It has been a hard road to get back to the basketball court for Chaparral High School's tough and hard-nosed 6-foot-5 senior forward Ryan Bayster. After suffering a torn ACL during his junior season, Bayster has worked extremely hard to get back to playing the sport he loves. He is now back and returned to compete in his first game of action on Friday evening in this year's Super 80 Showcase event at Arizona Christian University.
In the event, Bayster looked good, much like his old self, as he battled hard for rebounds and finished strong at the rim - showing good lift off the floor. While he was definitely rusty and is not yet in the physical shape that he will be over time, it was really nice to see this young man back in action.
I caught up with Bayster's father last week, David Bayster, and he advised me that Ryan is hearing from a large number of smaller schools, D-II's and D-III's in his recruiting process. As a result, Bayster has had so many phone calls that his father advised me that his son actually advised the schools to back off a little bit. Currently, Ryan has 8 different offers on the table for himself from different college programs. His father also told me that he is in no rush to make a college decision, and does not yet have a favorite school in his recruiting process.
I have been intrigued with this young man’s potential as a future college prospect for some time. Throughout his high school career, and before the injury, Bayster improved as planned and developed into one of the better overall players in Arizona’s 2015 class.
I will be keeping a close eye on Bayster’s continued development this high school season, as he looks to regain the form that made him one of the elite prospects in the state at his position.
Bayster is a superb student, which makes him an even better prospect - as he has a 4.4 CUM GPA.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: 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. An excellent student.
