When I first saw Chaparral High School's 6-foot-5 junior forward Ryan Bayster just two years ago as an incoming freshman at his high school program, I was intrigued with this young man's potential as a future college prospect. Over the past two seasons of high school basketball, Bayster has improved as planned and has developed into one of the better players at his position in Arizona's 2015 class.
Bayster is coming off his best season as a sophomore last season, while seeing very good minutes for a talented Firebird's team. While Bayster did not put up big numbers in any category, his junior season looks to be a breakout season for the talented and versatile post prospect.
Bayster spent this spring and summer developing as a player while competing for oneof the state's elite club teams, a group of rising juniors that competed for the Arizona Power club program, Arizona Power Black 16U. The teams was filled with many of the state's top prospects from the 2015 class in the state, and also included two elite prospects from the 2017 and 2018 class. While the team lack true size inside, Bayster was the team's top rebounder and post player.
Bayster is an undersized post player that sees the majority of his touches inside the paint and around the short perimeter. He is a stretch-four man that has very good toughness and a good overall motor. He does not mind physical contact and enjoys utilizing his body to gain good inside post position, while competing hard for rebounds - doing the dirty work that helps teams win ball games.
Bayster has a soft touch from 15 to 18 feet and is capable of putting the basketball on the floor and making plays off the dribble for himself. He is a good finisher around the basket and plays much bigger than his heigth suggests. He is an effective rebounder on both ends of the floor and runs the floor hard.
Bayster could develop into a legitimate 3-4 prospect in the future, with improved ball handling and perimeter shooting over time. While being a true stretch four now, over time, with added maturity and continued hard work, Bayster could continue to expand his game - an attribute that would contribute nicely to his college recruitment in the future.
I will be keeping a close eye on Bayster's developemnt this high school season and into next spring - looking to see how he continues to develop as a college prospect. As for right now, he projects as a low-major division-I prospect, which means he could land at a smaller division-I program or a nice division-II program. This next year of developemnt for Bayster will be a major key in his future college recruitment.
