Ryley Tate-Padian '25 Recruiting Profile

How do I convey what sets me apart from the rest in this brief synopsis of who I am? I could tell you that I averaged 16 points a game or maintained a perfect GPA, but that is merely a number, statistics. Granted, as a coach or recruiter, your job is to find a student-athlete that fits within a specific mold, within the job specifications, if you will. However, for me, what I believe distinguishes me from the rest is my character. I will always stop at nothing to achieve a goal and will fully dedicate myself to what I am doing, permitting me to put my heart fully into a game and perform the intangibles that a team needs to win. I will always put everything I have and can give into athletics, academics, and my community, whether that be sitting at my desk in a house desolate of consciousness besides myself as I strained my eyes looking over my Mandarin presentation one final time to make sure it is devoid of mistakes, rising at the early hours of the morning to form shoot and dribble as I wake with the sun to get just a little better with each hour, or refurbishing a basketball court for the children in a neighboring community. I never forget those around me, often aiding classmates who do not understand an assignment and trying my hardest to be exceptionally kind to those around me and make them feel like they belong. 

When I was younger, someone once asked me why I played so hard, and what fueled my passion. That night, I went home and wrote the answer to her question, which was as follows, “I play so hard because life means nothing if you don’t make something out of it, so for me playing basketball, a sport I love, is having an impact. With my team collectively and individually, we can achieve a greater goal larger than ourselves.” This still applies to me right now, and I can convey the same sentiment about my mindset in academics. I mean, who doesn’t want to make a difference in this world and leave it a little better than you found it.