1. History has shown that schools get one chance to lock up a player after an official visit, so any player that makes his way to campus is ultra important.
Enter Indiana State sophomore wing Ryan Conwell, who is about to go to his third college in three years.
He started off at South Florida, where he was recruited and played for coach Brian Gregory in 2022-23. The team went 14-18 and Gregory was let go, and that led to NC State hiring one of the members of the Bulls’ staff — fourth assistant coach Larry Dixon. He provides the “in” that NC State needed, but Conwell is apparently solid friends with NCSU junior guard Jayden Taylor, with both natives of Indianapolis, Ind.
Conwell played with Eric Gordon All-Stars in travel team ball and went to Indianapolis Pike High. He didn’t have a big recruitment — Virginia Tech was his lone high-major offer — and he picked USF over the Hokies, Wichita State, Murray State, Middle Tennessee State, Indiana State, Charlotte, Northern Kentucky, Appalachian State and Nevada.
Conwell started 21 of 32 games for USF, and averaged 5.1 points and 1.9 assists per game, and he shot 34 percent from the field and 30.0 percent on three-pointers.
Conwell transferred back to his home area with the move to Indiana State, and was a key cog on a 32-7 squad, that went 17-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Drake topped Indiana State 84-80 in the MVC title game, and Conwell had 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
I would have had Indiana State in the NCAA Tournament and think they would have been similiar to say Wake Forest in the ACC. The Sycamores can really score, but weren’t all that great on defense. Coach Josh Schertz just understands offensive basketball and he had a unique group of players to play out his vision. Schertz and Indiana State went on to reach the title game of the NIT, falling to Seton Hall, and he took the Saint Louis job not long afterward.
Indiana State, if intact, would have been a top 20 team next year in my opinion. The favorite game that could get played is who was their top player? Sophomore center Robbie Avila gets the attention and he’s the rare gifted passing big man. Junior power forward Jayson Kent plays off Avila so well, and was a prep teammate of him. Kent did two years at Bradley and then reunited with Avila at Indiana State.
Conwell, Southern Indiana guard transfer Isaiah Swope, a junior, and junior combo guard Julian Larry formed a potent perimeter trio.
I had the order as top players…
1. Kent
2. Avila
3. Conwell
4. Larry
5. Swopes
But that order is much closer than people realize. The big question after watching them is how much of the success rests with Schertz and Avila being the rare point center? In another comparison to Wake Forest, you see that with the players that coach Steve Forbes sprinkles some magic dust over and go from being a role player to becoming All-ACC caliber players — Hunter Sallis and Alondes Williams.
2. Conwell has two distinct traits — he’s a muscular wing and he has a good and deep lefty jumper.
I see him as a cross of NC State’s Casey Morsell and D.J. Horne. He’s built similarly to Morsell but can get hot from outside like Horne. He seemed OK on defense, but probably not on the level of Morsell or his friend Jayden Taylor.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Conwell can drive and finish some, but his money is more on the perimeter. You can see that between Conwell, Taylor and incoming freshman Paul McNeil, the needs would be covered but it would put the pressure on the point guard to be a potent offensive performer.
Breon Pass can play both guard spots and if M.J. Rice is back, he’ll probably play more at small forward than being a small ball power forward, which was the original plan.
Conwell can play some shooting guard, but defensively, he’ll be more comfortable guarding the bigger wings, and that allows him to play with Taylor.
Conwell went 95 of 155 on two-pointers this season for 61.3 percent, which is pretty good and likely means shots at the rim, but he isn’t a dunker. Conwell gets his points spotting up — 198 of his points came on that — and then he had 108 points in transition and 76 as the pick-and-roll ballhandler.
As a comparison, Morsell had 98 points came on his jump shot, 119 in transition and 69 as the pick-and-roll ballhandler. Horne had 183 points spotting up, 100 in transition and 156 as a pick-and-roll ballhandler.
Conwell is not an isolation player and doesn’t use the runner much in the lane, so that is where he is different than Horne, besides their size.
The key for Conwell if he’s not with Avila, is to find a place that can create shots for that deep lefty jumper.
Enter Indiana State sophomore wing Ryan Conwell, who is about to go to his third college in three years.
He started off at South Florida, where he was recruited and played for coach Brian Gregory in 2022-23. The team went 14-18 and Gregory was let go, and that led to NC State hiring one of the members of the Bulls’ staff — fourth assistant coach Larry Dixon. He provides the “in” that NC State needed, but Conwell is apparently solid friends with NCSU junior guard Jayden Taylor, with both natives of Indianapolis, Ind.
Conwell played with Eric Gordon All-Stars in travel team ball and went to Indianapolis Pike High. He didn’t have a big recruitment — Virginia Tech was his lone high-major offer — and he picked USF over the Hokies, Wichita State, Murray State, Middle Tennessee State, Indiana State, Charlotte, Northern Kentucky, Appalachian State and Nevada.
Conwell started 21 of 32 games for USF, and averaged 5.1 points and 1.9 assists per game, and he shot 34 percent from the field and 30.0 percent on three-pointers.
Conwell transferred back to his home area with the move to Indiana State, and was a key cog on a 32-7 squad, that went 17-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Drake topped Indiana State 84-80 in the MVC title game, and Conwell had 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
I would have had Indiana State in the NCAA Tournament and think they would have been similiar to say Wake Forest in the ACC. The Sycamores can really score, but weren’t all that great on defense. Coach Josh Schertz just understands offensive basketball and he had a unique group of players to play out his vision. Schertz and Indiana State went on to reach the title game of the NIT, falling to Seton Hall, and he took the Saint Louis job not long afterward.
Indiana State, if intact, would have been a top 20 team next year in my opinion. The favorite game that could get played is who was their top player? Sophomore center Robbie Avila gets the attention and he’s the rare gifted passing big man. Junior power forward Jayson Kent plays off Avila so well, and was a prep teammate of him. Kent did two years at Bradley and then reunited with Avila at Indiana State.
Conwell, Southern Indiana guard transfer Isaiah Swope, a junior, and junior combo guard Julian Larry formed a potent perimeter trio.
I had the order as top players…
1. Kent
2. Avila
3. Conwell
4. Larry
5. Swopes
But that order is much closer than people realize. The big question after watching them is how much of the success rests with Schertz and Avila being the rare point center? In another comparison to Wake Forest, you see that with the players that coach Steve Forbes sprinkles some magic dust over and go from being a role player to becoming All-ACC caliber players — Hunter Sallis and Alondes Williams.
2. Conwell has two distinct traits — he’s a muscular wing and he has a good and deep lefty jumper.
I see him as a cross of NC State’s Casey Morsell and D.J. Horne. He’s built similarly to Morsell but can get hot from outside like Horne. He seemed OK on defense, but probably not on the level of Morsell or his friend Jayden Taylor.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Conwell can drive and finish some, but his money is more on the perimeter. You can see that between Conwell, Taylor and incoming freshman Paul McNeil, the needs would be covered but it would put the pressure on the point guard to be a potent offensive performer.
Breon Pass can play both guard spots and if M.J. Rice is back, he’ll probably play more at small forward than being a small ball power forward, which was the original plan.
Conwell can play some shooting guard, but defensively, he’ll be more comfortable guarding the bigger wings, and that allows him to play with Taylor.
Conwell went 95 of 155 on two-pointers this season for 61.3 percent, which is pretty good and likely means shots at the rim, but he isn’t a dunker. Conwell gets his points spotting up — 198 of his points came on that — and then he had 108 points in transition and 76 as the pick-and-roll ballhandler.
As a comparison, Morsell had 98 points came on his jump shot, 119 in transition and 69 as the pick-and-roll ballhandler. Horne had 183 points spotting up, 100 in transition and 156 as a pick-and-roll ballhandler.
Conwell is not an isolation player and doesn’t use the runner much in the lane, so that is where he is different than Horne, besides their size.
The key for Conwell if he’s not with Avila, is to find a place that can create shots for that deep lefty jumper.
