Black Hills State University Athletics

Ryan Thompson was named the head coach of the Black Hills State men's basketball program in July 2018 and the 2023-24 season marks his sixth season at the helm. The two-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Coach of the Year (2020, 2022) has led the Yellow Jackets to a pair of NCAA Final four appearances (2022, 2023) in his time leading the program. He has compiled a 121-54 overall record (.691) and 91-33 (.734) RMAC record.

Thompson guided the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back NCAA DII Final Four appearances (2021-22 & 2022-23), as he leads the program in most Final Four appearances. The only other Final Four appearance in program history came in 2008-09.

On February 28, 2023 Thompson became the fourth coach in program history to reach 100 victories, and he was the quickest to reach the milestone. He's also led the Yellow Jackets to two RMAC Regular Season titles in his time in Spearfish (2019-20, 2021-22). 

The 2023-24 season saw the Yellow Jackets finish fourth in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and take down MSU Denver in the Quarterfinals of the RMAC Tournament. Graduate guard Matthew Ragsdale was named a First Team All-South Central Region and Honorable Mention All-America performer by the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA), as he led the RMAC in both scoring (22.6ppg) and made 3-pointers (90). Additionally, he became the first-ever Yellow Jacket - and first under Thompson - to compete in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)/Reese's Division II All-Star Game. 

In 2022-23, BHSU was ranked in the top 25 of the national poll for the entire season, being ranked as high as #2 in the nation. For the second straight year they won the South Central Regional tournament. The Yellow Jackets fell to West Liberty (W.V.) in the national semifinal game. Black Hills State was second in the nation in home game attendance with an average of over 2,200 fans per game. The team also carried a 3.42 GPA. For the second straight year, Joel Scott was named RMAC player of the year and a First Team All-American, while also being named the 2023 D2CCA National Player of the Year. 

The Yellow Jackets had an historic 2021-22 season winning the RMAC regular season championship, as well as the RMAC tournament championship, marking the first RMAC tournament championship in the Thompson era. 

In their first ever NCAA DII national tournament appearance, Black Hills State made it all the way to the Final Four. They defeated the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, Nova Southeastern (Fla.) by double digits in the Elite Eight. They went on to lose to the eventual national champions, Northwest Missouri State in the national semifinal.

For the second time in three years, Thompson was named RMAC coach of the year. In addition to the on-court success, the team won the 2022 Brechler award given to the highest team GPA in the RMAC. BHSU carried a 3.58 GPA.

In 2019-20, the Yellow Jackets won the RMAC regular season championship. This was the first RMAC title for BHSU in any sport. The Yellow Jackets ended the regular season in dramatic fashion as they erased a 14-point halftime deficit on the road against archrival South Dakota Mines to win in the final seconds. Thompson was named RMAC coach of the year.

Prior to coaching at Black Hills State, Thompson spent two years as an assistant at the University of Jamestown where he helped the Jimmies compile a 41-20 (.670) record and an appearance in the NAIA DII National Tournament.

During his time at Jamestown, Thompson assisted in developing three NAIA All-Americans. He also served as the Jimmies head men’s and women’s golf coach. In Thompson’s two seasons as the golf coach the men’s team improved from last to second, and the women’s team improved from last to third in the Dakota Athletic Conference.

Thompson also spent four years as the head boy’s basketball coach at Hazen High School in Renton, Washington. In his final two seasons, Thompson guided Hazen to a 34-11 (.760) overall record. Six student-athletes went on to receive college basketball scholarships, and the team’s GPA improved from 2.5 to 3.1.

Prior to coaching, Thompson was a four-year starter at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the Jamestown College (N.D.) (now the University of Jamestown). At UWRF, Thompson averaged 13 points per game and led the conference in assists in 2005-06. After transferring to Jamestown, Thompson helped the Jimmies win a DAC championship in 2007-08. Thompson finished the 2007-08 season ranked eighth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage and 13th in the nation in assists.

A native of Viroqua, Wisconsin, Thompson received his undergraduate degree from the University of Jamestown (N.D.) in mathematics and math education. He received his masters of education from the American College of Education.

Ryan and his wife, Kate, reside in Spearfish and have three children, Jay (8), Paige (5) and Mya (3).

HEAD COACHING RECORD