University of Minnesota Athletics
On The Bright Side: Junior Ryan Saunders
12/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Ryan Saunders has been around the game of basketball for a long time, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Stymied by a shoulder injury since May of 2006, Saunders has been challenged to fight a two-fold battle of finding a role on a team that has not seen him on the court since the 2005-06 season and working to get himself healthy.
Saunders underwent major shoulder surgery on his left shoulder following his sophomore season and underwent a deliberate rehabilitation process that led to him being granted a medical redshirt for the 2006-07 season. After participating fully in the team’s preseason workouts this summer and fall, Saunders suffered a setback.
“I went up for a rebound and when I came down I was in a position where I couldn’t brace myself,” Saunders said. “It’s frustrating, but we’re looking at it as a week-by-week thing.”
Although hampered both by his injury and perhaps the frustration that goes along with it, it seems impossible to get Saunders to take advantage of a perfectly legitimate opportunity to delve into something resembling self-pity. Rather, Saunders chooses to view his injury as an opportunity to learn more about the game from the sideline from a coach’s perspective and to provide his teammates’ with valuable feedback on their performances.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating, but I’m still trying to learn all I can and take it one week at a time,” Saunders said. “When I was injured last year, finding a role on the team that could help the team was something I searched for. I wouldn’t say that I struggled with it, but it was something that was a challenge. Right now, being around the program I feel that I’m learning so many things that will help to make me a better coach. I’ve wanted to be a coach for a long time, so even though I’m not playing, I still feel like I’m learning a lot about the coach’s perspective. Being around this team is a tremendous opportunity to learn about the game and learn from the best.”
Starting from the time his father, Flip, began his coaching tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves, a young Saunders took advantage of every opportunity to be around the game of basketball.
“I was definitely that annoying kid hanging around practice and in the locker room. I was always talking with guys like KG and Sam Mitchell and listening to their stories and how they talked about basketball. Whether they were talking about basketball or life lessons, I was always around to hear stuff,” Saunders said. “I think [learning about the game] led me to be a better player. I’ve never been the most talented guy on the floor, certainly not the most athletic or the guy that can jump the highest, but when I’ve been successful, it has been because I was maybe able to out-think my opponents. A lot of that comes from the experience I had growing up around basketball.”
Recruited by Coach Dan Monson’s staff out of Wayzata high school, Saunders’ decision to attend the U’ had much more to do with family and friends than following in his dad’s footsteps.
“When Coach Monson’s staff first talked to me about coming here, it was attractive to me because it was a good program that was close enough to home that allowed me to be around my family and my sisters as they grew up,” Saunders said. “A lot of my friends that I went to high school with came to Minnesota, so it gave me a chance to keep in contact with them. It was important for me to be somewhere where I could play in front of friends and family.”
As one of the more senior members on the Gophers’ roster, coupled with his wealth of basketball experience, Saunders is in a unique position to offer insight into the dynamic that the coaching change during the past off-season has had on the team on and off the court.
“Having someone of Coach Smith’s stature translates into the ultimate respect,” Saunders explained. “When he talks, you’re going to be able to get something out of it no matter what. Plus, he has something that we all want a national championship. He’s won a national championship and conference championships, so what he says really means a lot to us. He has really been through it all when it comes to basketball, he has the rings and the titles, so it is a great opportunity to learn when he talks. Whether he’s talking about life or about basketball, people listen.”
As one of the many current Gophers who were a large part of the end of the Dan Monson era, Saunders is appreciative of what the coaching staff under Monson has done for him and his teammates has done to make the team more successful this season.
“Having a new voice in the program I think has led to results. Everyone on this team is grateful for what Coach Monson did,” Saunders said. “Coach Smith is a legend and the opportunity to learn from the best makes it more possible to truly be the best that you can be.”
As Saunders works toward his two-fold goal this season, some Gopher fans may notice a snappy-dressed Saunders chirping in a teammate’s ear on the Gopher bench this season. The annoying kid’ that ran around the Timberwolves’ locker room for ten years has certainly grown into a valuable commodity for the 2007-08 Minnesota basketball team, on and off the court.
“I am just trying to be a friend and a basketball player,” Saunders said.
story by Doug Vose
