Will Riley is coming off an impressive one-and-done stint with coach Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini in the 2024-25 season. He’s earning high praise from scouts and analysts alike and is now widely projected to be a first-round pick at the 2025 NBA Draft.
Riley grew up in an athletic family, but no one in his family had played basketball. So, let’s get to know his parents in detail and explore how they influenced his rise to the top of the NBA draft boards without any experience.
Who Are Will Riley’s Parents?
Riley was born on February 10, 2006, in Kitchener, Canada, to Ray and Tracy Hooks-Riley. He attended Southwest Academy Prep in London, Ontario, before moving to the United States for the final two years of his high school career.
Both of Riley’s parents are Canadian nationals and have lived in Kitchener, Ontario, from the start. Ray competed in track and field early in high school before becoming a coach. He initially worked at the Laurel Creek Track Club in Waterloo, Ontario, before forming the Invictus Athletics Club in 2016, which focuses on coaching hurdlers and sprinters.
One of Ray’s prominent athletes is Cole Wilson, who won the decathlon at Canada’s 2024 Olympic Trials.
“I really take pride in my reputation, taking care of the athletes as they go through to university,” Ray Riley said to the Cambridge Times in 2016. “I try to make them not just great athletes, but great people as well.”
Willy and I at the NBA Combine ❤️ #mothersday pic.twitter.com/qXEhj01pHU
— Tracy Hooks Riley (@TimberWool16) May 16, 2025
Meanwhile, Riley’s mom comes from a hockey- and basketball-loving family, with her father being a physical education teacher.
She wanted Riley to play hockey, but his love for basketball was too strong, having quit soccer and high jump for orange ball despite being an accomplished regional-level athlete in those sports.
While Ray is busy with his coaching duties, Hooks-Riley travels and supports Riley’s career off the court. She even took him to watch Kawhi Leonard during the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 Championship run, and despite having spent a lot of money back then, Hooks-Riley said it was all worth it since it fueled Riley’s desire to succeed.
“I just remember paying a lot of money for really good seats for him,” Hooks-Riley said. “I look back on it now, it was totally worth it.”
Riley is now all set to earn a million-dollar contract in the coming weeks, and his parents’ efforts will pay off handsomely. He averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game last season, and will hope to sustain that average in his first year with the Pros.
