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We continue our 2016-17 season preview interview series with Notre Dame assistant coach Ryan Humphrey. There are a variety of reasons that players switch colleges during their careers but few have done with as much success as Ryan did at both Oklahoma and Notre Dame. He was an All-Big 12 player as a sophomore with the Sooners, then averaged a double-double as a senior in South Bend. Humphrey’s commanding college career helped him become a 1st-round pick of Utah in the 2002 NBA Draft, followed by a very long pro basketball career overseas. Last May head coach Mike Brey hired him to be 1 of his assistants…and Irish eyes have been smiling ever since. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Humphrey about being a McDonald’s All-American and making the game-winning shot in the NCAA tourney.
In 1997 you were named a McDonald’s All-American in basketball as well as a Parade All-American as a tight end: which of your fellow hoops honorees impressed you the most (Shane Battier/Elton Brand/Lamar Odom/Baron Davis/Tracy McGrady/other), and which sport were you best at back in the day? It is hard to say which player impressed me the most because so many players from the class went on to the NBA. I think I am proudest of Earl Watson, who I used to play with while growing up in the Midwest. As far as my best sport, it depends on who you ask, but I think that choosing basketball was a fortunate decision for me.
In the 1999 NCAA tourney as a player at Oklahoma you scored 15 PTS including the game-winning tip-in toward the end of a 1-PT win over #4-seed Arizona: where does that rank among the highlights of your career, and do you think that you should have been called for goaltending? That was a big highlight for me. Growing up every kid who likes basketball wants to play in the NCAA tourney, and to win a game like that was very important for my confidence. The ref did not call goaltending so I guess it was not goaltending!
That spring you transferred to Notre Dame: why did you decide to switch schools, and what made you choose South Bend? I grew up in Tulsa and just needed a change of scenery. I knew that once I finished my playing career my Notre Dame degree would help me find a great situation.
In 2002 you led the Big East with 10.9 RPG, and your 2.8 career BPG is #1 in Notre Dame history: what is the secret to rebounding/shot-blocking? It was just timing. I was blessed with good timing and the refs do not want to call goaltending on every shot. I hope that my record is broken some day because it means that the next crop of big men here are defending the paint.
In the summer of 2002 you were drafted 19th overall by Utah (4 spots ahead of Tayshaun Prince) and then traded to Orlando: what did it mean to you to be drafted, and how did it feel to be traded the same day? It was surreal: I spent a lot of time in the gym when I was younger so it was nice to see my hopes and dreams come true. It was tough to get traded but great to play for Coach Doc Rivers: I later implemented some of his methods into my own coaching style.
Last May you were hired to work for your former coach Mike Brey: what makes him such a great coach, and what made your decision to join his staff such a “no-brainer”? I was working for Chris Collins at Northwestern and learned a lot while developing my craft. This is my alma mater and Coach Brey has put his imprint on the program. It is key to talk to 18-year old versions of my self and being in the ACC is great.
Your non-conference schedule includes games against Colorado/Iowa/Villanova/Purdue: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Night in and night out it is not about the other team: it is about our own team getting better. By the time we reach ACC play we will be able to face some adversity and then push through it.
You lost your top-2 scorers from last year in Demetrius Jackson/Zach Auguste: how are you going to try to replace all of that offense? We can replace the points but the key is for our veteran guys to replace their leadership. We have new guys stepping up at the point guard and center positions and I am excited to see who takes charge of those roles.
Your father Al played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and your brother Rod played football at Pitt: who is the best athlete in the family? Probably my twin sister: she is the most competitive/fiery 1 in the group.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? As a team we want to continue getting better. Coach Brey has established a program so we just want to represent the Notre Dame brand as 1 to be reckoned with in the ACC.