The recruitment of Iona Prep small forward Matt Ryan continues to evolve, with Duke the latest school to express interest.
Blue Devils associate head coach Steve “Wojo” Wojciechowski checked in on Ryan on Tuesday.
“I just got off the phone with Coach Wojo about a half hour ago,” the 6-foot-6, 200-pound Ryan, a native of Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., told SNY.tv. “They just said that they were very interested and they were going to come up to my school in October to see me.
“It feels incredible. Duke is obviously a great program with great history.”
Ryan hopes to visit Duke at some point in the future.
“I’m definitely looking to go down there, I’m not sure when yet,” he said.
Said New Heights coach Chris Alesi: “Obviously, with Duke calling, Matt and his family are really excited. It’s a testament to the kind of kid Matt is and the kind of player he’s becoming. He can obviously shoot the ball at the highest level, but perhaps his greatest attribute is his work ethic. Nobody outworks him.”
The Duke call comes after Ryan visited Notre Dame over the weekend and enjoyed that as well.
“The Notre Dame visit was great,” Ryan said. “I love the coaches, love the players. The campus was beautiful, the football game was very electric. Overall, it was a great visit and I’m happy I went.”
Ryan also visited Rutgers Sept. 14.
“I was only there for a day,” he said. “I saw the campus with Coach [Van] Macon and I saw a football game. The football game was great, and I really enjoyed Rutgers.”
Ryan will next visit Boston College Oct. 5.
Meantime, a parade of schools have been through Iona Prep this summer to see Ryan, including BC, Rutgers, Florida, Notre Dame, Clemson, Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Harvard, Pittsburgh, Creighton and Northwestern.
West Virginia assistant Larry Harrison is due out on Thursday.
Ryan has no list as of yet, saying, “I’m still playing it slow. I probably won’t narrow my list down until after the year next year.”
Wherever he goes, Ryan could be a great piece as a shooter and scorer off the wing.
“I think I’ll be primarily be on the wing,” he said, “just playing in the halfcourt and getting up and down.”
Photo: MSG Varsity
