Ryan Kelly
Aug 7, 2008
Ryan Kelly's stock is sky high.
The 6-10 rising senior from Raleigh's Ravenscroft High School has become a five-star basketball recruit--and quickly.
"It is hard to imagine myself now from back two years ago," Kelly said.
Maybe Kelly became so highly regarded after he grew six inches since arriving in high school. "(That growth) really introduced me from a mid-level player...to a high-level."
Kelly's 24 point scoring average last year at Ravenscroft didn't hurt either. This summer, he started for the U18 USA national team that won a silver medal in the World Championships.
His Ravenscroft coach, Kevin Billerman, compares Kelly to a "European-style" post player. "He can shoot the ball. He can pass the ball. He's got great ball-handling skills," said Billerman. "His difference is that he can score in the interior as well."
Kelly moved to Raleigh from upstate New York when he was in third grade. Friends immediately told him to pick a favorite college basketball team between Duke, NC State and North Carolina. He decided not to listen back then.
Now, he has to choose a favorite.
Earlier this month, Kelly whittled his list of potential colleges to--in no particular order--Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame. He hopes to decide on a school before basketball season begins. "For me, it's just got to be a gut feeling because honestly, I can fit into a lot of these places," he said.
Kelly will be a fourth generation college basketball player. The recruiting process hasn't overwhelmed him at all. "There's a long line of teachers and coaches in our family so there are plenty of people in his life to make sure he has rocks in his pockets and keeps his feet on the ground," said mother Doreen Kelly, who also serves as the head of school at Ravenscroft.
Kelly's mother has no idea where her son will go to school, but the decision will be completely his.
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