Notre Dame assistant Ryan Humphrey leaving Irish coaching staff, reportedly returning to Oklahoma
Ryan Humphrey’s time on staff at his alma mater has come to an end. Humphrey, an assistant coach at Notre Dame and a former Irish forward, departed the staff after six seasons Wednesday. (UPDATE 6/30 10 pm ET): Per multiple reports, he will take the same job at Oklahoma – news was first reported by the Tulsa world.
Humphrey, 42, came to Notre Dame as an assistant in 2016 after spending two years as the director of player development at Northwestern. He played professionally from 2002-13 before starting a coaching career. He played for Notre Dame from 2000-02 on Mike Brey’s first two Irish teams after transferring from Oklahoma.
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The 6-8 Humphrey was two-time All-Big East selection at Notre Dame and helped the Irish reach the NCAA tournament round of 32 in both his seasons with the program. He averaged 14.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in 2000-01, earning third-team All-Big East honors. As a senior, he was a first-team selection after averaging 18.9 pounds, 10.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He set the program’s single-season blocks record as a senior (87).
The Utah Jazz selected Humphrey with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, but traded him to the Orlando Magic the same day. He played for the Magic as a rookie and spent 2003-05 with the Memphis Grizzlies. He was waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves before the 2005-06 season.
The Tulsa, Okla. native then played primarily in international leagues for the next eight years, including stints in Italy, Cyprus, Spain and South America. He spent the 2006-07 preseason with the Los Angeles Clippers and played part of 2008-09 with the Tulsa 66ers of the then-NBA Development League (now called the G League).
Humphrey was the-longest tenured assistant on Brey’s 2021-22 staff, which underwent a shakeup last offseason. Associate head coach Rod Balanis departed and interim assistant Scott Martin returned to his support staff role. Anthony Solomon returned for his third stint on Notre Dame’s staff. Former Irish guard Antoni Wyche was also hired as an assistant.
Humphrey was the constant that year, though, and held the Irish’s recruiting efforts together during the transition. He was known as a strong recruiter and helped the Irish land five-star guard J.J. Starling in the 2022 class. He also carried a positive reputation in the program for his player development skills.
Notre Dame began summer practice on June 14.
