COACHES

Steve Tappmeyer | Men's Basketball Head Coach

P: 314-516-5638
E: tappmeyers@umsl.edu

Steve Tappmeyer enters his second season as the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he owns a career coaching mark of 424-219 (.659) in 22 seasons.

In his first season at the helm, Tappmeyer wasted little time in directing the program in the right direction as the Tritons posted a 16-11 record, its most wins since the 1990-91 season. Additionally, the team finished with a 10-8 Great Lakes Valley Conference mark, equaling the most GLVC wins in program history and marking the first winning GLVC record in program history.

Prior to his appointment at UMSL, Tappmeyer coached 21 seasons (1989-2009) at Northwest Missouri State with an overall record of 408-208 (.662). The all-time winningest coach in program history, he directed the Bearcats to 10 NCAA Tournament berths and three regular season and four conference tournament championships.

Tappmeyer’s list of accomplishments includes three Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) championships (1998, 2002, 2007) and four MIAA tournament championships (1989, 2002, 2004, 2008). He took Northwest to the NCAA tournament eight times in his last 10 seasons and 10 times overall. Tappmeyer led the Bearcats to the Elite Eight in both the 2002 and 2004 seasons with records of 29-3 and 29-5, respectively.

He was named Kodak Coach of the Year following his first season at Northwest in 1989. He earned regional coach of the year honors in 2001 and was a four-time conference coach of the year (1989, 1998, 2001, 2007).

Tappmeyer led the Bearcats to nine 20-win seasons in the last 12 years and to10 20-win campaigns overall.

He came to Northwest after three seasons as head coach at East Central College, where he guided the community college program to a 62-32 record and was named the 1986 MCCAC Coach of the Year.
Prior to his stint at East Central, Tappmeyer served as an assistant at Northwest from 1981-85.

Tappmeyer played in the MIAA prior to entering the coaching field. The 1979 graduate of Southeast Missouri State averaged 16.3 points per game as a junior and was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection. He was also an honorable mention all-conference pick at East Central, where he played his freshman and sophomore seasons.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master’s Degree in education from Drury University.

Tappmeyer is a Gerald, Mo., native. He and his wife, Lynette, have a daughter, Andrea.

Dale Ribble | Men's Basketball Assistant Coach

P: 314-516-4001
E: ribbled@umsl.edu

Dale Ribble enters his first season as an assistant coach on Steve Tappmeyer's staff.

Ribble has spent the past three seasons as the head coach at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo., where he directed the program to 19, 15 and 20 win seasons.

Before his stint at State Fair, Ribble spent five seasons as an assistant at fellow Great Lakes Valley Conference member Drury University. During his time with the Panthers, the program won 20 or more games four times, won or shared a conference championship three times and made three appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament.

Ribble also spent one season as an administrative assistant to head coach Barry Hinson at his alma mater Missouri State University during the 2001-02 season and was head coach at Lindenwood University from 1997-2001.

During his time at Lindenwood, Ribble guided the program to its first national tournament appearance (1999-2000), the most wins in a season (23, 1999-2000) and its first back-to-back 20-win seasons (1999-2000, 23; and 2000-01, 21).

Ribble got his start in college coaching as a graduate assistant at Hastings (Neb.) College.

The Omaha, Neb., native played college basketball at Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) for Coach Charlie Spoonhour, participating on two NCAA tournament teams and two NIT tournament teams. He was also an all-Missouri Valley Conference Academic Team selection and an Academic All-American candidate.

Ribble earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Missouri State in 1994 and a Master of Arts in teaching from Hastings College in 1997.

Luke Crump | Men's Basketball Assistant Coach

P: 314-516-6734
E: crumplw@umsl.edu

Luke Crump enters his second season on the sidelines as an assistant to head coach Steve Tappmeyer.

Crump came to UMSL from Seton Hill (Pa.) University where he was the program’s top assistant last season after previously serving as a graduate assistant.

No stranger to working with Tappmeyer, Crump served as a student assistant for the coach for four seasons at Northwest Missouri State. During that time, NWMS earned a bid to the NCAA Division II national tournament each year and twice reached the Sweet Sixteen.

Crump has also directed the Coach Crump Basketball Camp and has worked basketball camps at Kansas, Wichita State, Boise State, Northern State, Missouri Western and NW Missouri State.

The Gilman, Mo., native attended North Central Missouri State Community College where he played one year of baseball and was a basketball student-assistant before transferring to Northwest Missouri State.

Kevin Ransom | Men's Basketball Assistant Coach

P: -

Dan Friedel | Men's Basketball Manager

P: -

Dan Friedel joins the men's basketball program in 2011-12 as the team's manager. A senior at UMSL, Friedel is majoring in education. The St. Charles, Mo., native is a graduate of Duchesne High School.

Chico Jones | Men's Basketball Assistant Coach

P: 314-516-6734

Charles (Chico) Jones enters his 33rd season as an assistant coach with the Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team. His responsibilities include on the floor coaching and the team’s conditioning program.

Jones is a native of Memphis, Tenn., where he attended Manassas High School and Shelby State Community College. Jones completed his undergraduate work at Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo., in 1978.

After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree, Jones served as a youth specialist at the Booneville Training Center for Boys before accepting a position as a health and physical education teacher at Normandy Junior High School in St. Louis, Mo., in 1979. Jones joined the Tritons staff as an assistant coach at that same time, and earned his master’s degree in secondary education from Missouri-St. Louis in 1983.

Jones and his wife, Jacqueline, have one son, C.J. (16).