Matt Ryan figured it was a joke. Late Wednesday evening, while the small forward from Iona Prep was finishing up his homework, a text message from Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua popped up on his phone.
Ryan played along, and responded. Turns out, it wasn’t a prank: The Wildcats were — and are — really interested.
“It was shocking,” said the 6-foot-6 Ryan, a junior sharpshooter.
It has been a whirlwind few weeks for the Cortlandt Manor product. On the heels of a breakout summer on the AAU circuit with New Heights, his recruitment has gone into overdrive. Earlier on Wednesday, North Carolina assistant Hubert Davis spoke to Iona Prep coach Vic Quirolo, and that comes after Duke assistant Steve “Wojo” Wojciechowski visited the New Rochelle school for an open gym after expressing interest.
“I wasn’t really expecting this to be happening yet,” Ryan said. “A lot of coaches said it would be happening going into [my] senior year. It’s an awesome feeling to be getting recruited by these schools.”
It could set up a difficult decision for Ryan down the road, if the elite programs eventually offer him a scholarship. He has a handful of high major programs he talks to frequently, such as Notre Dame, Boston College, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Stanford, schools that have been recruiting him for months.
“I think it’s going to come down to whichever schools show me the most interest, say they need me, not just want me,” Ryan said. “Those are schools I’ll put at the top of my list.”
New Heights coach Chris Alesi said he isn’t overly surprised, considering the dearth of shooting in college basketball. He played his best over the summer when top college coaches were watching him, and as a result developed a buzz that has carried into the fall.
“He took that and ran with it,” Alesi said. “He’s one of those old-school kids, he goes to the gym and gets his work in every day.”
A college coach familiar with Ryan said the forward could definitely play at North Carolina, Duke or Kentucky as a role player who could stretch opposing defenses.
“He’s a top-10 shooter in the country, but he needs time and space to get his shot off,” the coach said. “He’s not going to go [to Kentucky, Duke or North Carolina] and be a star, but he can go there and fill a role, [be a] designated shot maker.”
Another coach cast doubt.
“If he doesn’t go to [a school like] Notre Dame or Boston College, he’ll be in trouble,” he said. “Once you get physical with him, he doesn’t want the ball.”
Ryan is just enjoying the process at the moment, bringing basketball attention to Iona Prep, a Catholic school known for football. Its most notable basketball recruit over the last decade was Brian Voelkel, a star senior at Vermont. Just a few years ago, the Gaels didn’t even play in the Catholic league’s highest classification.
“Coming into Iona, that was one of my goals, to be one of the best players to play here,” Ryan said. “I’m just glad it’s happening to me. It brings a lot of attention to the school. It’s a really good situation to be in.
“Iona has a reputation as a football school, and that’s fine. I think recruiting alone can bring a lot of attention to the basketball program, and we’re looking to do really good things with the team we have this year.”
The Early Signing Period begins Wednesday, and it is expected to be a busy few days for the area’s top prospects. Shooting guards Isaiah Whitehead of Lincoln and Khadeen Carrington of Bishop Loughlin will be signing with Seton Hall. Carrington’s teammate, guard Mike Williams, will sign with Rutgers. Dobbs Ferry product Eric Paschall of St. Thomas More (Conn.) will sign with Fordham and Bronx product Chris McCullough of Brewster Academy (N.H.) will sign with Syracuse.
WHEELS Academy and New Heights senior forward Tyshawn Myles committed to Drexel on Monday, as first reported by The Post.
Kentucky beat out rival Louisville for one of the top big men in the country on Tuesday. The Wildcats landed 6-foot-10 star Trey Lyles of Indianapolis, a consensus five-star recruit and former Indiana commit, which vaults them back into the top spot in the ESPN and Scout 2014 rankings.
Junior point guard Damon Wilson of Our Savior New American committed to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, picking the Panthers over Georgia, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, among others. The 6-foot-4 standout is rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.
Long Island Lutheran’s Rojaye Campbell landed his first scholarship offer, from George Mason, on Wednesday. The 6-foot-9 sophomore forward also has drawn interest from Miami and UConn.
Guard Logan Kelley received his release from Rutgers and will transfer.
Rutgers picked up a verbal commitment from Maryland junior forward Leroy Butts on Friday. The 6-foot-8 Butts, a consensus three-star recruit, reportedly picked Eddie Jordan’s program over Miami, Cincinnati and DePaul.