland the 16th head men’s basketball coach in school history.
The hiring represented a homecoming for Ragland after nearly two decades coaching around the country.
His first season was a difficult rebuilding year, with the Aces winning just five games. The turnaround began quickly.
In 2023-24, Ragland led Evansville to a 17-win season, a 12-win improvement from the previous year and the program’s highest victory total since 2017-18.
The Aces opened the season 6-0, becoming the first UE team to accomplish that feat since Arad McCutchan’s undefeated 1964-65 national championship team.
Evansville also won a game at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the first time since 2017 and accepted an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational, giving UE its first postseason appearance since winning the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
Ragland was recognized nationally during the turnaround and received the Ben Jobe Mid-Season Honor in January 2024.
The improvement continued in 2024-25. Despite dealing with numerous injuries, Evansville won eight Missouri Valley Conference games, its highest conference win total in nine seasons.
Ragland subsequently signed a contract extension to remain head coach of the Purple Aces.
Evansville Basketball Connection
Few coaches have connections to as many parts of Evansville basketball as David Ragland.
He grew up in the city, starred at Harrison High School, returned home to play for USI, graduated from USI and ultimately returned again to become head coach at the University of Evansville.
His connection to both of Evansville’s NCAA Division I universities will become even more notable when the Purple Aces and Screaming Eagles meet in a regular-season game.
For Ragland, becoming head coach of the Purple Aces completed a basketball journey that began only a few miles away at Harrison High School.