Since starting in basketball at the age of four, Liam Ryan’s love for the game has grown through the years, punctuated by stellar performances across various basketball programs, capturing a championship, and earning an opportunity to play for the men’s team at Laurentian University.
Ryan, who grew up in Brantford surrounded by his family who were immersed in sports, explained his beginnings in basketball.
“I started off playing with CYO in the house league when I was four. And up until about grade seven, I played with the Hawks. My dad actually coached me during one of the years when I was playing novice…and that was a pretty cool memory. After playing in Brantford, COVID hit…meaning that the program was affected for a while. By grade eight, nothing was happening with the program and it was still up in the air the next year. That’s when I left Brantford for Ancaster because I knew they would have a team,” Ryan said. “I played for Ancaster Magic in grades nine and 10. By grade 11, I went back to Brantford and played for St. John’s College. We were all friends on the team…and it was a great experience. In grade 12…I started [exploring opportunities] to play for outside rep teams which would give me more exposure to competitive play…and I went to Kitchener Impact Academy and would go on to play for West United Prep Academy…which is a prep team out of Milton.”
However, Ryan has always been exposed to sports, as his family including his sister and parents, were involved in various athletic organizations especially the respected CYO basketball program in Brantford, which has been running for decades.
“We have always been around sports. My mom is the president of the girls CYO [and] my dad used to be the president of the boys CYO [which] he’s still affiliated with. My sister is big into both rugby and basketball. We are all part of sports in the community in some way,” he said. “For me, I have also tried other sports. When my sister started playing rugby, I would watch her play it. At one point, I really wanted to try it out, but ended up injuring myself. It was a good experience… [though I] decided to stick to basketball which is something I have always done and enjoyed. And what I have learned from basketball is that it gives back what you put into it,” he noted.
Along the way the young basketball player would find out how true those words were.
“During my time with the Kitchener Impact Academy…I had a chance to meet Brandon Edwards…the head coach of the Laurentian men’s basketball team when he hosted Tri-City Top 40 Basketball camp. When my team had come in for a practice Brandon he stayed to watch us, and then that’s when he saw me playing. We had a chance to talk afterwards…and I got to know him a bit. That provided me a chance to find out about Brandon, his coaching style and the Laurentian program,” he said.
The game has also given Ryan an opportunity to find mentors that have helped him develop.
“I have played for a lot of great coaches…but, Alex Verkley, and Kostas Poulimenos have been amazing mentors and really helped me become a strong player. And during my time with the West United Prep Academy program, Alex along with Rod Alfar have helped me develop in terms of my basketball IQ and preparing me for the next level and is required to play at that post-secondary level in the university,” he noted.
However, Ryan would get to experience another camp, testing his mettle.
“When I was in grade 11, I got invited to Team Ontario top 50 camp and that was a great experience. They had the open tryouts [and] my dad drove me up there. I showed enough skill to where they invited me back to the top 50 camp, and that was pretty cool. I remember there was very good talent there. I immediately noticed the size and athleticism. It was a real eye opener for me…making me realize that I’ve also got to be athletic enough to [level up] with these strong competitors…meaning that I had to start increasing my time in the weight room, building my muscle mass and my strength along with my on-court skills,” he said.
By grade 12, Ryan had dedicated himself to basketball and established himself as an exceptional shooter, helping St. John’s college capture the AABHN (Athletic Association of Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk) senior boys basketball title.
“That was definitely a highlight and a big win for us because BCI was the top team. They hadn’t lost a game all season, so they were the team to beat. So, the way the playoffs worked was that the one and two seeds would get the bye, and then seeded teams from three to six would play against each other to then get into the semifinal. In the semis, we were matched up against an Assumption College team who had previously beat us by 35 points. It was a mountain to climb for us but we managed it. As a three seed, we beat the number two seed, which was unexpected, and went up against the undefeated BCI team. Like the Assumption team, they had beaten us during the season handedly by around 25 to 30 points both times we played them. But for the finals, we came with a plan and executed it…which [earned] us the championship.”
While the guard played a vital part in St. John’s match to the championship, he had spent most of the season recovering from a broken foot.
“I had broken it in a game with Impact Academy…I was in a boot, and I was on crutches for a couple weeks and missed some of the season with St. John….but I recovered and got back into the flow of things in time for the playoffs,” he recalled. “I recognized immediately I was a lot slower….having to tape my ankle and wear an ankle brace. But it was really the subconscious part of it…knowing that I was injured [because] I didn’t want to land funny on my foot or get injured again. I found getting back on the court much more a mental thing than physical.”
Nevertheless, after years of training and hard work, Ryan got an offer to go to Niagara College, but ultimately made the decision to commit to Laurentian University.
“I had talked with a few of my mentors…and got their thoughts on my next step. They suggested that I should come back to my fifth year of high school and then hopefully get some interest from universities. I then had the opportunity to meet Brandon, learning about Laurentian eventually getting an offer from them,” said Ryan. “This time also gave me a chance to build a connection with the coaching team which also includes Cédric [Kasongo]. They showed me that it’d be a good place for me to develop and that they could make me into a better player as I continue to progress in my basketball career. That’s what really stood out to me with their program.”
However, Ryan, who will be looking to take kinesiology at Laurentian, is looking to develop while on the team going forward.
“I have learned that I can accomplish a lot when I put my all into something and take it seriously. I am dedicated and disciplined and have always tried to improve in whatever the task I am faced with. I would like to eventually work my way into the starting lineup at Laurentian, and I think that would be pretty cool to start at the level of where I could be an OUA all-star, or an all-Canadian…that would be something I would want to achieve,” he said.
