Player Profile: Ryan Schuster
Ryan Schuster experienced great success at Sioux Valley last year and will help lead a young Cossack team this coming season.
Schuster along with Max Nielson are two of the top players for the Cossacks this next season after Trevor Hanson and Trevor Olson graduated last year.
Stepping into a new role means working harder and Schuster did just that this past offseason.
“I played with the South Dakota Attack last year,” Schuster said. “I played behind a lot of good players which was fun but didn’t really play as much as I would’ve liked.”
He spent a ton of time in the weight room and at open gyms this past offseason.
“This summer I spent a lot of time in the weight room trying to get stronger and more athletic,” Schuster said. “Also spent a lot of time with finishes around the rim.”
Schuster used the experience of playing alongside those players along with being teammates with Trevor Hansen and others from past Cossack teams. Schuster hopes to help bring Sioux Valley back to state this year.
“I expect us to have a really good team this year at Sioux Valley,” Schuster said. “We lost a lot from last year, but I feel like we have the kids to step up in those positions and I expect them to do well. I expect a lot out of myself. I need to amp up the defense and play aggressively. I’d like to be a player that everyone knows and looks out for.”
A couple things Schuster has excelled at is bringing energy to the team. He would describe his game as an athletic streaky player who uses his athleticism to bring energy to the team.
Going into his junior season Schuster has a handful of NAIA’s looking at him and a couple Division II schools expressing interest thus far.
The Cossacks open up their season at Clark/Willow Lake on December 8.