Our Coaches

  • A man in an orange Princeton basketball t-shirt is looking surprised or confused, with a blurred foreground of two people standing close to him.

    Bill Lester

    Coach Bill Lester is in his 3rd season as Varsity Head Coach and 14th year overall with the Ridge Boys’ Basketball program. He led Ridge to a 22–7 record and trips to both the Somerset County Tournament and North 2, Group 4 sectional semifinals in 2024–25, and holds a 37–17 varsity record. A former collegiate captain at The College of New Jersey, Lester also serves as the Boys’ High School Director for United NJ AAU and was named the 2024 Northeast AAU Basketball Coach of the Year. He is dedicated to player development through Ridge youth programs and Shot Ready Basketball Camp. Off the court, he teaches 7th-grade Math and lives with his wife and their two-year-old daughter.

  • Man wearing a dark blue hoodie with 'UNTED AAU BASKETBALL' written on it, black Nike pants, and blue sneakers, standing indoors on a wooden floor in front of a black backdrop.

    Brian Arnoff

    Coach Arnoff is in his second season as JV Head Coach and eighth year overall with the Ridge Boys’ Basketball program. A Ridge High School graduate from the Class of 2012, he returned to the program in 2017 as a Varsity Assistant before serving as Freshman Coach in 2022 and moving into his current JV role in 2023. He has also coached with several AAU club teams throughout New Jersey, bringing valuable experience and commitment to player development within the Ridge basketball community.

  • Three people standing on a baseball field, wearing black t-shirts with a sports skills logo, with a fence and trees in the background.

    Kevin Byelick

    Coach Byelick graduated from Dunellen High School in 1994, where he was a three-sport athlete. He attended Kean University and began his high school coaching career at just 19 years old. With 30 years of experience training high school athletes and coaching multiple sports, he brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to every program he’s part of. This season marks his 15th year coaching basketball at Ridge.

  • A smiling man with dark hair and a beard wearing a gray and white jacket sitting at a table in front of a green background with 'Ridge High School' printed on it.

    Brian McCarthy

    Brian has been an instructional-aide in the district for 18 years where he enjoys helping children with disabilities. Brian is married (Colleen) and has three children (Spencer, Makayla and Brayden). Brian played high school football and basketball at and Bridgewater and went on to play football at Rowan University. This is Brian’s 2nd year on the staff and is the head coach of the freshman team. Coach McCarthy was hired as the Varsity Softball coach in 2020 after being an assistant for five years at Ridge. Brian has also been on the Varsity Football staff for 6 years.