AJAY RIDING NAMED MEN’S BASKETBALL ASSISTANT COACH

6/8/2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Former Fresno State and San Joaquin Delta College player Ajay Riding has been named assistant men’s basketball coach at Sacramento State, it was announced today by Hornet head coach Brian Katz.

Riding will join Katz, and assistants Brady Bergeson and Dominique Bukasa on the Sacramento State sideline next season. Riding’s duties with the Hornets will include working with the team’s guards, recruiting, academics and film exchange.

The Davis, Calif., native spent the past two years (2007-09) working with the men’s basketball coaching staff at Fresno State as a graduate assistant.

A graduate of Fresno State in 2007 with a degree in mass communications and journalism, Riding played a combined 47 games for the Bulldogs in 2005-06 and 2006-07. He was both a Western Athletic Conference and Fresno State Scholar-Athlete award winner, and helped the Bulldogs to a 37-23 combined record during his two seasons with the team as a student-athlete. That included a 22-10 overall record and a National Invitational Tournament appearance during his senior season.

No stranger to Katz’s coaching philosophy, Riding spent two years playing for Katz at Delta College in 2003-04 and 2004-05. During those two seasons, Riding helped the Mustangs to a pair of conference championships and a 52-8 combined record. The 2004-05 squad finished with a program-best 30-2 record and reached the Final Four of the state tournament.

“In my 34 years of coaching, Ajay is one of the most high character guys I’ve come across, and he will definitely be an asset to our team,” Katz said. “He has a great work ethic, a very enthusiastic personality and will help in a variety of areas.”

Prior to playing at Delta College, Riding prepped at Davis High School where he was an all-conference selection.