Ryan Spadaford

Ryan Spadaford
Rising Stars Ryan Spadaford Commits to Navy

Rising Stars Ryan Spadaford committed to Navy today after returning from his official visit to Annapolis last week. Ryan stated "Getting accepted into the Navel Academy would have been impossible if it were not for my being a part of Rising Stars.This is a dream come true for me and the opportunity of a lifetime." Ryan's dream and goal was always to play division 1 basketball. He will do that at Navy and more.

Ryan's coach Dan Gimpel said "It is always great to see a young student/athlete from our program use basketball as vehicle to get into college. Ryan has been with us since grade school and worked extremely hard to achieve his goals. We wish him nothing but the best".

Ryan's talents drew interest from Navy's Assoc.head coach Jay Crafton while playing with Rising Stars at the 17U Nationals in Orlando this past summer. Coach Crafton immediately noticed some of the intangibles that Ryan had which separated him from everyone else. Coach Crafton also appreciated Ryan's work as a peer counselor with Rising Stars and community service. He saw a well balanced young man that was mature beyond his years.

As a senior at Southside Ryan pulled in numerous honors. Ryan was an all-county selection, 1st team all public school, 1st team all conference, and 2nd team All-Long Island. Ryan's commitment to attend college and play basketball is the final one of all seven seniors that played for Rising Stars this year.

The Spadaford legacy with Rising Stars continues with younger brother Brian now in the 8th grade.