Oct 10, 2008
Ryan Kelly really could not have made a bad decision with the six schools that he had to chose from, and no matter where he went, his family was going to support his all the way.
The recruiting story of Ryan Kelly is very interesting, and his family approached it the right way. He comes from a family of college athletes and educators, so they know all about the balance of athletics and academics, as well as the challenges Ryan will face when he becomes a student-athlete at the college level.
Ryan traveled to Charlotte a little after 1:00 Thursday afternoon. ESPNU's studios are located in the Queen City, and Ryan announced his college intentions live, on the air, at ESPNU around 6:40.
After his national television debut was over, the Kelly's - his mom, dad and younger sister - all packed into the car and drove back to Raleigh. They didn't stop at home, they didn't go out to dinner, they came to WRAL where Ken Medlin and I both had the chance to speak to Ryan and his family.
It was one of the best interviews I have had with a new college commit, and when I sat down to write my story after they left, I didn't know where to start. I had so much information!
So, I decided to fill you in with some odds and ends, as well as some quotables, from my interview with the Kelly's.
I asked Ryan if his commitment to Duke had hit him yet. After all, Duke is one of the elite college basketball programs in the country, they play in the best conference for college basketball, and their home court is one of the most sacred in the sport.
Ryan's answer:
"It will probably hit me when I get there the most, but it's exciting. I'm really having a great time with it, but for now I'm going to enjoy this, but at the same time focus on winning a state championship."
ESPN was an experience
When a high school kid goes on ESPN - live, I might add - it has to bring a few butterflies to his stomach. Ryan admitted that he was a bit nervous, but said that the whole experience was a lot of fun.
"It was neat. It was a real good experience, a life time experience not many people can say they've had. It was just fun."
But, Ryan, were you nervous?
"Certainly. Live TV is a little bit nerve-racking. It was the first time I've experienced anything like that, but it was fun."
Personally, I think he did just fine on the air.
Ryan talks about John Wall
Ryan played on the D-One Sports AAU basketball team, and one of his teammates was the nation's top point guard recruit John Wall. Wall plays at Raleigh Word of God, and is one of the most sought after recruits in the class.
I asked Ryan about Wall Thursday night, and I asked if he still talks to Wall now that AAU is over.
"I do a little bit. I don't know where he's going, but I wish him the best. I had a great time playing with him. He made me a better player, and I hope I made him a better one too."
Wall will also play in the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational.
Kelly knows he has made a good decision
If you sit down and talk to Ryan Kelly one-on-one, you will quickly realize that he has a good head on his shoulders. He knows that he made a good decision, and he says that he has created a good path for himself to go down.
"I've got a pretty good path, and I just have to follow it and be the best player I can be, and we'll see what happens."
This blog post is closed for comments.
