Ryan Cahill ‘17 Recruiting Profile

Personal Statement

I am a top performing academic student and varsity athlete.  I am passionate about constantly expanding myself physically and intellectually. I’m very goal oriented, have excellent time management skills, work best under pressure and get along well with everyone. My objective is to study finance and play college level basketball at a top academic university. I’m looking for a basketball program that demands strong character and is built on a team approach.

I have played numerous travel level sports, but basketball has always been my favorite. At age seven I attended my first week-long basketball camp led by Jay Wright at Villanova University - I was voted "Most Improved" at the end of the week. I have continued to improve my on-court intellect, leadership and skills. My coaches say I have a very high basketball IQ. I apply my deep understanding of the game, physical capabilities, and a “never give up” attitude to help drive my team to its greatest performance.

I play for Downingtown East, a "AAAA" rated high school program and the 9^th largest district in the state of Pennsylvania with over 12,000 students. I made the varsity team my sophomore year, started every game my junior year and am a team Captain. I was recently voted “Honorable Mention All Daily Local”. I grew 6 inches over the past year and am in the early stages of what I'm able to accomplish. I am very coachable and solely interested in making my team better. 

Although I play varsity basketball at Downingtown East High School, I attend the nationally recognized Downingtown STEM Academy. The easy academic choice would have been to attend Downingtown East, however, I went for the greater academic challenge, applied to STEM and was accepted at our district’s top academic program. STEM has been rated the most challenging high school in the state of Pennsylvania and is the state’s top performer in numerous categories (http://www.dasd.org/cms/lib8/PA01916467/Centricity/domain/61/headlines/2014-06-29_DailyLocal-STEM_No_1.pdf). I will graduate next year with my International Baccalaureate Degree and a 4.0+ grade point average.

I have the physical ability, mental strength, and overall skillset to add significant value to an elite basketball program.