Feeling at home again

Ryan McIntyre doesn’t like being typecast.

As a sophomore starter at East Valley High School, McIntyre built a reputation as a three-point shooter. A junior year adding long-range offense at University helped cement that rep.

This year he’s back at East Valley looking at a breakout basketball season, both for himself and for the Knights.

“People think of me as just a three-point shooter, and that bothers me,” he said. “In the University offense last year my role had me standing, waiting to get the ball so I could shoot, and I can do a lot more with my game than just that.

“I was always the point guard until my sophomore year, when (then EV) coach (Steve) Henderson moved me to two (shooting) guard.”

Under coach Drew Vanderpool, now in the second year of his return to the East Valley helm, McIntyre is tasked with a bigger role in the Knights’ offense.

“When I was younger I was always smaller than the other guys,” McIntyre explains. “I always knew that, if I couldn’t get my outside shot I could always get to the rim.”

It helps that, in his senior year, he takes after his father, former East Valley player and assistant coach Tom McIntyre.

“My dad grew something like five inches his senior year,” he explained. “I’ve already grown three, and I think I’m still growing.”

Now standing, today at least, at 6-foot-2, McIntyre feels he’s finally growing into his game.

“Oh yeah – and I’ve been working hard getting ready for the season – lifting weights, working out with a personal trainer,” he said. “You get a feeling, like, no one can guard you. I’m looking forward to having guys come out and trying to guard me, because I just know I can still get my shot.”

What’s more, he said, he feels at home at East Valley.

“My parents separated, and I went to live with my dad over by U-Hi,” he said. “My parents got back together, and I’m home. I enjoyed my experience (at University), but I’ve known these guys here my whole life. We’ve played together a lot. I made a lot of friends at U-Hi, sure, but it’s different here. I’m at home.”

The home team, however, is in the midst of a long, long dry spell.

To put it bluntly, the last time the Knights played in the state tournament, East Valley was a Class 1A school and the big sports story of the day was the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France – the Games in which France’s Jean-Claude Killy won three medals in alpine skiing and American Peggy Fleming captured hearts as well as the gold medal in figure skating.

That makes it a 42-year drought.

“We know it’s been a long, long time,” McIntyre said. “We talk about it, and we want to end it.”

This could be the year it all ends, he said.

“We played all of the Class 3A teams in the league over the summer, and we did really well,” he explained. “If we can stay healthy, we have a good shot.”

The Knights understand the task at hand.

“We know we’re all going to have to work hard, and we’re all going to have to crash the boards hard because we don’t have a lot of height,” he said. “But we do have pretty good size, and we have a very good point guard. We can be pretty good.

“We’re athletic. Three of us can dunk, so I think you’ll see some of that this season.”