Feb. 11, 2004

~By Kevin Martone, collegehoopsnet.com (Special to SienaSaints.com)

It seems like David Ryan has been preparing for his career as a Siena College Men's basketball player his whole life. Before donning the Green and Gold, Ryan had already performed in front of thousands of fans, good practice for home games at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, NY. He had also experienced more than a year away from the game due to injury in high school; that helped him deal with a red-shirt season last year spent on the bench, unable to help his team win. This season, the Forward is finally hitting the court as a Saint.

While in junior high, Ryan toured the world as part of the Whiz Kids, a group of basketball talents run by Paul Savramis out of Queens, NY. "I did ball-handling demonstrations at camps [and] halftime shows for some college and NBA teams," Ryan said of his experiences as a Whiz Kid. Traveling to far-flung locales like the Bahamas, Switzerland, and Hawaii helped Ryan grow as a basketball player.

To qualify, Ryan had to create a ball-handling routine and try out for the program. Ryan overcame those pressures and quickly became a part of the team. On tour, Ryan faced other pressures that would help him prepare for his college career. "[The tours] helped me a lot," Ryan said. "I was doing halftime shows when I was in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades [with] 15,000 people watching. It helps me with my nerves." Since the Saints often draw more than 7,000 fans a game to the Pepsi, this experience has been priceless. "I'm used to performing in front of a lot of people," Ryan said.

Whiz Alum

After the eighth grade, Ryan moved on to Eastchester High School and ended his days as a regular Whiz Kid. "I started focusing on my game more," Ryan said. High School was yet another test for the young athlete. Due to an inflammation of his hip joint, Ryan missed a large part of his high school basketball career. "It was caused by growth and rapid pounding on the floor," Ryan said. He got the injured area drained to keep playing, but it still forced him to miss all but a dozen or so games his Sophomore and Junior years combined. Ryan has a good outlook on his high school injury, however. "At the time," Ryan said, "obviously it was a disappointment, but you have to take the positives. Any time you go through an injury, it definitely affects you mentally. It builds character and makes you stronger. It [gives] you more motivation."

Once back on the court, Ryan worked hard to improve his game and attract the notice of college coaches. With so little experience at Eastchester, Ryan relied on his summer AAU playing to find the attention of coaches, like Siena head Coach Rob Lanier. "There weren't too many schools that were able to see me play in high school," Ryan said. "AAU was real important. I was fortunate. A lot of coaches were able to get out and see me."

Moving On

Ryan's efforts and recovery from his injury ("It hasn't bothered me since.") led to a scholarship from Coach Lanier to play at Siena. Ryan liked Siena from the start. "Siena has a unique situation with the Pepsi Arena and its fan base," Ryan said. The Psychology major also liked the school's "solid academic reputation. " Ryan felt a comfort level with the coaching staff and players. "It was a good combination."

Ryan also liked the proximity of the campus to his home. His family, including five siblings, can easily see him play home games in Albany, NY, as well as road games against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foes. "I live in lower Westchester County," Ryan said. "A lot of our away games are like home games for [my family]. So they get to see me play quite a bit."

Off the Court Again

That wasn't true last season, when Ryan only played in the Green/Gold game, Siena's annual intrasquad scrimmage. After that, he red-shirted the entire season, joining the team for practices and road trips, but not playing in games. His high school experience helped him during that season. After missing so much playing time in high school, Ryan knew what to expect sitting on the sidelines. "[Red-shirting] was always something that was in the back of my mind," Ryan said. "I went to a smaller high school. The basketball talent [I played against] probably wasn't as good. I was skinny. So putting on strength, putting on some muscle was something I definitely had to do." Ryan took advantage of his time off, adding 25 pounds to his 6'7" frame. Coach Lanier agreed that the year off was beneficial for Ryan. "Physically, it is difficult to simulate what to expect from the Division I game, and [Ryan] got an edge last year by being with the team day in and day out," Lanier said. Plus "red-shirting helped [him] in the classroom as he was able to focus on his academics and get ahead. Athletically, the experience of being around college basketball at this level is immeasurable. To practice with the team and learn the system was a great benefit." Finally, the year off allowed Ryan to work on his shooting. "[Ryan] wasn't a great shooter when he got here, but he used the time he had during his red-shirt season to work on that and develop into a real threat from the outside," Lanier said.

Ryan has no regrets. "I was happy I did it," Ryan said. "It was a good experience. And if I had to do it again, I would. I think it makes sense for a player to red-shirt. It gives you another year in college. It gives you another year to develop before you start playing. And it gives you a year to get used to the system in a practice setting." Ryan found another positive with red-shirting. "There isn't as much pressure on you," he said. "When you're at practice, you're focused on getting better, you're focused on helping the team. You're not worried about making mistakes. The pressure is off. You're not worried about impressing the coaches to get time on the floor. You're worried about getting better and helping your team get ready for their next game."

Game Action

Ryan looked forward to this season, a chance to compete against other teams. It started with the team trip to Mexico during the offseason. "It was good to get out and be competitive in a real game environment," Ryan said.

From there, Ryan has had a chance to take the court for the Saints during the regular season. He is glad to be back on the court with his teammates. "Once practice started this year, I just came in with a good mentality and come into practice everyday to work hard and compete," Ryan said. "I try to make the team better and help in any way I can."

Like the team as a whole, Ryan's playing time and contributions have been inconsistent this season. He has averaged only eight minutes, 2.3 points, and 0.5 rebounds per game so far. Possibly because he has gone through so much, Ryan keeps a positive outlook on the season. He feels that his playing time and the success of the team will improve naturally, guided by Coach Lanier and his staff. "We all trust the coaches," Ryan said. "The coaches make good judgments and make the best decisions. I just try to be ready for when they call my number. When they tell me it's my turn to go, I go out there and try to produce and help the team get a win." One of the things Ryan has done to help the Saints already this season is hit three point shots. His time in the gym during his red-shirt season seems to have helped hone his long-range skills, as Lanier noted. Ryan has only taken 22 threes this season, but he has hit 10 of them, a very respectable .455 percentage. Recent games have shown that the coaching staff is gaining confidence in his abilities to help the team now, as his playing time and production have increased. Ryan played 16 minutes and scored six points against Canisius College on January 25th and added 12 minutes and six points (a perfect two for two from three point range) on January 31st.

What's Next?

After missing so much of his young playing career already, Ryan is excited to be on the court competing. But his contributions don't end there. Ryan is helping the team build for future seasons as well. He will likely be a strong contributor over the next three seasons for the Saints. Coach Lanier expects good things from him. "We have been happy with David's progress this year," Lanier said. "[We] just hope that he can continue to improve at his current pace. As we look to the future, we want him to get stronger, as we would like to shift him to the front line. He has the ability to make us a very versatile team, if we can use him at the four."

Besides working on his own game, Ryan is helping lay the groundwork for the team's future in other ways, assisting Tezmar Caldwell and Joel Green, currently red-shirts on the Siena roster. "When [Green] first red-shirted, we had a conversation," Ryan said. "I told him the positives and how it helped me. [He] had already made the decision to red-shirt, but I just reiterated what he was thinking." Coach Lanier agreed. "[Ryan] gives [Green and Caldwell] a frame of reference in terms of the opportunities he has had throughout the season to contribute," he said. "He has a tremendous attitude and work ethic and has just been a great example to [Caldwell] and [Green]." It's just one more example of Ryan using his past experiences in a positive way.