Ryan Commits to CAPERS

The 17-year-old guard from Glace Bay will join the Capers women's team next season. Ryan is the daughter of John Ryan, the Capers athletic director.

"It feels like I've been there my whole life. I grew up around all of the players they've had," she said. "I've been to almost every game. When I was a kid, I wore orange and green capes with the big loud noisemakers, running around the gym.

"I'm very comfortable around (Capers head coach Fabian McKenzie) and he's a great coach. He's surrounded by great players right now and they're doing pretty well. It makes sense school-wise as well. Being close to home is a big factor for me to be able to play in front of my parents and family."

Ryan was co-MVP and top scorer in the Cape Breton High School Basketball League in 2015-16 as a member of the Glace Bay Panthers, averaging 21.5 points per game. She was also named league MVP in her Grade 10 season in 2014-15, leading the league in scoring at 20.7 points per game.

Ryan led her team to a Highland Region Division 2 championship banner for the second year in a row and a silver medal at the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation championship tournament held at Sydney Academy last March.

Provincially, Ryan suited up for Basketball Nova Scotia's under-17 girls team last summer, competing at nationals in Regina, Sask. She played on the U17 squad for two years and on the U15 team as well.

She said although her father is athletic director at the school, there was no pressure to follow in his footsteps. John Ryan was a standout for the Capers men's basketball team in the 1990s.

"He was pretty open about it," she said. "He said he 100 per cent supported me and (I) can choose wherever I wanted to go and whatever made me happy."

Capers head coach Fabian McKenzie said Ryan comes in with a good skill set, can shoot and pass the ball well and has a high basketball IQ, but, like all rookies, will have an adjustment to the Atlantic University Sport level.

"Our goal is to win basketball games, but we want to do it with the best Cape Breton players possible if we can," he said. "We've had some high-level basketball players from Cape Breton before and we might have the best player in the country this year and she (Alison Keough) is from Marion Bridge.

"We want the best local players and it's nice to see local players being able to play at this level. That speaks to some of the coaching that's being done at the lower levels."

Article by TJ Colello , CB Post

Athlete Bio

MacKenzee Ryan

Hometown: Glace Bay

Age: 17

Position: Guard

Team: Glace Bay Panthers

• Two time MVP and leading scorer in the Cape Breton High School Basketball League.