In addition, Ryan emphasized, ���They���ve got to
get a little quicker by being better anticipators on
defense and by taking advantage of situations on
offense.
���And you can always work on your shooting. As
you know, that kind of let us down a little bit this
year. It certainly wasn���t effort, it wasn���t how hard
our guys worked.
���It was just sometimes the basket got a little
smaller.���
Last weekend, Ryan���s family got bigger when he
became a grandfather for the fifth time with the
birth of Maeve Louise. Maeve is an Irish name.
Louise was his mom���s name. She died in December.
���We���re hoping he���s ready in
the summer,��� Ryan said of
Gasser.���He���s working hard
on his rehab, but you never
know. Some people come
back, though, and they���re
even stronger than before.���
38 �� VARSITY
MAR CH 28, 2013
Next season, Ryan���s basketball family will take in
five freshmen: Vitto Brown (6-foot-8, 240), Riley
Dearring (6-5, 180), Nigel Hayes (6-7, 230), Jordan Hill (6-3, 175) and Bronson Koenig (6-3, 180).
While helping lead La Crosse Aquinas to a second WIAA state championship in three years at
the Kohl Center, Koenig got high marks for his ball
handling, passing and court presence.
Hayes, a three-time MVP at Whitmer High
School in Toledo, Ohio, received a favorable review from John Stovall of ESPN Recruiting Nation.
Hayes was ranked No. 85 on ESPN���s Top 100 list.
Stovall opined that Hayes, Whitmer���s career
leader in blocked shots, was a ���versatile player who
can guard multiple positions and be that signature
���great role player��� that Wisconsin always has.���
Ryan was non-committal on who might help
right away. Conceding the dynamic will change
with so many new faces, he said, ���I���m hoping the
pickup games in the summer are extremely com-
