Twins Ryann and Riana Szydlik were not star players, but both left their mark on the Council Rock South basketball program. (Article sponsored by Boomcloud Consulting)
By Mary Jane Souder
Riana and Ryann Szydlik – identical twins – have a long history with Council Rock South basketball. The recent graduates got their unofficial introduction when they were in seventh grade
“Our older sister (Alex) always played basketball,” Riana said.
The first challenge for Rock South coach Blair Klumpp was to differentiate between the two of them both on and off the court – a challenge that took close to two years. Although it was decidedly easier on the court than off.
“On the court, I used how they styled their hair, sneaker color or jersey number,” Klumpp said.
The twins leave behind a legacy that they were difference makers on the Rock South basketball team. But not in the way either of them could have anticipated.
“Every year you hear programs and teams talk about culture,” Klumpp said “I think early on as a head coach I tried to force a culture to kind of happen.
“I realized it does not happen overnight, and it takes a blend of leadership from the coach, staff and players for it to be sustainable. It is not something built off quotes or even wins to an extent. Two things I have always focused on with our girls are 1) leaving the program better than you found it and 2) being part of something bigger than yourself and what that entails.
“Riana and Ryann left our program better than they found it. It is not about double-digit wins, which we achieved more in their time here than the years prior, but it is about the daily expectations of what it means to be a member of the program. They set the bar of what it means to be part of the program with their selfless approach, being positive and supportive teammates and not worrying about their roles, titles or individual stats over team success.”
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Sports have always been a big part of the lives of Riana and Ryann Szydlik. Their father, CJ Szydlik, is long-time football coach who recently took over the helm of the Council Rock South program.
“Our family was surrounded by sports,” Riana said.
For the twins, basketball was always their passion. They went the usual route, beginning with community and eventually joining the AAU circuit, following in the footsteps of their sister, three years their senior.
The twins arrived at Council Rock South as freshmen with their sights set high.
“Going into freshman year, the goal was to get a lot of playing time varsity-wise,” Riana said
As a freshman, Riana was a swing player with her varsity minutes on the rise her sophomore year.
“Riana had a very unique journey through our program,” Klumpp said. “As a player, I felt like she was kind of stuck between positions – perhaps we used her out of position early in her career, but she was always receptive to coaching and had a positive attitude. She saw some time as a freshman and saw her most minutes as a sophomore.”
Ryann was also a swing player as a freshman but saw more varsity action than jayvee. She received the team’s Most Improved Player award. Sophomore year she got meaningful varsity minutes.
“Ryann had a role carved out towards the end of her freshman year – that role changed, but her approach was always consistent,” Klumpp said. “She had a significant role as a sophomore when we went with different lineups. She was a strong rebounder and fundamentally sound defender.”
Both Ryann and Riana were more than willing to put in the extra time to improve their game.
“Going into sophomore year, more often than not, it was the three of us at workouts, me and the two of them,” said Klumpp. “I have known them longer than any other players who passed through the program in my time here. Their journey through our program has been unique.”
While the extra work the twins put in at optional practices paid dividends their sophomore year, they began to feel the impact of an influx of young talent their junior year.
“My junior year I started going through a lot outside of basketball, which was starting to affect my basketball,” Riana said. “Klumpp started to realize this. Me and him had such a great relationship, so I was able to go to him and talk to him, but it ended up setting me back so far. I didn’t touch a minute on the court. Junior year was definitely my worst year. It was super hard for me to go through everything and not play.”
She admits that walking away from basketball was a very real consideration.
“Definitely midseason junior year and even going into senior year, I considered not going back, but that’s where a mindset shift comes in,” Riana said. “I knew I needed to change something.
“But it was definitely disappointing because I would see everyone getting in the game, anticipating if it was going to be me or not. At the end of the game, if it was me the only person not getting in, it was super upsetting and kind of embarrassing.”
“Junior year, I know there were times she and I disagreed on her role and where she fit in the program,” Klumpp said. “I think the most impressive thing about her was she never complained and voiced her displeasure with her situation and never carried over to the court or her teammates.
“She was respectful in meetings in which roles were discussed, and it was good, honest dialogue. I think those conversations and things discussed actually made our player-coach relationship stronger.”
Ryann, meanwhile, continued to see varsity playing time.
“In the last two seasons, Ryann’s role may not have been what she envisioned, but she was still someone when my staff asked who I trusted defensively for an end of quarter run, communicating in zone, proper rotations or someone we could play to help protect a lead – oftentimes she was the one called on,” Klumpp said. “There was a trust on my end from early on in her career that she was going to know what we wanted to execute, be in the right spot and would rarely try to do too much.”
The disparity in playing time was not easy for either twin.
“Especially with her being my twin,” Riana said. “I didn’t want her to think I would resent her for getting playing time and not me, so I tried super hard to put my feelings aside for her and everyone else.”
“It didn’t help that I was getting playing time,” Ryann said. “That hurt her even more. It was a little unbalanced.”
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As seniors, neither twin had the role they might have anticipated when they entered the program, but things felt a whole lot different for both as part of a Golden Hawks’ squad that advanced to the district tournament.
“I was still going through everything (off the court), but it got so much better, so it was much easier to not focus on it,” said Riana. “Not seeing playing time definitely taught me to be more selfless and just part of something that was not about me but about others. I really wanted other people to be happy around me.”
Listening to her coach tell it, Riana was effective in her role.
“As a coach, my primary goal is to impact my players off the court as much or more than I do on the court,” Klumpp said. “I think Rianna is an example of where – while her on-court experience may not have been what either of us envisioned as a freshman, the impact we had on one another was a positive experience for both of us.
“Over the fall and as her senior year began, she started to show flashes of what I saw earlier in her career, and while I did not know if that would project to an in-season role, you still feel happy for a kid because you see the improvement from the year prior, and I knew she could have some role within our program. Her role was so important – she was always positive, always had a smile and really did a great job of helping mold our different classes together and was a big part of why we had the growth we had as a program.”
Ryann, meanwhile, continued to see action in a reserve role.
“Ryann had an important role for us as a senior on a daily basis,” Klumpp said. “She showed up every day, worked hard, she pushed the girls ahead of her and helped the younger girls in breakdowns.
“She was always there when a teammate needed her and really did a lot of ‘glue things’ that benefitted a team. She did not need the title of captain to be a leader. She embraced her role and accepted it. She was willing to sacrifice her personal spotlight for the betterment of the team.”
Playing no small role in the twins’ ability to keep things in perspective was their close relationship.
“One of the special things about them is their relationship with one another,” Klumpp said. “Often, with twins, by this age, they try to carve out their own circle, academically, socially, whatever the case be. While they both did that, you truly see how happy they are being around one another. And early on as players here, they were even grouped together because of similar style of play, role on the team and projected path. There were some things that changed that path for them as players and roles, but the importance of both of them to our program intertwined again and kind of came full circle their senior year and that was really special to see.”
Both twins leave the program with fond memories.
“Senior year itself is filled with so much excitement, and basketball definitely was one of the top because we went out with the girls so much,” Ryann said. “It was definitely something – seeing everyone excited to win and be excited for each other. It was also having close memories with Klumpp too.”
“I knew going into my senior year I wanted it to be different – I wanted a good senior year,” Rianna said. “I was able to change my mindset of all that, so I went in way more super positive. I wanted my team to have a good year. I didn’t want to be pulling anyone down. My senior year ended up being so great even though I didn’t play.”
The twins – along with Karissa Smedley and Jess Mangoni - were the only players who were part of the program when the Golden Hawks advanced to districts two years ago. Mangoni was injured that year as well as this year.
“That was one of their goals to get back to playoffs, and they put that goal ahead of everything else once the season started,” said Klumpp, whose squad finished in the top 24 during the shortened COVID season a year earlier but only 20 qualified for district play. “When you have known players as long as I have known them, it does not make the conversations we had to have the last two years very easy. But the maturity and approach they had made it a better experience for all of us involved. They deserve a lot of credit for that.
“When you go full circle from their early careers here to senior year, it is a winding road. Their growth and maturity are the things I am most proud of. They spoke at the banquet of their time in our program, and it really was great to hear them both speak of the big picture impact as much as the basketball aspect. It was a testament to them and their growth over four years and buying into those two pillars I emphasize.
“I am a better coach because of the journey their careers took, and it has not always been easy, but I am a better person because of the player/coach relationships built with them. They are two young adults who have a very bright future in whatever they decide because they are grounded, humble, and have had experience dealing with successes and adversity life can throw at you. They get a lot of that from their parents, CJ and Melissa, as well as their sister Alex, but they also have done a great job of growing and maturing as individuals, and as much as I will miss them, I am excited to see what their future holds.”
Both twins will be attending West Chester University this fall. Riana will major in early childhood education while Ryann is undecided.
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