Basketball

From DoorDash to NY Knicks: Inside Iona Prep grad Matt Ryan’s NBA journey

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1 month ago

November 15, 2024

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From DoorDash to NY Knicks: Inside Iona Prep grad Matt Ryan’s NBA journey

NEW YORK – Matt Ryan needed something to do.

The former Iona Prep star was home during COVID, spending hours every day working out while preparing for any potential basketball opportunities that could come his way. But to earn some money, Ryan decided to deliver for DoorDash. Then he picked up a job at a cemetery in Yonkers.

“Just started a couple easy jobs that I could drop whenever to continue chasing my dream,” Ryan said in the New York Knicks locker room before a recent game.

Turned out to be a good idea.

Ryan has been on a basketball journey the past few years, bouncing around different organizations and spending time in the NBA and the G-League, most recently leading to a spot with his hometown Knicks, whose facility is a short drive from where he grew up in Cortlandt Manor.

The Knicks signed the 27-year-old Ryan earlier this month after he had been waived by the New Orleans Pelicans, coveting his shooting ability in particular. Ryan, in 28 games with the Pelicans last season, shot 45.1 percent from the perimeter.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau indicated this week that he could be expanding his rotation to include Ryan off the bench.

“It’s cool, obviously,” Ryan said. “It’s really cool. The competitor in me is just happy to be on a team again. I went a little bit trying to figure out what was going to happen. Very happy that I ended up here.”

Matt Ryan: From Iona Prep to NBA

It’s been quite the roller coaster for the 6-foot-6 Ryan, who as a senior at Iona Prep averaged 19 points and eight rebounds while helping lead the Gaels to the school’s first AA Archdiocesan championship. He was named New York’s “Mr. Basketball” that year by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York that year.

Ryan committed to Notre Dame, where he spent two seasons before transferring to Vanderbilt and then to Chattanooga as a graduate transfer for the 2019-20 season.

Then the pandemic arrived, eliminating much of the pre-draft process. Ryan was not selected in the 2020 NBA Draft.

With multiple degrees, he considered taking a financial job in the City.

“I graduated from Vandy, I had an MBA from Tennessee Chattanooga, so those talks were happening with places in the city,” Ryan said. “A couple best friends of mine who owned firms in the city I would’ve went and worked with. But I figured if I were going to do that, that would probably be a long-term commitment and it would take away from my training, it might take away from opportunities to get up and leave right away if an opportunity popped up.”

That opportunity did pop up – he played Summer League with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 before spending preseason with the Denver Nuggets. He was with Denver’s G-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, for the 2021-22 season.

Ryan then had stints with the Celtics, Lakers and Timberwolves before his time with the Pelicans and now the Knicks.

He was selected first overall by the Westchester Knicks in the 2024 G-League Draft. The Knicks signed him to a non-guaranteed deal to fill out their roster about two weeks kater.

After the journey he’s been on, Ryan’s not taking anything for granted.

“I’m always working on my game, staying in shape, seeing what areas of my game I can work on,” Ryan said. “It helps being able to get film. Last year I got a lot of film playing in New Orleans so I was able to see what I look like out there, where I can get better, where I can be more efficient, whether offense or defense.”

Now Ryan is prepared for whatever role he’s able to carve out with the Knicks.

“A lot of getting better in this league is all about the mental side of it,” Ryan said. “Understanding your opponents, understanding how you can take advantage your strengths out there. I’ll just continue to do that, continue to stay ready and luckily continue to get more opportunities.”