ROCKFORD, Ill. — Rock Valley College Head Men's Basketball Coach Nick Ramos has announced the addition of Hunter Rickels to the Golden Eagles coaching staff.

Rickels joins Rock Valley with a strong background as both a collegiate player and coach, bringing experience at the NCAA Division III and youth basketball levels to the Golden Eagles program.

Most recently, Rickels served as an assistant coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where he returned to the Duhawks for the 2025-26 season after spending the 2024-25 season as a graduate assistant at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. During his time at Eastern, Rickels assisted with practice planning, film breakdown, recruiting coordination, and player development.

Rickels' coaching career began at Loras, where he spent three seasons on the men's basketball staff while completing his degree in Sport Management. He served as the junior varsity head coach for two seasons before moving into an assistant role with the varsity program. During his final season with the Duhawks, Loras captured the American Rivers Conference Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Rickels has worked with the Murray Elite AAU program alongside Coach Ramos.

Before beginning his coaching career, Rickels was a student-athlete at Loras College. A native of Wheatland, Iowa, and a graduate of Calamus-Wheatland High School, Rickels competed in men's track and field at Loras, specializing in sprints and jumps. His collegiate track career included appearances in the 200-meter, 400-meter, relay, and long jump events.

Rickels' experience working with student-athletes at multiple levels has provided him with a broad understanding of player development, team building, and the day-to-day demands of a successful college basketball program.

"We are excited to add Hunter to our program. His time spent at winning programs and four years of college coaching experience will be valuable to Rock Valley."

Rickels will be in charge of many day-to-day duties within the program.

"He will be our lead recruiter as we move into our 2027 recruiting class. Hunter will be heavily involved in our academic oversight of our athletes and a key piece in our player development program," Ramos added.

Rickels is excited about the opportunity to join the Rock Valley College men's basketball program and continue developing as a coach while helping the Golden Eagles pursue success on and off the court.

With the addition of Rickels, the Golden Eagles add a young coach with NCAA experience and a proven commitment to player development and winning.