A walk-on, Saunders played basketball at the University of Minnesota from 2004 to 2008 as a guard. He played only 20 games in his first two seasons in a backup role. Saunders redshirted the 2006–07 season due to a wrist injury and did not play any games in the 2007–08 season. Saunders graduated from Minnesota in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in sport management.
Coaching career
After he achieved his bachelor's degree and finished playing college basketball, Saunders was a graduate manager under Tubby Smith in the 2008–09 season while pursuing a master's degree in applied kinesiology. During his time at University of Minnesota, he was responsible for handling the academic and social improvements of players. In 2009, he began coaching in the NBA, becoming an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards. Then, starting in 2014, he was an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. On January 6, 2019, Saunders was promoted to interim head coach of the Timberwolves after Tom Thibodeau was fired, also becoming the youngest head coach in the NBA for the 2018–19 season. On January 8, Saunders got his first win in his debut as head coach when the Timberwolves defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, and became the youngest head coach to win in his debut since 1978. On May 20, the Timberwolves announced that Saunders signed to a multi-year deal to become the team's permanent head coach, removing his "interim" status. At age 33, Saunders became the youngest head coach in the league, despite having over 10 years of NBA experience under his belt.
Head coaching record
Personal life
When Saunders was born, his father Flip Saunders was an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota. Ryan Saunders grew up in Wisconsin and South Dakota, as Flip later worked as head coach for CBA teams in those states, La Crosse Catbirds, and Sioux Falls Skyforce ). In 1995, the Saunders family returned to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area when Flip Saunders became head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, a position he would maintain for the rest of Ryan's childhood. Saunders married his wife Hayley in 2017. Their son Lucas Philip Saunders was born on June 6th, 2019. Lucas's middle name is a dedication to Ryan's father, the late Flip Saunders. Saunders has taken part in multiple basketball camps for the youth and charitable organizations in Minnesota.
