Kelsey Ryan admits she thought she’d lost her chance to score a thousand points after enduring what she called her ‘sophomore slump.’
“I had a decent year my freshman year, but then I had a sophomore slump – I really didn’t have a great year,” the Neshaminy senior said. “A lot of things went on with me as a player and that kind of thing.
“My junior year I came back and knew I had to redeem myself.”
Ryan redeemed herself with a strong junior season and followed that with a standout senior year that saw her reach the magical 1,000-point plateau just seconds before halftime in her team’s final game of the season.
“Coming into the season, I really didn’t think I was going to get it,” Ryan said. “As we approached the last couple of games of the season, I kind of was wondering , ‘I’m having a really good season. Maybe I do have a chance.’
“But I really didn’t think anything of it, and I didn’t ask any questions about it. I didn’t know how many I needed, but I knew I was close.”
Ryan scored the historic basket on a putback after an offensive rebound as time was about to expire in the first half of her team’s opening round District One Class AAAA Tournament game at Downingtown East.
The celebration that wouldn’t have been allowed in a district game took place after the horn sounded ending the second quarter.
“You can’t stop a playoff game, but it worked out,” Ryan said. “People were screaming and yelling, and when the buzzer went, everyone came on the court.
“My team and parents came on the court, and they gave me a teddy bear and balloons. It was exciting. It didn’t hit me right away, and then it was like, ‘Oh my god, I scored my thousandth point.’”
Talk to Ryan’s coach, and it’s clear that this accomplishment was the result of not only a fair share of skill but also a tremendous work ethic.
“Anybody that scores a thousand points – there’s something special about them,” coach Joanne McVey said. “With Kelsey, she’s not the most athletic kid in the world, and it’s not her blazing speed.
“What it is more than anything with her is how fundamental she is. That’s the thing that really separates her. She stands out to other players and coaches because she really plays fundamental basketball, and she worked very hard. This is a tribute to her work ethic.”
Ryan joins Stephanie McGinty and Melissa Brooks as the third Neshaminy player under McVey to reach this milestone.
“Kelsey is much different than the others,” the Redskins’ coach said. “Stephanie was a thoroughbred, a race horse, and Melissa was just an athlete. She can jump higher and run faster.
“Kelsey was none of those things, but she recognized the skills she was gifted with and worked very hard to improve them.”
McVey admits she thought it was a long shot that Ryan would reach the thousand-point plateau this season.
“As we got closer, we knew what she needed to do,” the Redskins’ coach said. “There were a couple of games we were winning pretty big, and how long do you leave her in?
“This is a memory, and you want to give kids a chance to do it the right way, and I think that’s what happened.”
Ryan was Neshaminy’s undisputed go-to player, averaging 15.3 points a game this season. The next closest player averaged six points.
“She was the centerpiece, and that in of itself is a tribute to her,” McVey said. “The better teams were pretty effective at shutting her down because they could run two or three players at her every time she touched the ball.”
Despite carrying the bulk of her team’s scoring burden, Ryan says she didn’t feel any pressure.
“They were depending on me to create that spark, but we had a lot of players that even though they might not have contributed as much offensively, they were always helping me,” Ryan said. “We have Jen Slivka who is amazing and would get (defensive) stops.
“That would make me think, ‘I have to get this for Jen. I have to get this for my team because they deserve it.’ It wasn’t really pressure per se because I just go out and play, but it felt good that they counted on me. It’s an honor that they counted on me.”
Ryan plans to continue her playing career at the collegiate level and is still in the midst of the recruiting process. One thing is certain – Ryan’s will be big shoes to fill when next season rolls around.
“To accomplish what she did was a great accomplishment, and we’re very proud of her,” McVey said. “She played for us for four years, and she did a wonderful job.”
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