By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
When Emily Ryan was in second grade in Claflin, the
elementary school put together a talent show. Emily chose to showcase basketball
ball handling as her talent in front of the school.
“I could just kick myself because we didn’t take video of it,” joked Lisa Ryan,
Emily’s mother. “At the time, I didn’t think a lot about it, but now looking
back…yeah.”
A second-grade talent show performance might have been a good sign for what was
to come. Emily is now using those ball handling skills as a sophomore with the
Iowa State University’s basketball team. Ryan and the Cyclones will compete in the
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Friday night against Creighton University in Greensboro,
North Carolina.
Through 34 games this year, Emily is averaging 13 points per game, 7 assists and 4
rebounds. Her 243 assists so far has broken the Iowa State school record for
assists in a season.
That success comes from what her mom refers to as a “good addiction.”
“She is addicted to being in the gym and working out,” said Lisa Ryan. “Just
going on family vacations where she couldn’t be in the gym for a couple of
days would drive her nuts.”
In Ames, Iowa, Emily will show up to the gym at 6:30 a.m. each day and usually
returns to the gym in the evenings in addition to going to practice. Her
freshman year on campus, was the COVID-19 year, and access to the gym was a
little more difficult but that did not slow down Ryan.
“Josh Carper is the Director of Basketball Operations at Iowa State and Emily
would always contact him last year to let her in the gym,” said Lisa Ryan. “He jokes
that he got so sick of Emily because he would always have to let her in the
gym.”
Those work habits were similar to her playing days at Central Plains where she
helped the Oilers go 106-0 with three state championships and a “Final
Four” appearance in 2020 after the tournament was cancelled because of the
pandemic.
The success she has had in her first two years in college would probably
translate to any university, but it wasn’t always sure that it would be taking place
at Iowa State. Ryan had her mind made up on another university in the Midwest
until she was convinced to take a visit to Ames.
“She was set on this other university,” said Lisa Ryan. “Her AAU coach, Keith
Ferguson, said to take at least two official visits so you have something to
compare. She didn’t want to. He asked what her second choice was and she said
probably Iowa State. She did and she changed her mind.”
Emily was named to the 2022 All-Big 12 First Team while helping the
Cyclones to a 28-6 record. The Sweet 16 matchup against Creighton will
be a game, like many
others, the Ryan family will be attending in person. The Ryans left
Wednesday
afternoon to make the 18-hour road trip to North Carolina.
“We’ve gone somewhere to watch Emily almost every weekend this basketball
season,” said Lisa Ryan. “We didn’t travel sub-state basketball weekend or the
St. John Tournament weekend with our son in high school, but we have the route
to Ames, Iowa pretty much memorized.”
For the rest of the Barton County area and Ryan supporters across the state, Iowa
State tips off against Creighton at 8:30 p.m. Friday and can be watched on ESPN
2.
“The support in the entire state has been amazing over the past two years,”
said Lisa Ryan. “We’ll be somewhere else in the state and someone will come up
to us and say something about Emily and how they follow her. We don’t even know
who they are…it’s amazing.”
From demonstrating ball handling skills in a second-grade talent show to
competing in the NCAA Sweet 16, there will be plenty of supporters in Kansas cheering
Friday for Iowa State and the girl with a “good addiction” from Claflin.
“As a parent, I hope she’ll keep enjoying it and it doesn’t become a big stress
or anxiety type of thing,” said Lisa Ryan. “It hasn’t and I keep hoping it
stays that way. She loves basketball.”