Ryan Unfazed in Irish Reunion
re CHAPEL HILL - Cormac Ryan knew all along this day was coming. He didn’t always know when it would be or how it would play out once it was here, but he knew it was destined to happen.
After all, transferring to North Carolina from Notre Dame meant he would play the Irish at least once during his time in Chapel Hill.
It happened on Tuesday night in the Smith Center, as the No. 7 Tar Heels (24-6, 16-3 ACC) cruised to an 84-51 victory over Notre Dame (12-18, 7-12 ACC), thanks in part to Ryan’s 14-point outing.
He connected on four of his nine shot attempts, including a 2-for-5 performance from three. And he did so helping the Heels pummel a program in which he spent four years.
“It was cool. I got a lot of love for Notre Dame,” said Ryan. “Obviously, I spent a lot of years there. They’ve got a really good team and they’re going to be a good team for years to come.”
Even with the pomp and circumstance surrounding Senior Night, and knowing it would be his reunion with the Irish, Ryan’s approach didn’t change from previous games.
His focus was on helping UNC clinch a share of the ACC regular season title and finishing out his career in the Smith Center with a victory.
“The way I look at it, I just always go out and compete,” said Ryan. “I say this with all due respect, I could care less who we’re playing. I bring the same level of intensity and fire to every game.”
Notre Dame returned just three players from last season, none of whom averaged more than two points a game, which helped distance Ryan from the blue and gold he once knew.
He played in 92 total games with the Irish and has a degree from the ACC institution, but make no mistake, Ryan is a Tar Heel.
“Being a part of this family, being a part of this team, it’s been incredibly special. We have had a lot of good moments,” said Ryan. “We’ve battled together. We’ve grown really close as people and it’s something that I’m super proud of, to be part of this Tar Heel family. I’m super grateful to have this opportunity.”
Ryan has seized the opportunity in Chapel Hill, helping lead North Carolina to at least a share of the ACC title, something he did not get to experience at Stanford or in South Bend.
And that journey to Tuesday night's win on Senior Night started over eight months ago, when he first arrived on campus along with the four other transfers, including Harrison Ingram.
From the moment he joined the program, Ryan's impact has been felt.
“My favorite memory [with Cormac was] in the summer, the first time I got here. I didn’t know him at all,” said Ingram. “I remember we got into it in pickup and I like shoved him and he started cursing me out. I was like ‘yo, chill.’ That’s Cormac for you.”
That’s Ryan, the voice and compass of this Carolina club.
At 25, he hears the jokes and slight jabs in jest from his teammates, but he’s one of the oars that steers the boat in Chapel Hill.
Peaks and valleys have marked the campaign for the 6-foot-5 guard, who is averaging a career-low in both rebounds and assists, while shooting just 32.1 percent from three and 36.4 percent from the floor. But he's also on a team with much more talent than he's had in previous years, and intent on spreading the wealth, too.
Despite some stretches of inconsistent shooting, he has scored in double figures in four of the last six games, averaging 13 points in that span, while shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc and silencing opposing offenses on the defensive end.
“Cormac’s always locked in,” said UNC coach Hubert Davis. “He’s our guy, the voice in the locker room, in the huddle, and on the court.”
To this point, Ryan’s career with the Tar Heels has featured 29 games played, just 20 percent of his career, but it’s clear among the coaching staff that his impact has spanned much more than that.
“That’s the sad part for me, that I’ll only get to coach him for one year,” said Hubert Davis. “What he’s brought to this team and this program, in just one year, he’s left a legacy by the person, the player, [and] the teammate that he is.”
His legacy began at Stanford, continued in South Bend, but it ends at the very least with a successful season in Chapel Hill with the Tar Heels.