Western Oregon University Men's Basketball

Ryan Orton became the 17th head coach of the Western Oregon men’s basketball program on April 10, 2025, and enters his first season with the Wolves. Orton, from Creswell, Oregon, comes to Monmouth from Alaska Anchorage where in 10 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach (two stints, 2009-12 and 2017-2025) he helped the Seawolves reach the NCAA Tournament three times (2011, 2012, 2024) as they went 175-122 during his time in Anchorage.    Orton coached 20 GNAC All-Conference players at UAA – including the 2012 NCAA D-II National Player of the Year – along with 35 GNAC All-Academic recipients. Overall, the team had a better than 95 percent graduation rate while Orton was at UAA.   During the time between his two stints at UAA, Orton was the head coach at Western Wyoming Community College where in five seasons he took WWCC to five Region IX postseason tournaments, averaged 20 wins per season over his final three years and went 82-72 overall. During his tenure, 27 out of 28 sophomores moved onto four-year schools, including 22 going to the NCAA D-I, D-II or NAIA level. His teams also finished in the top five nationally in GPA from 2014-16 – boasting 24 all-academic region recipients and eight NJCAA national all-academic recipients.   Prior to his first stint at UAA, Orton was an assistant coach at Montana State (2006-08), Northwest Nazarene (2004-06) and Eastern Washington (2000-03) with a year as the Lane Community College head coach during the 2003-04 season. He was also a graduate assistant at EWU from 1998-2000.   Orton played basketball at Eastern Oregon (named the 1996 team MVP and All-Cascade Conference Honorable Mention) and at Northwest Christian University in Eugene (1991-93).   He earned a bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education from Eastern Oregon in 1996 and his master’s degree in Physical Education from Eastern Washington in 2001.  

Chris Reeves begins his first season as WOU assistant men's basketball coach in 2025-26. Reeves comes to Monmouth from Central Michigan he was director of basketball operations for the 2024-25 season where his main responsibilities at CMU included video, opponent scouting, and player development, administrative duties and the management of the CMU basketball program. He served as the CMU director of player development in 2023-24 and assistant director of basketball operations from 2019-21. In between his stints at CMU, Reeves worked in Florida as a junior college assistant coach. For the 2022-23 season, he worked as the assistant coach at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla, where he helped guide the program to a Region Southern Conference title. Among his many duties included overseeing the program’s academic success, player development details, scouting opponents, and organizing team travel and meals. In 2021-22, Reeves also served as an assistant coach at the State College of Florida in Bradenton, where he assisted in developing practice plans, scouting, and player development. Reeves also worked as an assistant coach at the St. Louis Christian Academy and as a student manager with the Oregon men’s basketball program, where the Ducks advanced to the 2017 NCAA Final Four and won three Pac-12 titles during his tenure.   A native of Chicago, Reeves earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oregon in 2018. While he served as CMU’s assistant director of men’s basketball operations, he received his master’s degree in leadership from Central Michigan University in 2021. Reeves resides with his wife, Raja, and daughter, Octavia.   THE REEVES FILE Hometown: Chicago, Ill.   Education Master of Science, Leadership, Central Michigan University, 2021 Bachelor of Arts, History, University of Oregon, 2018   Coaching Career Assistant Coach, Western Oregon University, 2025-present Director of Men’s Basketball Operations, Central Michigan University, 2024-25 Director of Player Development, Central Michigan University, 2023-24 Assistant Coach, Indian River State College, 2022-23 Assistant Coach, State College of Florida, 2021-22 Graduate Assistant/Assistant Director of Men’s Basketball Operations, Central Michigan University, 2019-21 Assistant Coach, St. Louis Christian Academy, 2018-19 Student Manager, University of Oregon, 2015-18