Ryan Montgomery joined the Sailfish coaching staff in the fall of 2022.
In his first season with the Sailfish, Montgomery helped PBA finish with a record over .500 in the 2022-23 season. Montgomery help PBA's big men Jalen Cooper and Jakob Hester achieve breakout seasons. Cooper earned the program's first SSC Defensive Player of the Year award and led the 'Fish with 17 points per game. Hester finished third on the team in scoring, averaging 15 points per game. He recorded the first triple-double in PBA history against Eckerd in 2022.
PBA continued its momentum in 2023-24. The Sailfish recorded back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003-05. The Sailfish posted their second-highest team winning percentage in PBA's d2-era. They posted their best SSC record since the 2019-20 season. PBA earned a ranking in the D2CSC South Region ranking for the first time since 2019-20. PBA posted its highest points per game (84.9ppg) and assists per game (17.1 apg) in its D2-era. The Sailfish finished in fifth place in the SSC standings. Grant Ledford landed on the All-SSC second team, leading the Sailfish in scoring and rebounding.
Montgomery has experience working with coach Cole Rose, as he was a four-year player at Lee University where Rose was an assistant. Montgomery averaged double-figure points from his sophomore season on with the Flames, including being a Gulf South Conference First Team player who averaged over 18 ppg and six rebounds per game while earning his degree in Digital Media Communication. After his collegiate career, Montgomery played a year professionally in Iceland and Portugal before returning home to begin his coaching experience.
Montgomery coached for Pro Skill Basketball for two years before he went back to Lee in 2021 as a graduate assistant. In his role with the Flames, he coached on the floor as well as administrative duties that included booking hotels, creating scouting reports, recruiting, and ordering meals for a Flames team that went 19-9.
