Slightly dated news, but I'm still struggling a bit to find solid news stories before the season officially starts. Rob Kurz, the Cavaliers' final cut of the summer, will start his second professional season trying out for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, an NBDL squad that has also invited Kyle McAlarney and Rob Kurz to training camp. The final roster should be ten men out of the seventeen in camp. Good luck to all three making the squad.
Chris Quinn is still in the NBA, but has yet to play a game this year for the Heat following a sprained ankle in the preseason.
Showing posts with label Ayers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ayers. Show all posts
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Senior Week- Ryan Ayers
Check out the roundtable questions on the post below.
Ryan Ayers is a bit of an enigma. Unlike Kyle McAlarney, he was never really able to use his incredible shooting ability to develop into a consistent scorer. However, unlike Zeller and Hillesland, he honed his one skill and really became the best player possible with limited athletic ability. It isn't a development question as much as a lack of consistent scoring from the small forward spot.
Ryan entered the program as a three-star shooting guard. The son of a very good professional player and coach, Ayers always demonstrated a strong work ethic and commitment to improving his shot.
Ayers saw limited minutes freshman and sophomore year. Junior season, he became a starter but lost his position partway through to year to Zach Hillesland. Clearly a shooter with incredible talent, Ayers stroked 45% from beyond the arc in 2008. However, he disappeared in losses to Marquette and Georgetown and finished with an average of 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
This year, Ryan has improved his stats with increased minutes while dropping his shooting percentage a bit. In dip in percentage has been a small problem, however, due to his showing a bit more assertiveness in looking for his shot. My biggest problem with Ayers throughout his career was his inability to step up and become the needed third scorer. Against South Dakota, he flirted with the school record for three pointers and scored 35 points. He disappeared again at the beginning of the Big East season, but has responded to a midseason benching with seven double digit scoring games in his past ten contests. His performances against Providence and Villanova are indicators of his final development into the consistent third scorer we have needed so much this year. Unfortunately, it has been too little too late as other players have disappeared on offense and the team's defense has been terrible all year.
Ryan is a decent defender who uses his long wingspan to make up for a lack of athleticism. Unfortunately, that lack of athleticism has really held him back on both ends of the floor. Combine Ayers' shot with a guy like Carleton Scott and we would have one really good basketball player.
Still, you can't blame him for just making the most of what God gave him. I wish we could have him another year because you really get the feeling that Ryan has been turning the corner towards the end of this season. Finally overcoming the tentativeness to shoot that has held him back his whole career, Ayers is turning into a pretty decent option on the wing. Thanks for your hard work, Ryan. I wish we could have seen this from you sooner.
Ryan Ayers is a bit of an enigma. Unlike Kyle McAlarney, he was never really able to use his incredible shooting ability to develop into a consistent scorer. However, unlike Zeller and Hillesland, he honed his one skill and really became the best player possible with limited athletic ability. It isn't a development question as much as a lack of consistent scoring from the small forward spot.
Ryan entered the program as a three-star shooting guard. The son of a very good professional player and coach, Ayers always demonstrated a strong work ethic and commitment to improving his shot.
Ayers saw limited minutes freshman and sophomore year. Junior season, he became a starter but lost his position partway through to year to Zach Hillesland. Clearly a shooter with incredible talent, Ayers stroked 45% from beyond the arc in 2008. However, he disappeared in losses to Marquette and Georgetown and finished with an average of 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
This year, Ryan has improved his stats with increased minutes while dropping his shooting percentage a bit. In dip in percentage has been a small problem, however, due to his showing a bit more assertiveness in looking for his shot. My biggest problem with Ayers throughout his career was his inability to step up and become the needed third scorer. Against South Dakota, he flirted with the school record for three pointers and scored 35 points. He disappeared again at the beginning of the Big East season, but has responded to a midseason benching with seven double digit scoring games in his past ten contests. His performances against Providence and Villanova are indicators of his final development into the consistent third scorer we have needed so much this year. Unfortunately, it has been too little too late as other players have disappeared on offense and the team's defense has been terrible all year.
Ryan is a decent defender who uses his long wingspan to make up for a lack of athleticism. Unfortunately, that lack of athleticism has really held him back on both ends of the floor. Combine Ayers' shot with a guy like Carleton Scott and we would have one really good basketball player.
Still, you can't blame him for just making the most of what God gave him. I wish we could have him another year because you really get the feeling that Ryan has been turning the corner towards the end of this season. Finally overcoming the tentativeness to shoot that has held him back his whole career, Ayers is turning into a pretty decent option on the wing. Thanks for your hard work, Ryan. I wish we could have seen this from you sooner.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Addition by Subtraction
The more we seem to struggle this season, the more my hopes rise for next year. At the moment, we seem to have earned a back-of-the-top-25 spot. We look very good at times and very poor at others.
Take a look at the problem areas. Two seniors, Zach Hillesland and Ryan Ayers, seem to be the weakest links on both offense and defense. Most people who observe the program express an interest in seeing more playing time for Ty Nash and Carleton Scott, most likely at the expense of Hillesland and Ayers.
Next season we lose the two biggest problem areas in the starting rotation and seemingly add athleticism (currently missing from the rotation) and a true power forward in Nash (though transfer Scott Martin is an interesting X-factor... he was the most highly recruited prep player currently on the ND roster). If Ben Hansbrough can replace a fraction of Kyle McAlarney's outside shot and Luke Harangody continues his development, our drop next year will not be as bad as originally feared.
Hey, it's something positive to think about as this season has hit a depressing stretch of mediocrity.
Take a look at the problem areas. Two seniors, Zach Hillesland and Ryan Ayers, seem to be the weakest links on both offense and defense. Most people who observe the program express an interest in seeing more playing time for Ty Nash and Carleton Scott, most likely at the expense of Hillesland and Ayers.
Next season we lose the two biggest problem areas in the starting rotation and seemingly add athleticism (currently missing from the rotation) and a true power forward in Nash (though transfer Scott Martin is an interesting X-factor... he was the most highly recruited prep player currently on the ND roster). If Ben Hansbrough can replace a fraction of Kyle McAlarney's outside shot and Luke Harangody continues his development, our drop next year will not be as bad as originally feared.
Hey, it's something positive to think about as this season has hit a depressing stretch of mediocrity.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Ryan Ayers
A pleasant surprise last season, Ayers shared time with Zach Hillesland in the starting lineup. He actually looked better off the bench with his ability to shoot the three and play at the top of a 3-2 zone. 7.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 25.2 minutes a game. 45% from beyond the arc. In addition to starting fulltime, Ayers' main job this season might be tutoring Ty Nash and Carleton Scott. Nash and Scott have the same body type as Ayers and Hillesland, with more athletic ability. If Ayers can teach the two youngsters some of his long-range prowess, both will become very effective offensive weapons.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Ryan Ayers
#42 Ryan Ayers- 6-7 / 210, Blue Bell, PA-
Ayers has ridden a sweet outside shot and strong fundamental defense to the starting small forward spot this year for the Irish. Playing in 30 games last season, Ayers averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game. He connected on 37.5% of his shots from three-point range.
As a three-star recruit at Germantown Academy, Ayers was also recruited by Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, and Villanova. Dad Randy is an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards, playing at Miami, Ohio, and briefly with the Bulls in the NBA.
Ayers will need to step into Colin Falls' role of deep threat. For the Irish to be successful under the basket, Ryan must show a consistent ability to make shots from outside. In addition, Ayers will be an asset on defense. He can use his great wingspan and agility to cover opponents on the sideline. Ryan will probably play the fewest minutes of the starters, due to the ability of Zach Hillesland. However, Ayers' size and shooting allows Coach Brey to use the junior also as a shooting guard if Jackson and McAlarney get into foul trouble.
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