Ryan Wittman, a 6-foot-7 senior forward from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has already established himself as one of the most prolific basketball players in Cornell’s history. Ryan’s outstanding numbers this season, 18.6 points and 2.1 assists per game, have helped the Big Red jump out to a 15-3 record, a mark that tops the Ancient Eight.
Basketball runs in the Wittman family. Ryan is the son of Randy Wittman, the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1983 while at Indiana University, an NBA player for 9 years, and the head coach of both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ryan, who hopes to play basketball after college, has taken the first steps towards continuing that tradition during his time with the Big Red.
“I knew I wanted to go to a great academic program,” Ryan said of his decision to attend Cornell. “Cornell was one of the first schools to show interest in me.”
Having visited the school, he decided to commit before his senior season in high school.
Ryan’s four years at Cornell have been nothing short of sensational. He ranks first in Cornell’s history in points (1766) and 3-point field goals made (1317), second in field goals made (601) and minutes played (3602), third in 3-point field goal percentage (.430) and fifth in free throw percentage (.853). In his first season, he was named Rookie of the Week six times and was the 2006-2007 Rookie of the Year.
In both his sophomore and junior years Ryan was a unanimous first team all-Ivy selection. This season, his last one with the Big Red, he has already earned Player of the Week honors five times and is in the running for Player of the Year.
“Ryan is a scorer for us first and foremost,” said Cornell head coach Steve Donahue. “He’s done that from the moment he walked on campus.”
“Ryan looks and embraces the role of the scorer,” Donahue continued. “He embraces the spotlight and wants to make the big plays”.
Judging by his performances against Syracuse and Kansas, two perennial powers, Ryan doesn’t shy away from pressure games. Against the Orange, currently ranked fifth in the nation, Ryan scored 19 points, and against the Jayhawks, the No. 1 team in the nation at that time, he scored 24 in a close 71-66 loss.
Yet, Donahue cautions fans to limit his importance as a basketball player to being just a great 3-point shooter.
“When Ryan’s career began, around 75 percent of his points came off of 3-point shots,” said Donahue. “Now, that number is around 50 percent. He scores in different ways for us now. Most people think Ryan is a great 3-point shooter and he is, but he also does a lot of the little things for us. He has a great basketball IQ. He defends. He rebounds.”
When asked about his role on this team, Ryan said, “It’s to be a scorer but also to play unselfishly. I try to take what the defense gives me and I don’t try to force anything.”
Ryan admits that, because he is known as a scorer, he does “sometimes get special attention from teams.” However, he is also quick to point out, “We have other guys who can score.”
It is because this Cornell squad has so many weapons—nine seniors—that it was picked by the Ivy media members to win the Ancient Eight for the third straight year.
“There will be target on our backs this year,” Ryan said. “When you play in the Ivy League, all the games are ... intense. Because we don’t have a tournament at the end of the year we have to play every game like a championship game.” The focus and talent of this team-oriented squad will make the Big Red a tough opponent for anyone to beat.
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