We are still a couple of months away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Siena assistant coach Ryan Blackwell, who talked about playing for a Hall of Fame coach and his expectations for this season.
In 1995 you were named a Parade All-American: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Kobe Bryant/Vince Carter/Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce/other)? I always tell people that from the 1st time I played against Kobe I knew that he was different. Most kids only care about scoring on offense, but his intensity/dedication to locking me down on defense made him stand out even though he was 1 year younger than me. It was a legendary class: we also had several other future NBA players including Stephon Marbury/Ron Mercer.
You began your college career at Illinois: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Syracuse? I had a connection with the Illinois coaching staff and grew up in Champaign: I was a ball boy for the Illini during the 1980s. Lou Henson’s nephew was my best friend, so I had a longstanding relationship with them. I decided to transfer after Lou was forced to retire, and Syracuse had been my 2nd choice behind Illinois.
You played for Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you learned from him? He had his own style and took a very smart approach to the game. He kept things simple: if he had a mismatch then he would take advantage because he was like a pro coach. Having the 2-3 zone defense in his back pocket with big guards at the top made him unique. He taught us to be men and showed us how to be tough. Life resembles sports: if you work hard and get your education then things will work out.
In the 1998 Big East tourney you made the conference all-tourney team thanks in large part to making the game-winning jumper at the buzzer in a 2-PT OT win over St. John’s in the semifinals (www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G0Q8ftZHLQ): did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is certainly up there. I made the shot over Ron Artest, and it felt good when I released it. They show the highlight on TV a lot, so it is a great memory. There is nothing like playing at the Big East tourney in Madison Square Garden!
You made a pair of Sweet 16s in 1998/2000: what is the secret to winning games in March? You want to be playing your best basketball at the end of the season: you can lose some games early on…but if you do not learn from those games then it does not matter. A lot of our opponents did not practice against a 2-3 zone so that was part of Jim’s genius. We used it to throw teams off, which made the difference for us.
After graduating you played pro basketball for 10 years in several foreign countries: what was the biggest difference between basketball in the US and basketball in other countries? Fundamentals. At an early age they hammer it home overseas, while in the US it is more about AAU/travel ball. You need to work on your ballhandling, how to set a screen, how to drive left and right, etc. That is how they have caught up to us: there is so much talent around the world, especially in places like France/Serbia.
In 2018 as head coach at Liverpool High School you went 26-0 and were named USA Today New York State Basketball Coach of the Year: how were you able to keep your team focused for 26 games in a row? That was a special season. The previous year we lost in the Final 4, but most of those guys came back. We had Charles Pride who had a great college basketball career at St. Bonaventure, and Jake Piseno who was an All-American at Albany…in lacrosse! The team’s chemistry on and off the floor was amazing, which made them easy to coach. They worked hard and stuck together, which is how we overcame a 14-PT deficit to our biggest rival while Charles was out with an injury.
In 2021 you were an associate head coach for Boeheim’s Army when they won the TBT Championship on a deep 3-PT shot by Keifer Sykes: what did you do with your share of the $1 million prize money?! It is still in the bank! I invested it and put some of it away for my daughter: I do not have a lot of expensive habits.
Last year you were hired as an assistant to Gerry McNamara at Siena: why did you take the job, and what was the hardest part of Year 1? I have always wanted to get into the college game, and I felt that it was the right time for me to do so. I have known Gerry since he was in college: we kept in touch and played golf together. We ended up having a 10-minute phone call: he said my name came up and asked me if I wanted to work for him. I wanted the challenge/experience and Year 1 was awesome. We won 14 games but lost a lot of close games. I had to learn the recruiting landscape and meet all the AAU coaches. I also learned how to scout the way that Gerry likes: there was a learning curve, but it has been a great transition.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The NIL world has created an open-door policy for guys to come and go without any repercussions, so having our most productive players turn down money elsewhere to come back and try to win a championship with us is huge. I think we will be picked 1st or 2nd in the MAAC preseason rankings, and our goal is to win a conference title and compete at the highest level. Everyone has been working hard all summer, so we are looking forward to it.
