It all began as a seven year olds dream at Woodland Primary School in Langwarrin, Australia. By that time in his life he had become comfortable with a basketball in his hand. Since he could remember he had been around the sport. Both of his parents had played at a high level in Australia. His mother being a good ball handler and his father passing down his height, Ryan had the perfect genetic concoction for the sport.
The height did not come to Ryan until a little later on in his life, so his focus fell upon the responsibilities of a guard earlier on. From Woodlands onto his days at Frankston Blues he held the shooting guard position with some time spent playing a little point guard as well. This allowed him learn the dynamics of the game as well as how to be a leader on the court. As a guard you control the pace of the game and your teammate look upon you for direction. From this position on the court he got a feel for the game, which then allowed him to think ahead to see the extra pass to create an open shot. Being able to develop this mentality on the court early on has been the backbone for his success on any team.
At around the age of fifteen or sixteen the blessing of puberty hit Ryan and so did a growth spurt. He ended up topping out at six foot seven inches. With this sudden increase in height there was also a change in the position he held on the court. He had been reassigned to play the small forward. This is also known as the three position on the court. With this change came new challenges and responsibilities. His perspective of the court also had to change with that and he took up more of a shooting roll. He always took his job in the game seriously and to do so he put in the time behind the scenes. He began to work harder on his shooting and technique, putting up thousands of shots during the week. Repetition and his willingness to keep at it was the key.
Not everything came easy for him over the years. He too had to work up the ranks, whether it was for minutes or to get onto the higher level teams, but he was always persistent.
Ryan attended three different High Schools. After his Sophomore year of school he was recruited to play for the Peninsula School. A year later he managed to get a scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport to round out his last year of high school. The Australian Institute of Sport was considered the best development program in Australia for junior athletes and Ryan attended a local high school close by the AIS campus.
At around age seventeen, after playing with the Frankston Blues Club since he was ten, he was selected to play at the junior national level. He tried out for the under nineteen’s national team. He has always found pride in the idea of playing for his country. He went into tryouts hoping for the best and came out with his name on the final team. The team that year played in the Albert Schweitzer tournament in Germany. Form this experience Ryan said he doesn’t remember too much of the game, just that he was very nervous, but excited at the same time. He described the opportunity as amazing. This was on of his first big land mark,so to say, in his basketball career. He had proved to himself and everyone else that he could compete at a higher level. In that year he was also named Australian National Junior Male Player of the Year.
From there Ryan was noticed by a small private school in Indiana. During the recruiting period for Valparaiso they had sat down to look over some film of another Australian player who happened to be a teammate of Ryans. As they watched the film Ryan caught the eye of assistant coach Sparks. Sparks contacted Ryan and his family to express the schools interest in him as a player and student. After a visit to the school and some thinking Ryan agreed to become a Crusader.
The first year of college Ryan got some minutes on the court, but they were inconsistent, something to be expected for most freshmen. His sophomore year he was able to show his talents on the court a little bit more and made his way into the starting line up. He was able to hit it full throttle his junior year though. That year they were named Horizon League Champions. This was his breakout year on the court. Though the season came to a tragic end after a loss to Detroit ended their chance to go to the big dance. In the off-season Ryan headed back home to step up his training, as it was an Olympic year. He went into tryouts knowing he was an under dog, A feeling he was no stranger to. He was only twenty years old trying out against seasoned players from Europe and the NBA. He gave it his all though and made it to the final fifteen, but only twelve people were to go to London to compete. With a heavy heart Ryan left without a jersey, but had a determination deep within to prove himself.
He returned to Valpo to finish up his senior year. Throughout the year the team hit different goals in their season. They were named Horizon League champions for the second year in a row. During the tournament of play to see who would continue on to the big dance Valpo was down against Green Bay in the semi-finals. With only a few seconds left and a prayer on everyone’s heart Ryan through up an almost impossible three point shot. The ball moved through the net as naturally as waves moving through the ocean. It was an uplifting moment in his career and in Valpo Basketball. The men’s team continued on to win the championship and punched their tickets to the big dance. Though their trip ended all too soon when they were matched up against Michigan State, just making it that far was an achievement in itself.
Over that summer Ryan went back home to play for his country. That summer they competed in the FIBA Oceanic Championships and come out with a Gold medal. This was to help his team qualify for the World Championship held the following summer.
After college Ryan wasn’t sure what was to come. He had the hope of continuing on either in the NBA or Europe. When an offer came in from a team in Istanbul, Turkey there was apprehensions at first, but all subsided. Fall of that year he found himself on another plane onto the next place he would call home for a season. He’s first year at Besiktas started off a bit rocky. He was not getting the minutes he was used to, nor even an opportunity to prove himself. About halfway through the season many player found themselves with injures, which intern opened up some spots on the court. Ryan is one to seize a chance when he gets it, because he has the idea that the opportunity may only arise once. Proof that Ryan could really play was laid out that day for the coach. From that day forward Ryan began to receive more and more minutes on the court, even finding himself starting many of the games the second half of the season. Besiktas ended up signing him for the following year as well, where he had a stellar season, which caught the eye of a Russian team.
After his first professional season Ryan went back home to tryout for the national team as they were going to the World Championships. He made the squad and soon after departed to Europe for the matches. He was itching to get a chance on the court and that opportunity came in the forth quarter of the game. He went in and shot the lights out, scoring 14 points in that time. Ryan went from just sneaking on the final team for the World Championship to then earning himself a spot in the starting line up. He set a goal for himself and he knew he was good enough to achieve it, if given an opportunity.
After the second season in Istanbul concluded Ryan was told he had been chosen to be apart of the Australian team, as they competed in the preliminary games against New Zeeland for a spot in the 2016 Olymipcs. He graciously accepted the opportunity. The two games they played in where a challenge, but by winning them they sealed their spot in Rio.
This past year was Ryan’s third season playing professionally. He was playing for Locomotiv Kuban, located in Krasnodar, Russia. This team played in Euro league, a step up from the level of competition from a year prior. Unexpectedly, the team chemistry seemed to mesh so well on the court they found themselves going to the final four held in Berlin, Germany at the end of the season. The team place third in all of Europe, a truly amazing achievement.
Once the season wrapped up Ryan returned to Australia. This as many of you know is an Olympic year, or as Ryan saw it his second chance at making a dream into reality. After two weeks of much needed rest he was back on the court. Drills, running, shooting, lifting, doing anything to make sure he was at his best. He was not going to walk out of tryouts without a jersey. After a week or so of tryouts and cuts the final twelve was announced and Ryan’s name was on that list. I am not sure the exact feelings he felt when it became official, but my guess is relief mixed with over whelming joy. He had worked for years to get to this point in his career. To the point where he can put on his jersey and represent his country at the worlds greatest sporting event, the Olympics!
As they say, Rome was not built in a day. It is true, something of such magnitude and greatness does not just appear, it takes time to be built and be worked on, just as dreams do. Dreams can be made a reality, but it may take time. There may be bumps in the road. There may be times when you’re turned down, but that doesn’t mean that will be the only chance. Keep working, keep reaching and you’ll be amazed at what you can do. Ryan had to start somewhere just like everyone else did and look at what he’s achieved!
Written By: Katie Albright
Life Before & After 