Rider Broncs

General Team Information:

NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Past Conferences: Middle Atlantic Conference, East Coast Conference, Northeast Conference
City: Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Arena: Alumni Gymnasium
NCAA Tournaments: 3 (1984, 1993, 1994)

Championships:

National Championships – 0
Conference Titles – 9 (1970, 1972, 1974, 1981, 1983, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2018)

Team History

Rider began play in the 1928-29 season and made a splash right from the start. Led by coach Clair Bee, who later led Long Island University to a pair of NIT titles, the Broncs went 53-8 in their first three years. The Broncs made their first tournament appearance in 1957 when they competed in the NCAA Division II Tournament, going 2-1.

Rider joined the Middle Atlantic Conference for the 1966-67 season and won conference titles in 1970, 1972, and 1974, as there was no conference tournament at the time. The Middle Atlantic Conference became the East Coast Conference 1974-75. The ECC saw the addition of the conference tournament and Rider won in 1983-84, giving the team its first berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Rider moved to the Northeast Conference in 1992-93 and won conference titles its first two seasons, which sent the Broncs to the NCAA Tournament both years. The team joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for the 1997-98 season.

Rider earned NIT bids in 1998 and 2018, competed in the CBI in 2008 and 2015, and received invites to play in the CIT in 2009, 2011, and 2013. The Broncs are 1-10 in Division I postseason appearances.

Rider Broncs All-Time Records

Points Scored

Darrick Suber, 2,219
Jerry Johnson, 2,047
Jason Thompson, 2,040

Rebounds

Jason Thompson, 1,171
Daniel Stewart, 888
Chuck Simon, 874

Assists

Deon Hames, 598
Stevie Jordan, 597
Fred Lee, 567

FAQs

Has Rider Retired Any Players’ Jerseys?

The Broncs retired the No. 4 worn by Darrick Suber and the No. 1 worn by Jason Thompson. Suber, the Rider stat leader in points scored, is best remembered by Bronc fans for hitting the last-second shot to win the 1993 Northeast Conference tournament and sending the team to the NCAA Tournament.

Has Rider Produced Any NBA Players?

Jason Thompson enjoyed a solid career in the NBA, playing for three teams over eight seasons, averaging 8.86 points per game, and 6.6 rebounds. He was on Toronto’s 2015-16 team that reached the NBA Finals. Rider’s first NBA player, Herb Krautblatt, played in 10 games for the Baltimore Bullets in the 1948-49 season. No other Rider player has played in a regular-season NBA game.

Who Is Rider’s Most Famous Player?

Rider’s most famous player is remembered more for what he did on the sidelines than what he did on the court. Richard “Digger” Phelps began coaching as a graduate assistant at Rider in 1963 and landed his first head coaching job at Fordham in 1970-71, leading the Rams to a 24-2 record and an NCAA Tournament berth. Notre Dame hired him the following season, and he spent 20 years as coach of the Fighting Irish. He later became a college basketball analyst for ESPN and spent 20 years with the network before stepping down.