Ryan Badrtalei is in his 19th season on the UC Irvine men's basketball staff. He spent 10 seasons as an assistant under head coach Russell Turner before being elevated to associate head coach in May 2020.
He has been an integral part of the program that has won 265 games over the last 13 seasons, averaging over 20 wins a year. He helped the Anteaters reach the postseason seven times including two NCAA appearances (2015, 2019) and an NCAA first round win in 2019. Since being at Irvine, Ryan has helped develop over 44 All-Big West Conference performers including the Conference Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year (7 times), Best Sixth Man (2 times) and Freshman of the Year (3 times).
In 2019-20, Badrtalei helped the Anteaters win their second-straight Big West regular season title outright. In 2020, he was named one of the 50 Impactful Assistant Coaches in Division 1 by Silver Waves Media. He was also named as the top assistant coach in the Big West by Stadium Sports.
He helped lead UCI to a record-breaking 2018-19 season as the Anteaters broke school records in overall wins (31), longest winning streak (17 games) and tied a program best 15-1 mark in Big West play. The Anteaters earned their second Big West Conference Tournament title and second NCAA Tournament appearance. UCI won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game defeating fourth-seeded Kansas State 70-64. He also guided Jonathan Galloway to become the Big West's first-ever three time Defensive Player of the Year recipient.
Prior to being named an assistant in 2009 by former head coach Pat Douglass, Badrtalei served as Video Coordinator and Director of Basketball Operations. With the UCI staff, Badrtalei has roles that include recruiting, player development, scheduling, scouting and academic coordination.
He also has had the opportunity to develop both NBA and International professional basketball players. Namely, from 2007 until the end of his career in 2016, Ryan spent time working with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers both on the court and in the area of strength and conditioning. During this time, Kobe went on to win 2 NBA championships, 2 Gold Medals with Team U.S.A. and the NBA MVP award.
He joined the Anteater staff in 2005 after serving the previous two seasons as a varsity assistant and junior varsity coach at Capistrano Valley High School, his alma mater, under Brian Mulligan, the son of former UCI head coach Bill Mulligan.
Badrtalei graduated from UCLA in 2003 with a degree in psychobiology and a minor in education. While at UCLA, he was involved with both the men's and women's basketball programs. Badrtalei was an academic counselor, peer mentor and was also on the Executive Board of the UCLA Student Alumni Association. He was involved with various non-profit organizations focusing on underprivileged youths in the Los Angeles area. As a pre-med at UCLA, Badrtalei garnered experience working with professors on various research ventures in psychology and neuroscience. In 2017, Ryan earned his Master’s Degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University (Irvine).
He and his wife, Drue, a Long Beach State graduate and former U.S. National Water Polo team member, reside in Lake Forest with their three boys, Drayke (9), Drayden (6) and Dayne (3).
