Ryan Boatright

Ryan Boatright

Boatright (right) at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in 2010
No. 11 – Connecticut Huskies
Position Point guard
League American Athletic Conference
Personal information
Born December 27, 1992
Aurora, Illinois
Nationality American
Listed height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight 168 lb (76 kg)
Career information
High school East Aurora (Aurora, Illinois)
College Connecticut (2011–2015)
Career highlights and awards

Ryan Jamar Boatright (born December 27, 1992) is an American college basketball player for the Connecticut Huskies. Boatright was a key player for the Huskies' 2013–14 NCAA Championship team, as he made 2014 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team.

Early Life

Boatright is the son of Mike McAllister and Tanesha Boatright. He has two brothers Michael and two younger sisters Dasia and Deahjay.[1]

High School career

Boatright came to Connecticut from Aurora, Illinois, where he averaged 31.2 points per game as a senior at East Aurora High School and was named Illinois Co-Mr. Basketball with Chasson Randle.[2][3]

He once scored 63 points in a high school basketball game against Proviso West, And another outing scoring 55 against St. Charles North.[4] He had originally committed to West Virginia, but changed his mind when the Mountaineers signed another point guard just a day later.[5] Boatright was ranked 74th in the ESPN 100 list of high school basketball players, and also was listed as 7th in the state of Illinois and 14th in the point guard position.

College Career

Freshmen Year

Upon arriving at Connecticut, his eligibility was challenged.[6] After missing the first three games, the National Collegiate Athletic Association ruled that he would have to serve an additional three game suspension to bring his total to six games served due to "receiving improper benefits".[7] Upon further review, Boatright endured a total of nine games under suspension.[8] Nonetheless, he became a key player for the Huskies as a freshman, averaging 10.4 points, 4.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game.

Sophomore Year

Following his return, Boatright along with backcourt teammate Shabazz Napier both rose to the national spotlight as they were highlighted as one of the nation's best backcourts, as they both averaged a combined 33 points and 9 assists per game, outplaying nearly every opponents' backcourt they've played. He kept the momentum up in his sophomore season of 2012–13, raising his scoring average to 15.4. He was named to the USBWA All District I team at the conclusion of the season.[2]

Junior Year

On April 26, 2013, Boatright opted to return to the team for his junior year along with teammates Shabazz Napier and DeAndre Daniels. Boatright played 39 of UConn's 40 games, starting 38 of them, averaging 12.1 points, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals and a career-best 3.5 rebounds. He averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in the Final Four and was named to the All-Final Four team. He was one of four Huskies to average double-digit point totals in the inaugural American Athletic Conference Tournament. Boatright scored in double-figures in 27 of 39 games and in all six of UConn's NCAA Tournament games. He was second on the team this year with 61 steals, which were the most ever for him in a season. .[1]

Boatright's defense was a factor in the Huskies' drive to the 2014 Final Four, as he made the 2014 All-Final Four team as his team won the national championship. [9] On April 26th, 2014, Boatright opted to return for his senior season.

Senior Year

Upon the preseason of the 2014-2015 season, Boatright was named the preseason All-American Athletic Conference player of the year and was selected to the preseason first team. He was then added to the 2015 Bob Cousy Award watch list.

Boatright didn't win the AAC Player of the Year, but was a unanimous first team All-American Athletic Conference team selection. Boatright hit a game winning three off a crossover vs Cincinnati in the AAC Tournament Quarterfinals as time expired to win the game 57-54, which many considered was a mimic of Kemba Walker's game winning shot vs Pittsburgh in the 2011 Big East Tournament.

University of Connecticut statistics

Ryan Boatright Statistics at University of Connecticut
Year G FG FGA PCT 3FG 3FGA PCT FT FTA PCT REB AVG A TO B S MIN PTS AVG
2011-12 25 88 209 0.421 26 69 0.377 58 84 0.690 83 3.3 100 56 6 29 753 260 10.4
2012-13 30 151 352 0.429 43 129 0.333 117 149 0.785 88 2.9 131 89 2 44 1089 462 15.4
2013-14 39 145 371 0.391 44 117 0.376 138 173 0.798 136 3.5 131 76 6 61 1264 472 12.1
2014-15 34 182 430 0.423 86 209 0.411 142 167 0.850 139 4.1 129 81 8 46 1216 592 17.4
Totals 128 566 1362 0.416 202 524 0.385 455 573 0.794 446 3.48 491 302 22 180 4322 1786 13.95

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ryan Boatright". Retrieved 2013-05-02.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Ryan Boatright UConn Huskies bio". uconnhuskies.com.
  3. ↑ Skrbina, Paul (2011-03-29). "Mr. Basketball of Illinois 2011: East Aurora's Ryan Boatright, Rock Island's Chasson Randle share honor". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  4. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2010-12-11). "Boys basketball - Boatright scores school-record 63 to help East Aurora top Proviso West". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  5. ↑ "Ryan Boatright's maturity keys UConn's defensive run". CBSSports.com.
  6. ↑ "Boatright's eligibility at UConn questioned". ESPN. 2011-11-02. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  7. ↑ "UConn's Ryan Boatright suspended". ESPN. Associated Press. 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  8. ↑ "Ryan Boatright lawyer blasts NCAA". ESPN. Associated Press. 2012-01-29. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  9. ↑ "Connecticut guard Ryan Boatright’s defense stands between Kentucky and a title". SI.com.

External links


Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Jereme Richmond		 Illinois Mr. Basketball Award Winner
2011 		Succeeded by
Jabari Parker