AMES — Guard Emily Ryan made her first return to the Iowa State lineup in its dominating win over Troy on Sunday, in which the senior was limited in her time back.
Ryan was limited to nine minutes played, but still made an impact, as she finished the game with five points, four rebounds and two assists.
Prior to making her return from a lower leg injury she suffered over the summer, Ryan was known as one of the major factors in the Cyclones’ run to the Big 12 Championship back in the 2022-23 season.
Head coach Bill Fennelly has had the ability to coach Ryan through her three full seasons at Iowa State and pointed out her main strengths that can help this young team out.
“On the floor, she’s the player who’s played a lot of minutes and really understands the system,” Fennelly said. “I think what she does the best is that she makes everyone around her better.”
While Ryan may not have been the biggest scorer on the team, she helped facilitate and lead the team to great things that helped them win their eventual conference title.
Center Audi Crooks mentioned the “calming presence” that Ryan had brought to the team even when she could not play and noted that it could be used when she is back on the floor with the team.
“We’re a young team so we make a lot of dumb mistakes, so she helps move those things over which helps make the team a little more gritty,” Crooks said.
Crooks also talked about the vocality that Ryan brought to the team, even while being on the sidelines that helped only improve the play of the younger, inexperienced players on the team.
“She’s a vocal person. Even when she wasn’t participating in practice, she tried to guide us and tell us what to do so she impacted us greatly even when she wasn’t on the floor with us,” Crooks said.
Forward Jalynn Bristow has also looked forward to Ryan’s return to the court, as she added more about the benefits of having a player like Ryan be on the team and contribute to their success.
“It’s great. She’s the perfect teammate. Having her back with her energy and her talent just helps further benefit the team,” Bristow said.
While Ryan is still expected to be put on a minutes restriction in the Cyclones’ upcoming matchup versus Northern Iowa on Wednesday, the impactful veteran is back on the court with a young team to lead.
