Ryan Hite 5’11 155 2023 King’s Fork Middle School, Suffolk VA
Ryan is a talented and skilled player who offers toughness, versatility and great court awareness coupled with a powerful frame and elite athleticism. He is a lefty with a high release on a very good jumper and great range that extends to the volleyball line. He is among the better three point shooters and craftiest scorers in the 2023 class offering not only scoring beyond the arc but in the mid range on a very consistent catch and shoot jumper and at the rim where he is opportunistic and crafty. He has excellent footwork on his jumper, loads his hips early creating very good elevation on his shot and a quick release and also allows him to create explosiveness should he opt to attack the rim. Ryan has an array of methods to finish at the rim thanks to his bounce and adept footwork, his super long wingspan helps! His start-stop burst off the dribble combined with his shot making skills both beyond the arc and in the mid range forces opponents to extend defensively which creates space with which Ryan attacks with a quick, powerful first step and speed off the dribble. His ability to embrace contact and score makes him a chore for bigger defenders as well as opposing guards often overwhelmed by his powerful frame. Defensively he is well suited physically and athletically to defend both guard positions possessing excellent footwork and technique. His bounce, strength and athleticism gives him enough of a punch on defense to contest shots from bigger players and his great motor allows him to stay active and engage the battle inside both defending and in pursuit of rebounds. His willingness to battle and play physical around the rim, his tenacity is further evidence of his competitiveness. Ryan has a keen sense of his strengths as a player that allows him to avail himself for whatever role he is tasked with by his coach. For example, he’s a more than capable guard on both ends of the floor who handles, shoots it and scores as well as anybody in his classification, but understands he offers the physical and fundamental tools, the strength and aggressiveness to endure contact and contribute around the rim and the willingness to accept playing inside defensively and various other roles when matchups or lineup combinations warrant. He’s a fierce competitor and has that winning mentality; the dedication to “team” that exemplifies his versatility as a player. Ryan has an abundant amount of seemingly bottomless athleticism, stamina, and self-awareness that makes him a productive player in any role on both ends of the floor and makes him such a valuable member to any team. He is a winner in the classroom as well boasting a 3.5gpa and is also a member of the National Junior Honor Society. Ryan has led his AAU team to a top 20 finish nationally each of the last three seasons and, at just 13 years old has already gotten some attention from Tulane University among other schools at the Division I level! Ryan has basketball bloodlines; his brother is former Texas and Temple star Jaylen Bond who is currently playing professionally in Dubai. His father is current King’s Fork High School Varsity Head Coach Rick Hite who played collegiately at Division I San Jose State before playing professionally overseas. Coach Hite coached Petersburg (VA) High School to a state title game in 2012 and also coached at Collegiate in Richmond and at the DIII level.
In fact while at Collegiate, Coach Hite coached Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson from 8-12 grade in three sports. Asked if he sees similarities between the NFL star and Ryan and Coach Hite points to a similar work ethic and the fact that they asked similar questions and had that same passion and thirst for knowledge at the same stage in their careers. Even more reason to be excited about Ryan’s potential as a player seeing he is surrounded by basketball success and has the intangibles and the talent suggesting similar success looks very likely!
Highlight Video Link: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11987349/5c1beef0b534c30930e9e941