Raul Placeres continues to build one of the most successful eras in Maryville College men’s basketball history.
The 2025-26 season marked another milestone for the program as Placeres guided the Scots to a 21-5 record and a perfect 12-0 mark in Collegiate Conference of the South play, capturing the CCS Regular Season Championship. The undefeated conference campaign was Maryville’s first since the 2008-09 season, and the Scots climbed to No. 19 in the national rankings.
The title was Maryville’s sixth consecutive regular season conference championship, making the Scots only the fourth program across all three NCAA divisions since 2000 to accomplish that feat. Along the way, Maryville defeated No. 8 Carthage, the highest-ranked victory in program history during the D3hoops.com poll era.
For his leadership, Placeres was named CCS Coach of the Year, while standout guard Chase Morgan earned CCS Player of the Year honors. Morgan also gained national recognition as a member of the Bevo Francis Small College Basketball Top-50 Watch List and the Trevor Hudgins Top-15 Watch List, both honoring the top players in small college basketball.
Morgan joined Jackson Garner and Matthew Schneider on the All-CCS First Team, while Jamal Ware earned Second Team All-Conference honors.
Placeres in 2024-25 became the fastest men's basketball head coach in program history to reach 100 victories, accomplishing the feat while compiling his third 20-win season in four years. That season also extended Maryville’s run of conference dominance as the Scots claimed another regular season championship with an 11-1 league record.
He has become a well-respected athletics representative throughout the local community, the region and the nation, and Placeres was rewarded in April 2025 with a promotion to Assistant Athletics Director for Advancement, while retaining his duties as men's basketball head coach.
Through seven seasons, Placeres owns a 121-47 (.720) overall record and a 70-18 (.795) mark in regular season conference play. The Scots over the last six years are 112-30 (.789), including a 69-10 (.873) record against league opponents. Since Maryville joined the Collegiate Conference of the South, the Scots are 49-5 (.907) against conference foes, and Placeres has been voted CCS Coach of the Year three times.
During his tenure, Placeres has coached two All-Americans, five Players of the Year, 21 All-Conference performers, two Rookies of the Year and one Defensive Player of the Year. He guided the Scots to their highest national ranking of No. 11 during the 2021-22 season.
He has helped three players reach the professional basketball ranks in Europe, been recognized as the winningest Latino coach in the NCAA over the last five years, and helped his program achieve a higher grade-point average each year since 2021.
A 2006 Maryville College graduate, Placeres was an experienced hire when he took over the Scots program prior to the 2019-20 season. He previously served eight seasons as associate head coach under Maryville College Wall of Fame coach Randy Lambert before assuming the head coaching position.
Recent Success
112-30 Over the Last Six Years
After getting that first season under his belt, Placeres has guided the Scots to a 112-30 record over the last six years, a .789 winning percentage. During that stretch, Maryville has been especially strong in conference play, posting a 30-8 home record and a remarkable 27-2 mark on the road against league opponents.
Placeres has also earned national recognition during this run. In addition to his three CCS Coach of the Year honors, he has been named HoopDirt.com National Coach of the Week and recognized by Silver Waves Media as a Top Rising Coach. He has also attracted seven Division I and Division II transfers to the program.
Placeres has complemented his coaching success with growing involvement on the national stage. In 2024, he was named to the Small College Basketball National Awards Committee and the NABC Division III Congress representing the CCS, a position offered by NABC board members. He also served in 2023 and 2024 on the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Region VI Regional Advisory Committee.
Player Development
Placeres has guided multiple standout performers during his tenure. He coached Myles Rasnick to the fourth National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America selection in program history. Rasnick during the 2022-23 season surpassed the 1,000-point career mark, earned CCS Player of the Year, and received All-CCS and All-Region VI First Team honors while leading the Scots to a conference tournament championship.
Reed Kemp also enjoyed one of the most decorated careers in program history. Kemp captured back-to-back CCS Player of the Year honors and averaged 18.3 points per game in 2023-24 before posting 26.2 points per game in 2024-25, ranking second nationally. Kemp scored 30 or more points in each of his final six games as a Scot and broke a 53-year-old Maryville single-season scoring record with 707 points, surpassing the previous mark of 645.
Following the 2024-25 season, Kemp earned D3hoops.com All-America Fourth Team honors, was selected to the NABC All-Star Game, and was named First Team All-District/Region VI by both the NABC and D3hoops.com.
Player Development Over the last 10+ years
- 1,000-Point Scorers: 10
- All-Conference Players: 26
- All-Americans: 3
- Players of the Year: 8
- Defensive Player of the Year: 1
- Rookie of the Year: 2
- Sixth Man of the Year: 1
- All-South Region: 7
- Playing Overseas or Semi-Pro: 6
- AAU: 15 Division I Signees and 1 NBA Draft Pick
In July 2018, Placeres led BMAZE Elite to the National Championship game in the Under Armour Circuit. The Under Armour circuit was made up of the finest 30 teams in the country. Off that team, Emory Lanier signed with Davidson, Joe Anderson went to Furman, Darlinstone Dubar to Iowa State, Norance Berry to Rhode Island, Akeem Odusipe to Vanderbilt, Dante Harris to Georgetown, Drew Williams to Tennessee State, Luke Burnette to Alabama-Huntsville, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield to Tennessee, and Jaden Bradley to Alabama. Coach Placeres coached both the No. 1 point guard and power forward in the country in Bradley and Huntley-Hatfield.
Placeres resides in Maryville with his wife, Joanna Placeres, and their daughter, Santina.
The Coach's Favorite Links
https://aquicktimeout.com/podcast/a-winning-culture-with-raul-placeres-maryville-scots/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2C5HkEnKR0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O5unfI2xwQ
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coaching-connections-with-marcus-alvarado-episode-51/id1521921463?i=1000668186862
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-drive-space-offense-your-own-raul-placeres-maryville/id1457398334?i=1000641409508
The Raul Placeres Era
2019-20: 9-17 (8-10 USA South)
2020-21: 10-2 (8-2 USA South) *COVID-abbreviated season
2021-22: 20-4 (10-2 USA South)
2022-23: 18-8 (10-2 CCS)
2023-24: 22-5 (11-1 CCS)
2024-25: 21-6 (11-1 CCS)
2025-26 21-5 (12-0 CCS)
Career: 121-47 (.720) Conference 70-18 (.795)
