Bio

Jared Ronai is entering his eleventh season as the head men’s basketball coach at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU). During his time with the program he has guided the Cougars to over 18 wins per season in 9 full seasons and a Covid shortened season, with two national tournament births in 2019 and 2022, including a Sweet 16 appearance and a tie for the school record for wins-in-a-season with 27 in 2019. Over the past eight years the program has also achieved numerous Top-25 rankings in the National Polls, including Top-10 rankings in 2018-19, 2019-20, rising to has high as #4 in the country.

Ronai has established a well-known culture at Mount Vernon Nazarene focusing on the core values of Relentless effort, Unbreakable spirit, servant Leadership, and competitive Excellence (RULE). The “Why” of the program is to pursue Christ, and Christ-like character, while in the pursuit of championships. The program’s RULECougar philosophy has positioned MVNU as a highly respected program around the country.

Ronai is a graduate of Georgia Southwestern State and earned his Masters of Education degree from the University of Dayton. As a player at the collegiate level Ronai competed at both the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels, getting his start at UNC-Asheville before finishing up at Georgia Southwestern State University. At Georgia Southwestern he was the starting point guard for two seasons, helping to lead his team to the NAIA National Tournament, and received the prestigious Champions of Character Award. While in high school he played for his father, Bob Ronai, at London High School where he was a first team All-Ohio choice and the conference, county and district player of the year.

Since his playing days, Ronai has also been the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for NCAA Division II Ashland University (Ohio) and NCAA Division I UNC-Asheville, as well as the associate head coach at Middletown High School in Middletown, Ohio. He also served as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Dayton and was a Strength and Conditioning Intern at the United States Naval Academy.

Ronai and his wife, Kristin, have three children, Kyler James (10), Kamryn Joy (7), and Kolton Jersey (4). Kristin, the Associate Executive Director for the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), is a former two-time Ohio Miss Basketball honoree and a University of Dayton women’s basketball Hall of Famer. The family resides in Mount Vernon, Ohio.