AMES – Emily Ryan is embracing her Cyclone legacy in her final season as she aspires to be a coach after college and will continue to share her passion for the sport after graduation.

As her final moments on the court draw near, the senior guard reflected on the lessons learned during her five years as a Cyclone. Inspired by her last season as a leader and the coaches who have influenced her, Ryan is now motivated to pursue a career in coaching, continuing the legacy she has built at Iowa State.

“She’s like Rocco [Becht] for us, that’s the person they listen to, that’s the person they trust, that’s the person when things go wrong, Emily [Ryan] is usually the one who is like, ‘We’re good, let’s keep playing,’” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “So it’s hard to believe that she is getting down to the end but she has been quite a person for our team and someone our players are lucky they got to play with.”

Originally from the small town of Claflin, Kansas, Ryan has made a name for herself in Ames and beyond. Before Iowa State, Ryan attended Central Plains High School, where she was a state runner-up in tennis for her last three years in high school, alongside being a state runner-up for the high jump as a freshman. 

But even with her long list of athletic passions, Ryan bleeds basketball, which is shown through her hard work and dedication throughout her time at Iowa State.

From start to finish, Ryan played 26 games her freshman year, during which time she grew as a player and earned a place on the Naismith Trophy Watch List for three straight years. 

Despite spending her five years earning awards and nominations for her skills and strong ability on the court, none of that mattered to Ryan. She would have preferred to look back at the legacy she left at Iowa State as someone who made a difference in the team and made it better than when she left it.

As the team’s lone senior, Ryan was forced to become a leader because of her senior status and the gratitude she received for staying another year. However, she took the position with praise and turned it into her own. 

Without her, the season would have looked largely different, as her teammates have reflected that Ryan is the calming presence on the court who can keep them in check.

“I am just the oldest on the team so that is just something that happens naturally,” Ryan said. “But also it comes from the amount of belief that coach [Fennelly] has instilled in me and that he trusts me, and so that helps other people trust me as well, so he has given me the opportunity to use my voice.”

“Yeah I was super excited to have her back, obviously she’s kind of our leader, the only senior on the team,” sophomore center Audi Crooks said. “She’s just like a calming presence for us when we are on the floor and early on when we were still trying to get those things figured out, she was kinda that consistent piece that was there last year, familiar face, familiar voice.”

Known as being one of the loudest voices on the bench through giving calls and cheering on her teammates, Ryan has split her minutes between playing on the court and sideline coaching. Despite working with all the players equally on and off the court, Ryan has spent more time with a current freshman who will be taking over her role as a point guard when she graduates.

“She’s paved a great path for me to try and follow, she’s been a great role model for me on the court, off the court, talking, actual skill stuff,” freshman guard Reagan Wilson said. “Every time I come off the court she is the first one to grab me before the coach even says anything to me. So I think that even shows great measure as to how much she’s helped me improve as a player, as a point guard, as a leader and just as a human.”

An attribute that Ryan has been praised for during her guidance is how vocal she is on and off the court. Fennelly mentioned that her outspoken characteristics are something he never taught her and believes it is just her nature. Something that will make her a good coach in the near future.

“She’s the most vocal player I think I have been around, maybe ever,” Fennelly said. “If you come to practice or you are right behind our bench you hear two voices all the time, hers and mine. And they listen to her a hell of a lot more than they listen to me, which is smart.”

Building her legacy from the bottom up, her last season is where Ryan cemented her gift through leading on the court with her assists, holding a team-high of most assists in a game at 16, contributing to her 953 and counting career assists. 

Alongside her determination on the court, Ryan has become a leader not only to her teammates but to the world and the students of Iowa State. With her developed status, Ryan was able to use her position as a well-known athlete to bring attention to mental health and become an advocate for others dealing with personal struggles.

Ryan faced her own struggles that caused her to miss the first nine games of the 2023-24 season while seeking professional help for an impending eating disorder. Although she has returned to the season, Ryan continues to confront mental health challenges but remains a resilient voice for others.

Demonstrating her leadership abilities both on and off the court, Ryan has served as a voice for her teammates and others around her. As she approaches the end of the season and her time on the Hilton Coliseum court, she hopes to use her leadership skills in a new role as a coach after completing her college career.

“I do really want to get into coaching,” Ryan said. “Head coaching, probably not, but I definitely do want to get into coaching after college.”

Fennelly and Ryan’s teammates wholeheartedly agree that her strong passion for coaching, developed during her years as a Cyclone, needs to be shared with other players and upcoming athletes around the world. Ryan possesses the qualities necessary to become a leader for many players.

“She’ll be a great coach, and she really wants to be a coach,” Fennelly said. “We’ve already talked about some options moving forward and what’s the next step in her career. Obviously, she loves playing but she’ll be great at it.”

Having the experience of playing college basketball for five years, and years before along with battling struggles on and off the court, Ryan has lived through the life of a basketball player and a student-athlete.

Fennelly is one of Ryan’s biggest supporters, and he believes that in his profession, coaches phase in and out, and players need a coach who is committed and understanding, which is a quality Ryan holds firmly.

“She’s lived it, and I think that is a unique thing that she’s going to bring to some schools,” Fennelly said. “She’s been a great player here and someone is going to get a great coach and I’m sure wherever she lands, she’ll do as well in that role as she’s done as a player.” 

As her final moments as a Cyclone draw near, Ryan reminisced that what has made her years so special at Iowa State is the people. Reflecting how her goal for the 2024-25 season was to play her all, and just enjoy it. This has been illustrated through her smile on the court, and her becoming one of the most impactful guards the Cyclones have ever seen.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s already year five,” Ryan said. “Somedays I feel like I have been here forever and the next day I wake up and feel like I am still a freshman. It’s truly been some of the best years of my life, and I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything.”