Reid Names Carling & Ainge Assistants

CEDAR CITY, Utah, March 22 – Southern Utah University men’s basketball coach Roger Reid named two coaches to his staff. Reid said Ron Carling, who served on his staff at Snow College the past two seasons, and Austin Ainge, who completed his basketball eligibility at Brigham Young University this past season, have agreed to join the staff.

“I’m very pleased with the caliber of the staff we’ve put together to represent Southern Utah University,” Coach Reid said. “It’s a group that is very knowledgeable in the game of basketball but I also feel they’ll be outstanding recruiters, not only in our state but outside Utah as well.”

Carling is a 36-year veteran of the coaching ranks, including stops at both the college and high school levels as well as in the international arena. He spent 24 seasons as a high school head coach, including 13 at Alta High School where he guided the Hawks to a pair of Utah 5A state championships. He also spent time as a college assistant at BYU-Hawaii, Adams State and Snow College, and had a long affiliation with AAU and junior national programs in this country as well as in Australia. In Australia he also worked with both the men’s and women’s Olympic teams and served as the commissioner of the Australian National Basketball League.

Ainge, who will graduate from BYU with a degree in sociology this spring, will be entering his first full-time coaching position. A four-year basketball letterman at BYU, Ainge was a two-year team captain and was twice named honorable mention all-Mountain West Conference, including this past season when he led the MWC in 3-point field goal percentage and ranked fourth in the league with a team-high 4.9 assists per game in conference contests.

“I like the diversity of our staff,” Reid pointed out. “Coach Carling brings a wealth of experience, especially in Utah after coaching here as long as he has and wining two state championships at Alta High School. He’s built a great relationship with the coaches in the state and we hope that will serve us well in our efforts.

“Austin brings great energy,” he added. “He’ll hit the ground running, and I’m looking forward to his recruiting endeavors. He's a young guy who isn’t too far removed from the game as a player, which gives him a great relationship with the players he ’ll be recruiting and coaching.”