A little background.
mountaineast.org/news/2020/3/3/mens-basketball-feature-will-ryans-family-tree-has-basketball-roots.aspxTo say it was some sort of destiny might be inching into hyperbolic territory. But once Will Ryan found his love for the game of basketball, it didn’t take long to realize that coaching was something he would one day like to explore.
It would take only a curious glance at the Ryan family tree to quickly uncover how such a love and passion could have been and were instilled. And its no wonder then, that Ryan finds himself front and center as the architect of what can only be described as a remarkably quick turnaround of the Wheeling University men’s basketball program.
“It is only natural that I followed in my dad’s footsteps as well as my late grandfather, William “Butch” Ryan Sr.,” Will Ryan said. “My grandpa was a youth coach near Philidephia for 40-plus years.
“Then my father, William “Bo” Ryan Jr., was raised on a basketball court, football and base-ball fields of Aston, Pa. It was probably only fitting that I, William Ryan III, followed in their footsteps and like my dad, grew up in gym with a ball in my hand and would grow up to be a coach.”
If the name Bo Ryan sounds familiar, it should. He authored a hall of fame career as head coach of the University of Wisconsin, while first making stops at Division-III University of Wisconsin-Platteville, as well as UW-Milwaukee before landing with the Badgers. Bo Ryan finished his career with an overall record of 747-233, including a berth in the 2015 national title game, and was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
“Growing up in the gym with my dad, there is no question it has had a profound impact on my career path,” Will said. “Like most young basketball players, I thought I was going to play for Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) at Duke and then have a long NBA career. “
Once reality set in, my goal was to make the most out of my athletic ability in college and I was able to win two National Championships playing for my dad at D-III University of Wisconsin-Platteville. From there he took the job at UW-Milwaukee where I transferred and redshirted for a second time. The following year my dad took the job at Wisconsin and I finished out my senior year at UW-Milwaukee as a walk-on for Bruce Pearl.
“Although playing college basketball didn’t turn out the way I had envisioned, I gained a wealth of knowledge on the do’s and dont’s of running my own program based on my ex-periences.
“From those experiences, that solidified my passion for coaching and helping make an im-pact on future student-athletes.”
Upon graduation, Will Ryan had already been infected with the coaching bug. By that point, it was just a matter of where he was going to get his foot in the door.
He didn’t have to look far. Ryan joined his father’s staff in 2002 as a volunteer assistant, spending five years there before eventually becoming an assistant at North Dakota State. From there, Ryan moved to Ohio University where he spent another five years, wherein the Bobcats went 81-77, reached the Mid-American Conference semifinals twice and advanced to the 2016 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
All that movement, Ryan admits, can be tough on a young family. He and his wife, Emily, have three sons -- Owen, Liam and Callen.
“My wife and I started dating when I was playing basketball at UW-Milwaukee and my dad was the head coach at Wisconsin, so she got an early glimpse of what the coaching profes-sion life entailed,” Ryan said. “Growing up and even to this day, my mom, Kelly (in the words of Kevin Durrant), is the real MVP. And now in our household my wife carries the same title.
“As far as my three boys, I am so thankful that my job and our athletic department is so family friendly that my children are able to experience growing up in the gym like I was.”
When the Wheeling University job somewhat unexpectedly came open this summer, Will decided it was time to take on the added experience of running his own program. It wasn’t going to be easy, however, as these were trying times financially for the school. In part because of those off-the-court issues, Ryan, who was hired later in the recruiting cycle than one would like, had his hands full from the get-go.
“I think adversity would be just a little bit of an understatement. It came at us in every direc-tion possible,” Ryan said. “I refuse to make excuses and don’t want a pity party, but we had to overcome some major obstacles early on not only as a program, but as an institution. We weren’t even sure if our school’s doors would be open for the school year.
“Upon receiving the job, I reached out to a handful of guys I was told would be great to have return. Some stayed while others chose to pursue other options. I received word from five returners and then went about casting a wide net to round out a roster.
“After the first few weeks we were worried we might not have enough guys to actually have a competitive practice since it was so late in the summer. Let’s face it, most kids know where they’re attending school well before late July, early August. We lucked out and got a few quality pieces that you could say probably slipped through the cracks.
“The entire recruiting process was expedited. We didn’t see anyone play live. Every kid was evaluated off of film and/or was given the thumbs up to us by his AAU, high school, prep or junior college coach. These guys were simply just hungry for a chance. Some have really made the most of their opportunity. We all went into this somewhat blindly, but the guys quickly believed in the vision, one another and ultimately Wheeling University.”
Most remarkably, heading into the final game of the Mountain East Conference regular sea-son -- a matchup with neighboring rival West Liberty, no less -- the Cardinals were sitting in fifth place in the league with a 14-10 overall mark, including 11-10 in conference.
“I’m extremely proud of our guys for quickly buying into what we’re trying to teach every day. After getting the job so late in the summer we had to scramble to put together a roster in about six weeks,” Ryan said. “We were fortunate enough to get some very good late, available kids.
“Adding them to a returning roster of five players that consisted of only a couple with significant minutes from the previous season, was a challenging process. We had a late wave of kids who committed so we actually ended up with 21 players.
“We got to work right away trying to figure out who was ready and able to play. Those who truly understand how to compete and are good listeners/quick learners rose to the top pretty quickly. Teaching and developing every day on the court and in the film room has really aided in setting the foundation for success. We are limited in certain areas, but our guys don’t make excuses for that. They play extremely hard and that’s all we can ask.”
And now, because of that quick turnaround, the Cardinals are playing on the big stage at the MEC Tournament inside WesBanco Arena. Players like Emmanuel Ansong, Jarrett Haines, Jordan Reid, Jay Gentry and John Korte, just to name a few, have made for a winning combination.
“I am forever grateful that the returners chose to stay and gut it out. I know how difficult it can be from experience, as I played for three coaches as well during my college career,” Ryan said. “My main (on-court) goal for the season was to finish in the top half of the league and have a winning record and qualify for the MEC Tournament. We also wanted to make sure it was a positive atmosphere for our student-athletes based upon the hurdles we faced in the fall.
“Academically, my program’s goal is to nurture and develop young men to achieve their dreams of playing college basketball while getting a great education at Wheeling University.
“We were picked dead last in the preseason MEC poll, so immediately qualifying for the postseason tournament not only makes our current athletes believe in what we are doing, but hopefully it can open some eyes for prospective student-athletes/recruits and program supporters.”