When we last checked in with second-generation Marco Islander Ryan Witthoff, we were celebrating his ascension in the college basketball world (Shooting Star, June 27, 2024). Witthoff was possibly the youngest director of creative content in the NCAA when he joined head coach Chris Mack at the College of Charleston two years ago at just 23. Now Witthoff is taking another step up the stairway to the NCAA stars as part of Mack’s staff as director of basketball creative for the University of South Florida.
The rapid transition from his job at Charleston to USF has been filled with chaotic energy. His wild ride started in late March when former USF coach Bryan Hodgson left the Bulls for Providence after leading USF to one of their best seasons ever.
“It was an interesting couple of days for sure when all that went down,” Witthoff said. “It was business as usual and then we get texts saying, ‘I think this is moving in the right direction. Might be getting South Florida job.’ And the next thing you know, we’re on our way to Tampa.”
Hodgson, who only coached one season at USF, led the Bulls to a 25-9 season that included American Conference regular season and tournament championships and a trip to March Madness, where they nearly upset Louisville before falling, 83-79.
“Honestly,” Witthoff said, “they should have won. If USF shot the ball a little better, they move on. But they had an historic year. Got the fans excited, got the community excited.”
Witthoff was talking to his parents, Stacy and Curt Witthoff, when he got the first hints that his future might be changing in a hurry.
“I was like, ‘Hey, I got a notification on my phone that the USF job just opened, maybe Mack will get the job.’ I was thinking to myself, ‘that’s super slim, I don’t think that will happen.’ I think we’re ready to rock again in Charleston. But so much goes on behind the scenes that as a staff you don’t really know until you’re told what’s going on or when you see speculation on Twitter.”
Witthoff witnessed Twitter speculation during his first basketball job after graduating from Florida State. He was on the staff at the University of Arkansas when head coach Eric Musselman left for USC.
“The Twitter speculation was out there and I expected something to happen,” he said. “This one was completely opposite. It was super hush-hush; it didn’t get out in the media. There wasn’t even a consideration out there for USF job candidates.”
USF announced that they were hiring Mack as head coach at the end of March.
“Until USF put it out, it was kept super quiet,” Witthoff said, “super under the rug. I walked into the office in Charleston and it was business as usual that day. It’s crazy how one day in this industry can completely change the trajectory of your life. Coach Mack walks into my office, gives me a look, and we go on a walk. He said, ‘I’ve gotta keep this pretty short because I’ve got a lot of things going on right now. You have a spot if you want to come.’ I said, ‘Coach, I would be there yesterday.’”
For Witthoff, the opportunity to move closer to his home on Marco Island was a dream come true.
“I told him I’ve gotta talk to my girlfriend, talk to my folks, but that’s like a dream spot for me.”
Witthoff was announced as part of the USF staff and hit the ground running.
Ryan Witthoff, far left, with fellow USF basketball staff at their introductory press conference.
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“Everything was happening so fast,” he said. “You’re thinking about who’s going to be on next year’s team, but you’re also trying to navigate what things look like personally. Where am I going to live? When are we going down there? How is that all managed? It was actually pretty cool. USF flew a private jet to pick us up. People who have a big say in the program were out there waiting for us on the tarmac. They had a welcome reception for us.”
A thrill for Witthoff was meeting Derrick Brooks, an FSU football legend, NFL Hall of Famer, and current chief operating officer for the South Florida Bulls.
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, buddy, I know exactly who you are.’ I told him I went to Florida State. The whole process was great. Everyone down at USF made the transition super seamless and really efficient. They’re great people.”
No sooner did the new basketball staff arrive at USF, the transfer portal opened. USF lost its entire roster from last season.
“We’ve been grinding it out, trying to get players,” Witthoff said. “We have to fill a whole roster. We have 15 guys to fill because none of the guys from the old team ended up staying. As of today, we have gotten six or seven guys.”
Portal season is very busy for Witthoff. He’s basically doing the same job he did in Charleston, working with coaches to schedule Zoom calls and creating presentations for staff members to use when talking to prospects. He also creates all of the branding and graphics.
“Anything to help the USF brand sell itself,” he said. “I’ll work on re-creating jersey swaps, putting our top targets in USF gear that we can shoot out to them when they are in the portal. I might be working on 10 different jersey swaps for 10 different kids. Then, a day later, five of those kids could commit somewhere else. You’ve got to dump those and then you have a few new players to bring onto the table. So you start making stuff for them. It’s honestly never-ending.”
Of course, the icing on the cake for Witthoff is the opportunity to move closer to his home on Marco Island. With everything he has going on, he hasn’t even had the chance to come home yet.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “It’s going to be great going back closer to Marco than I probably ever could be. After I got the job offer, I called my girlfriend first, because I needed to figure out what she wanted to do. I figured she would want to move to Tampa. Then I called my parents. They were stoked. My mom couldn’t believe what she was hearing. I said, ‘I think I’m moving to Tampa.’ She goes, ‘What?’ We were talking through it and I was telling her everything. My parents are both ecstatic. I’ll be spending a lot more time on Marco. It’s a nice little two to two and a half hour drive down I-75, getting off the highway on 951, and we’re back. It’s awesome. I’m excited.”
Another family member who’s excited is Witthoff’s grandfather, Realtor Marv Needles, whose real estate career dates back to the Deltona Corporation and the modern development of the Island in the 1960s.
“Grandpa Marv is really pumped,” Witthoff said. “He said, ‘When are you going to be back down? I need to play some golf with you.’ I said, ‘If you give me a three-hour notice of a tee time, I’ll drive down and we’re gonna play some golf.’ He’s probably already trying to figure out tee times. Once things start to settle down with the portal and everything, I’ll be super excited to get home and be around family more often. I think they’re going to be excited because they can pop up to Tampa for games, too.”
Marco’s Ryan Witthoff, far left, arrives in Tampa with the new USF basketball staff. Head coach Chris Mack is in the middle.
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