Iowa State head coach choked up when asked once again to describe Emily Ryan’s impact on his program.
Ryan — who will play in her fifth NCAA Tournament when the Cyclones clash with Princeton in Wednesday’s 6 p.m. First Four game (ESPNU) against Princeton in South Bend, Ind. — is the program’s career assists leader. She’s shot an all-time best 88.5 percent from the free throw line. She ranks second to in games played at 151 and second all-time in steals. And oh, by the way, the 5-11 fifth-year senior from tiny Claflin, Kan., has climbed into the top five in blocked shots, as well.
In short, Ryan’s the epitome of “the Iowa State way” — and her last tournament trip will begin with a matchup of 11-seeds.
“Emily’s been through so much,” Fennelly said. “And to walk out of Iowa State University …”
His voice cracked briefly at this point.
“Knowing that she took her team five times,” Fennelly continued. “That’s amazing.”
The Cyclones (22-11) are one of 15 programs nationally to have qualified for the NCAA Tournament six seasons in a row. Ryan’s been a rock for most of that tumultuous trek, serving as the steady hand when perils lurk around every bend. And while she’s quick to shift the spotlight to talented younger players such as , a two-time consensus first team All-Big 12 selection, and Addy Brown, a freshman All-American last season, Ryan’s leadership still serves as ISU’s guiding light.
“What she’s been able to do over the course of these five years at Iowa State, we’re super proud of her and blessed to even be wearing the same jersey as her — and it happened to be at the same time,” said Crooks, who ranks eighth nationally in scoring at 23.2 points per game. “So definitely want to send her out the right way.”
ISU is positioned to make a similar run to last season’s, which ended in an 87-81 overtime loss to No. 2 seed and host Stanford. The Cyclones would need to win an extra game, of course — and they’d be underdogs in their first-round matchup with 5-seed Michigan, but a second-round matchup against No. 2 seed and host Notre Dame remains eminently possible. Ryan scored a career-high 36 points in last season’s second-round loss to the Cardinal, so expect her to be at her best as her college career winds down.
“This time of year it’s just everyone showing up and it’s a matter of which team wants it the most,” Ryan said. “So we’re gonna come into the NCAA Tournament with that mindset.”
The Tigers (21-7) will likely do the same. They’re one of three Ivy League teams to make the tournament and have won 16 of their last 19 games.
“They’ve had a great year,” Fennelly said. “They were one (of the teams) we scouted. There are about five teams I assigned my staff to look at. I kind of thought we’d be in this situation.”
So while the Cyclones face a long and tough road, they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“If you can’t get up and excited to play in March Madness,” Ryan said, “there (are) a lot of issues there.”
