The Terrapin men’s basketball team has hired Orlando “Bino” Ranson as an assistant coach, the Athletics Department announced Wednesday in a press release.

Ranson spent last season as an assistant coach at Xavier, helping the Musketeers to a 26-9 record and the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. He takes the place of Chuck Driesell, who took the head coaching job at The Citadel in late April.

“I grew up a die-hard Maryland fan,” Ranson said in the release. “I’ve always studied the program from afar.”

But for much of his life, Ranson hasn’t had to look far to watch the Terps.

The Baltimore native and St. Frances Academy alum returned home after college to coach the junior varsity program at his alma mater. He also founded the AAU program Team Baltimore. Among the players Ranson worked with at the AAU level were current Terps’ guard Sean Mosley and Terps’ legend Juan Dixon.

In 2003, Ranson accepted a job at Loyola University, Maryland as an administrative assistant to longtime Terps’ assistant coach and current Greyhounds coach Jimmy Patsos.

Ranson left after two seasons for an assistant coaching position at Marist, but even then, his ties to this area remained strong. He established himself as a successful recruiter, especially in the Baltimore area. He brought in Jay Gavin, a graduate of Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, who became the Red Foxes’ first-ever MAAC Rookie of the Year.

After three years at Marist, Ranson moved on to spend one season at James Madison and then Xavier, where his recruiting abilities again became obvious. He helped the Musketeers land incoming freshman Jordan Latham, a four-star recruit from Baltimore, according to recruiting website Scout.com.

“Bino has been a winner everywhere he’s been,” coach Gary Williams said. “His proven success in recruiting and his work ethic will be a very positive influence on our program.”

As a star at Southern New Hampshire, Ranson completed his collegiate career as one of the school’s top players. He was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2007.

kyanchulis@umdbk.com