Ryan Kelly (Courtesy: Steven Maikoski, USA Basketball)
Oct 10, 2008
When Ryan Kelly and family stopped by the WRAL-TV studios Thursday evening, all of the Kelly's were all smiles.
Hours earlier, Ryan announced on ESPNU's "Recruiting Insider" that he would be committing to Duke University and head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Kelly said that in the end it came down to him feeling most comfortable at Duke.
Over the last several weeks, Kelly has taken a number of unofficial visits to Durham, and he said it was a great experience every time.
"The first thing I ever did was get a chance to play with the players, get a feel for that, and most recently I stayed a night and got a chance to play and hang out as much as possible with the guys. I got to go to class, and just get a feel for what it's like being a Duke
student-athlete," Kelly said.
Kelly didn't have anything negative to say about his future teammates either. He said they made Duke a perfect match for him both on and off the court.
"They've got some pretty good basketball players, but also some pretty good guys off of the court," Kelly said. "I really enjoyed hanging out with them, they were all really nice to me and that was a big deal... I got a chance to meet all of them, even the guys that wouldn't be there when I got there. I got a chance to hang out with them all, talk to them all, at least for a little bit. "
Kelly participated on the U18 USA Basketball team this summer, representing the United States in the FIBA Americas Tournament in Formosa, Argentina. One of his teammates was fellow Duke commit Mason Plumlee. "Obviously I talked to Mason Plumlee through USA Basketball, and I've gotten a chance to talk to him a little bit," Kelly said.
Ravenscroft and Christ School, the school where Plumlee plays basketball, are both in the same division of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association, meaning the two could eventually meet in the state championship.
What did Kelly say about the possibility? "That could be interesting."
Both teams are also participating in the 2008 GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational at Broughton's Holliday Gymnasium. That tournament begins Dec. 26, and runs through Dec. 30.
Playing basketball at Duke is a big honor in itself. But playing basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference is different than any other conference, and Kelly knows that it will be different than the high school atmosphere that he is used to playing in now.
"Certainly ACC basketball is a great environment, and some really great players are there now and have come through the ACC, and I hope to be one of them. I'm going to work hard to be one of them, and I'm looking forward to it," Kelly said.
Duke was looking at Kelly before this summer, but ended up backing off as time went on. When Kelly made a big impression on the AAU circuit and at USA Basketball, the Blue Devils reconsidered.
Krzyzewski met with Kelly after his Olympic gold medal run, and Kelly said the first order of business for the Hall of Fame coach was extending an offer.
"First and foremost he put forth an offer," Kelly explained. "From there it was how he felt I could fit into Duke, both on and off the court, and obviously, in most instances, they speak for themselves in basketball and in academics."
Kelly said that Krzyzewski compared him to past Duke great Mike Dunleavy, and more recently Kyle Singler. Kelly has the ability to play down low, but he likes to face the basket, and he can even stroke the long-range shot. For a Duke team that struggled to score at times over recent seasons, Kelly should be an added bonus.
As a junior, Kelly averaged 23.7-points per game. Add to that eight rebounds and four blocked shots each time out, and Duke seems to have picked up a solid player.
Despite all of the good things Kelly has already experienced at Duke, he said this decision was hard. Usually when student-athletes are about to commit to a school, the media has a pretty good idea as to where he might go. Kelly's intentions were kept quiet until he announced them on national television Thursday.
"Just in the past couple days I really made a decision. It was kind of kept to myself... Even my family just found out before I went on TV," Kelly said.
The reaction from his family was all positive, according to Kelly, and he said they were all excited for him. "Obviously now, they've got the opportunity to watch me and hopefully come to a few games," Kelly said, talking about his family members.
The entire process can be very stressful for a teenager, but Kelly says he took the entire process in stride and had fun the whole time. Still, he admits there were stressful times.
"It would get stressful at times, but I tried to keep a pretty level head about it, keep calm about it, and know that I was going to find the right place, and that God was going to lead me in the right place," Kelly said.
The recruiting process is now over, and Kelly has made his intentions known. What are his future plans?
In the short term, "I think I might go to the beach a little bit this weekend," Kelly said. But on Monday, Kelly plans to be back in the gym, continuing to work on his game. And in the next couple of months, the senior says he hopes to have a state title to bring back to Ravenscroft.
Nick Stevens can be reached at stevens@ncsportsreport.com.
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