The Ryans & Ryans era begins at Northview

Brothers E.J. Ryans, left, and his younger brother Cam Ryans are a lethal backcourt for the Northview basketball team. The brothers played their first game together on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -  E.J. Ryans had a group of elementary school kids ask for his autograph after Northview’s first game.

It’s not something you see everyday for a high school basketball player.

But Ryans, a junior guard, and the Northview basketball program have been a big draw in the past few seasons, which started with the Kyler VanderJagt era. VanderJagt graduated last season and is now playing at Belmont. 

Now they have another new star: Freshman Cam Ryans.

Cam, the younger brother of E.J., is the top freshman on the west side of Michigan and he made his high school debut on Wednesday night in a 64-23 win over Newaygo.

Cam, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard/forward, scored his first career bucket at 1:51 of the first quarter off a pass from his big brother.

“I knew that,” Cam said of the assist. “I was really excited. I just to keep my composure getting back on defense.”

It was something E.J. did on purpose.

“I was trying to get it for him,” he said. “I wanted to be able to say ‘I helped you get your first point.’”

Cam finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. E.J. had nine points and three assists.

“It feels great,” E.J. said. “The last time we played together, I was 8 and he was 6. So playing together for the first time felt real good.”

Northview junior E.J. Ryans signs an autograph for a young fan after the team’s first game on on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Northview coach David Chana said the boys have a good connection.

“They work really well together,” Chana said. “You can see that they’re brothers. They hold each other accountable. They’re really hard on each other. It’s been cool to watch E.J., who as a junior, is already a veteran around here. He started for us as a freshman. He’s mentoring his brother in how we do things. It helps keep our culture going.”

E.J. is one of the top guards in his class and has offers from Western Michigan, Ferris State, Grand Valley State, and Northwood.

College coaches already come to games just to see Cam play. And the offers will soon follow.

“His ceiling is what he wants it to be,” Chana said. “He’s probably one of the hardest working kids I’ve been around. He’s so skilled with his back to the basket and out on the perimeter. You don’t see that a whole lot in high school. He can guard one through five and that makes him more appealing to college coaches. It’s been fun for Cam because he’s starting to get on the radar of some high-level coaches. It shows the fruits of his labor.”

So what was it like playing in his first high school game?

“It’s everything that I expected,” Cam said. “I love playing with him. We argue sometimes, but we get it done. He’s the best teammate that I could ever have.”

Northview freshman Cam Ryans puts up a shot against Newaygo on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. He finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).