From student manager to associate AD, Berryman leaving after 12 years with Lobo Athletics

He won’t be doing the laundry in the Big Ten.

Ryan Berryman, who grew up attending UNM basketball camps and later worked his way from basketball student manager to senior associate athletic director and chief operating officer of Lobo Athletics, is leaving after 12 years at the school.

The 31-year-old New Mexico native is taking a similar position offered to him with the Big Ten’s University of Washington.

“I could’ve never imagined that a journey that started by doing the laundry (as a basketball student manager) would lead me here,” Berryman wrote in an emotional social media post on Wednesday.

Berryman told the Journal his decision was “bittersweet” as he loves New Mexico — the state and the university, both.

Washington has not yet announced the hire and Berryman has not yet confirmed his new employer publicly or talked about what his new job will be.

But it’s no secret as the news has made the rounds in recent days. UNM Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez posted a congratulatory social media post mentioning Washington and a pair of college sports industry email newsletters have reported Berryman will be chief financial officer of a Washington Athletic Department.

Washington, coming off an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, is transitioning into the Big Ten conference. UW’s athletic department operates with more than four times the budget of UNM.

“I want to personally thank him for his contribution and his impact to the success of Lobo Athletics,” Nuñez wrote. “He will be missed but I know he will be cheering the Lobos from Washington. (UW Athletic Director) Pat Chun has a great one coming his way.”

Regarded as a natural leader with an even-keeled demeanor, Berryman played a key role in rebuilding trust in the UNM athletics among fans and donors after the department was put under the microscope for financial management within the last decade.

Through it, he earned three degrees at UNM: A Master of Science in Sports Administration, a Master of Business Administration and his bachelor’s degree in marketing and operations management in 2015, summa cum laude. He served as student regent, worked as either a student manager, graduate assistant or director of operations under three Lobo men’s basketball coaches — Steve Alford, Craig Neal and Paul Weir — and has served several roles in addition to his business operations duties within athletics.

“After 12 years, there’s a million stories you can pick from,” he said. “... a few that jump out include navigating COVID and living out of a hotel in Las Vegas for 43 days (with the Lobo football team in 2020). That was a pretty life-changing experience.

“And I think my first year as a manager, we won the Mountain West championship and I got up there and cut down the net. You just think at the time those things are normal. And then here we are, 10 years later and just now got back to that. I think this past season was really special in that regard to see so many people enjoy that again after it being so long.”

A career in basketball, he says, was his goal since he was a ball boy for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and played basketball at East Mountain High School. When he enrolled at UNM, Berryman worked his way on to Alford’s staff as a student manager.

”I knew I wanted to be around basketball. That started early on, probably 8, 9, 10 years old,” Berryman said. “... I always thought basketball coaching or ops (operations) were my dream job. Then you get into it, and you learn the pros and the cons, and I saw a lot of movement, a lot of transient lifestyles for people having to move all over the place and their families. I just thought it was a little too volatile for me, and so I started looking more into administration.”

Nuñez, who was a walk-on basketball player at Florida and who also evolved from having goals of coaching basketball to gaining an interest in the administrative side of college athletics, played a heavy role in Berryman’s transition into administration.

After his final day of work at UNM on Tuesday, Berryman had another one of his New Mexico duties to attend to as the president of the East Mountain High School Foundation, a role he will continue to do from a distance. He also hopes to continue his role as co-general manager, with Brandon Mason, of The Enchantment, the UNM alumni-based basketball team that competes each summer in the $1 million, winner-take-all TBT (The Basketball Tournament).

Berryman said he’s excited about what’s next (even if he won’t name the school yet), and that he has hopes that his journey leads back home eventually.

“I hope to be back in New Mexico some day, that’s for sure,” he said. “This place is special. I really do believe that.”