Stars of the Prep Hoops Circuit: Ryan Erikson
In this series, we are looking at STARS from the Prep Hoops Circuit. Ryan Erikson Ryan Erikson 6'10" | C Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND from Bismarck Century plays AAU ball with North Dakota Phenom. Anthony had a great spring and he showed that he is a Division 1 basketball player during the LIVE PERIODS at Prep Hoops events. Erikson played in Indianapolis at Prep Hoops The STAGE and Prep Hoops LIVE in Lawrence. Shortly after Indy, Ryan picked up his first Division 1 offer from the University of North Dakota (UND). A few days later, Erikson committed to the Fighting Hawks. Big Time!
Ryan had an excellent high school season and he was the best low post in North Dakota. Bismarck Century is going to be loaded again, they bring back a ton of talent. Erikson and company will have their sights set on a State Championship to cap off a great high school career. Make sure you take some time to watch Erikson play in person. Ryan is one of the best passing big men that I have ever seen. At times I wonder if he has eyes in the back of his head. Erikson will also impress you with his handles and sweet footwork around the basket.
Good luck with the rest of this summer and congrats on the commitment to UND!
Ryan Erikson Ryan Erikson 6'10" | C Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND (2023) |6’10 PF/C| Bismarck Century/ND Phenom
High School season: All-WDA, 5th Place at State Tournamnet
15.6 ppg, 11 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1 bpg, 523. FG% (junior season)
Prep Hoop Circuit: 8.3 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 22 minutes per game
They do not jump off the page to the casual eye but they are still solid. Consider the level of competition and how many rebounds his teammates grab. Few teams can guard Ryan with single coverage, he creates a ton of open looks for his teammates.
Named to All-Tournament Team at Prep Hoops Live
Bismarck Century head coach, Darin Mattern talks about Doppler
“Ryan has the ability to score from different spots on the floor. It will be imperative for Ryan to establish himself around the basket to utilize his size and strength. Ryan is a willing passer that will help his team’s success on the offensive side of the floor. Defensively it will be important for Ryan to play solid position defense to eliminate foul trouble. He has grown on the defensive end, and with another summer of repetition, we feel he can allow us some flexibility on that end of the floor. Ryan can set the tone in games on both ends of the floor. As a senior, he will be expected to show maturity and leadership during adverse times during the season.“
ND Phenom head coach, Joe Ware on Erikson
“I would describe Ryan as a gym rat. Loves the game of basketball and will show up to play regardless of the competition, just because he gets to play the game. He’s a crafty scorer that scores on all levels and an excellent passer. At times he’d rather make have an assist than make a basket. Likes to show his versatility. For our team, if Ryan is playing well, I’ll take our chances against most teams we play.“
Director of ND Phenom, Jordan Maurer’s thoughts on Erikson
“ Ryan Erikson Ryan Erikson 6'10" | C Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND brings so much to our team besides the obvious counting stats. He does the dirty work that people take for granted as far as being consistent in his screen setting, his box-outs, and his ability and effort to go rebound. What I think people would be surprised to find out is how much Ryan genuinely loves basketball and the process of improving. He has missed maybe 5 workouts in the 6 seasons he has played for us.”
“I think Ryan and The University Of North Dakota are going to be a great marriage. First and foremost, UND is getting a player who wants to be great, both as an individual player and as a winner. He has made impressive changes to his body over his high school career, and both he and UND will benefit from their strength and conditioning program. In watching Coach Sather’s teams at both NSU and UND, I think Ryan’s offensive versatility both on and off the block and in screening situations will mesh well with how Coach Sather likes his bigs to play. Erikson has made a big jump each year, and I believe that trend will continue.”
PHD talked to the UND commit about his experience on the PH Circuit this spring and how the recruiting process played out
Ryan Erikson Ryan Erikson 6'10" | C Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND : “Our team competed hard on the Circuit and the competition at both events was very good. We ended up going 3-1 both weekends. My recruiting process was short but great. I was offered by Coach Sather of UND and accepted the offer immediately.“
Recently, Erikson played at the MBCA D1 Showcase and he had a nice showing. Last weekend, he also played in the Breakdown Summer Series with Bismarck Century, and Ryan dominated against quality competition. Erikson will be plenty busy the rest of the summer, he and ND Phenom still have 5 events ahead of them this summer.
Great Plains Alliance | St. Cloud, Minnesota | June 29-30 |
Prep Hoops – 2K22 | Atlanta, Georgia | July 8-10 |
Sanford Pentagon Tourney Series | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | July 22-24 |
Pangos Fantastic 40 | Las Vegas, Nevada | July 28-31 |
Circuit On The Strip | Las Vegas, Nevada | August 10-13 |