Ryan Coble '17 Recruiting Profile

Basketball was always my secondary sport. I honestly didn't even like basketball until I was around the age of seven. My main sport was baseball; oh how I loved the sport. The thought of being up to bat with two outs, the game tied, and runners in scoring position was just thrilling to me. I wanted to be the player that could be relied on in pressure situations. I yearned for the chance to be in this position, because I strongly believed that I would win the game for the team. Well I got the opportunity as an eight year old. I remember it like it was yesterday; I was up to bat with two out, a runner on second, and the game was tied. The team we were playing had a well rounded pitcher. He could throw junk, but he could also burn you with the fastball. I remember it being a full count ( 3 balls and 2 strikes). I was told by my third base coach to watch for the curve ball, which would be coming from the outside to the inside. I stood in the batters box and waited for the pitch. It looked outside, but just like my coach had told me it started curving inside. I reared back and hit the ball as hard as I could; unfortunately it was caught by the center fielder. We lost the game in extra innings. After the loss our coaches got into an argument about who should be the head coach. Our team split up, so as a result I decided to try basketball.

    My father loved the game of basketball, so when I decided to play he was thrilled. Everyday during that summer we went outside to our court in the drive way and practiced. After awhile I began falling in love with the sport myself. I wanted to try a fall league in Greencastle that I had heard about through some friends. I honestly thought I was going to be one of the worst players there since all the others had been playing for awhile. My dad had mentioned to me before the first game that I was not on a very good team. We were suppose to be one of the worst teams in the league. The first game we played a team which we were suppose to lose to pretty badly, however that is not how the game went.  We won the game by 15 points. I ended up with 36 pts which I thought was alright. When I came off the court everyone was telling me how good I was and giving me compliments. Only one person said that I could have scored more and played better defense... that was my dad. Throughout the season my ppg kept increasing. I was breaking 50pts every other game and was basically taking the league by storm. The last game of the season we played the best team in the league. They had not played anyone within 30 pts all season. This was the game that I wanted to win the most. Everyone doubted my team from the start and I was determined to prove everyone wrong. 

    The minute the ball was tipped off I knew it was going to be tough. All the players were a grade older and they were bigger, faster, and stronger than me. It seemed hopeless everything we did wasn't quite good enough. The first half was brutal; the team was down by 20 after two quarters. We talked some things over and adjusted to how they were playing. The second half we played a 2-3 zone. We forced them to shoot threes which they couldn't hit. This allowed us to have fast breaks and catch up. By the end of the third quarter we were only down four.  Their coach was smart though; he held the ball which forced us to foul. Luckily they missed a few free throws and we were able to knot the game up with 15 seconds left. It was there ball and we knew they were gonna hold for the last shot. Our coach told us not to foul and to play tough defense. The ball was thrown in and the clock began counting down. They had two post players at the elbows, the point guard was at the top of the key, and finally they had two wings. The two wings were running baseline and crossed under the basket. The guy I wasn't guarding flared out to the corner and the guy I was guarding planted his foot on the wing and yelled for the ball. I knew he was gonna go back door so I planted my foot and cut down on top of him. The point guard dribbled in his direction and threw the pass, once I intercepted the pass it was off to the races. I pushed the ball as quickly down the court I possibly could. Weaving in and out of the defenders, passing them one at a time it seemed almost as if it was in slow motion. As I passed the last defender I found myself with a clear lane to the basket. Right as the ball left my hand the buzzer went off. The game was won and so was the league. 

    After the game the high school coach who was also the coach of the opposing team came up and talked to me. He was asking if I would like to join his travel team. My dad and him talked out the details and it was all set. This moment is why I wanted to play basketball for the rest of my life. The thought of being so young and being admired by not only other players, but by adults was something I wanted to feel again. That is why I have pushed myself so hard throughout my career, because I know that even if I score 100 points in a game there is something I could have done better. I know being perfect is impossible, but I am willing to try my hardest to become the closest to perfect that I possibly can.