Ron Woodard - Women's Basketball Coach - UNC Asheville Athletics

Ron Woodard

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
rwoodar2@unca.edu
Phone:
251-6924

Ron Woodard enters his second season on the UNC Asheville staff in 2025-26.

The Bulldogs went 4-27 in Woodard's first season on staff. The Bulldogs picked up their first win at Asheville on Dec. 4 as the Bulldogs thumped Warren Wilson 98-23, before Asheville beat Brevard 79-45 on Dec. 30 for their second win. Asheville picked up its first Big South Conference win under Lewis on Feb. 26 at Presbyterian by a score of 67-60, before upending the Blue Hose again in the Big South Conference Tournament 69-63. Woodard coached Dakota McCaughan who earned Big South Conference Player of the Week honors on Dec. 2 on a career-best 29 points on a career-best 9-16 from beyond the arc at Tennessee State. McCaughan was named to the Big South Conference All-Academic Team, while she and Skylar Bailey were both named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections. The team also earned academic special mention from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Woodard joins Tynesha Lewis's staff as UNC Asheville Women's Basketball's Assistant Coach.

Woodard followed Coach Lewis from Elizabeth City State, where he worked under Coach Lewis since the 2020 season. Elizabeth City State went 61-29 with three straight Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) tournament championship game appearances including one tournament championship. In three seasons at ECSU, the program posted three straight 20-win seasons including the first winning season in over a decade. In their first season, ECSU boasted the CIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Year two saw ECSU lead the CIAA in scoring defense for the second straight season, as ECSU led advanced to its first-ever conference championship and national tournament appearance. His third season on staff saw ECSU capture a north division title with one All-Conference selection, along with being the third straight season the team achieved a grade point average over 3.0.

Prior to joining Lewis at ECSU, Woodard was St. Augustine's University where he served as the Associate Head Coach for one season working with post players.

Prior to his time at St. Augustine's, He was an Assistant Coach at North Carolina Central and also a physical education teacher at Washington County Public Schools.

Woodard served as the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Virginia University of Lynchburg from 2015-17, after serving as the Interim Head Coach for Elizabeth City State women's basketball from 2014-15 and an assistant coach on the men's side from 2013-14.

He was the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Claflin University from 2002-13, where his teams won a pair of Regular Season Championships along with him earning EIAC Coach of the Year and SIAC Coach of the Year honors.

One of his longer stints came at North Carolina Central from 1988-01, where he served a variety of roles. He was the Assistant Athletic Director from 2000-01, after serving as the Assistant Coach for Men's Basketball and later the Associate Head Coach. North Carolina Central won the Division II National Championship in 1989, while winning three South Atlantic Region championships, six CIAA South division championships and qualifying for NCAA Tournament play five times.

Prior to his time at North Carolina Central, Woodard worked in various capacities at Kentucky State University from 1986-1988.

Woodard is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Masonic Mason Keystone Lodge #22 and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education from Norfolk State, along with a Master of Arts in Curriculum Development and Supervision Administration from Norfolk State.