Bond steps down as head coach, accepts assistant principal job

Ryan Bond has accepted the position of 9th grade Assistant Principal at Ruston High School, Bond and RHS Principal Dan Gressett confirmed Monday.

Bond, who's worked at Ruston High since April of 2019 leading the boy's basketball program, will step down as head coach to work full-time in his administrative role.

“It's just like coaching. I’m in this profession to help kids and this role really doesn't change that," Bond said. "At Ruston High, our program has been about 25 to 30 kids a season. Now, it’s just on a larger scale. Anything I can do to help Ruston High be better and help our kids succeed I’m going to do that. Advancement is always a possibility in life and for me this is something I feel like I can continue to help our school in a positive way.”

Bond had spent the past five seasons turning the Ruston program back into a powerhouse at the statewide level, making consecutive trips to the LHSAA State Boy's Basketball Tournament with an overall record of 49-13 over the last two seasons. Prior to the 2022-23 season, the Bearcats had not made the state tournament since 1988.

Before Bond took over the program, Ruston had missed the playoffs for two straight seasons. Since the 2019-20 season, the Bearcats have had four straight postseason berths.

But after meeting with Gressett and RHS Athletic Director Jerrod Baugh on Monday, Bond made the decision it was best to focus on the assistant principal role.

“It’s been a blast coaching. I’ve been coaching for 18 years. It’s not basketball. It’s not the kids," Bond said. "Basketball has been my life and it’s provided me some wonderful opportunities for me to be able to see the world and meet my wife and provide for my family. I’ve been grateful to help impact players at Ruston and at Weston. It’s not the kids. I care deeply for those kids. I want them to be successful in whatever they do.

“I know we’re going to find a quality candidate to coach. It’s an attractive job, so it should have a lot of good candidates," Bond continued. "Everyone knows the talent we have coming back and the program we have with the younger grades coming up. The bond proposal just passed too so that will mean new locker rooms, new floor work. It’s going to continue to be a strong program.”

Gressett knows Bond is the right fit for the assistant principal job.

“Really excited to hire him in this role as assistant principal, Gressett said. "This isn't something that came out of the blue. We’ve had several discussions the past couple years about this. I know he’ll do a good job.”

Ruston has plenty of talent returning for the 2024-25 season, including LSWA All-State players Aidan Anding and Ahmad Hudson, along with returning starter Joran Parker.