Courtney Ryan

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Courtney Ryan

| image = 2024 Summer Paralympics women's wheelchair basketball, United States vs China 30 (cropped).jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Ryan at the 2024 Summer Paralympics

| fullname =

| nickname =

| nationality = {{USA}}

| club = Sydney Metro Blues

| collegeteam = Metropolitan State University of Denver, University of Arizona

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|9|21}}

| birth_place = San Diego, California, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = 5 ft 3 in

| weight =

| country = United States

| sport = Soccer, Wheelchair basketball

| event = Women's team

| disability_class = 2.0

| medaltemplates=

| module3 = {{Infobox football biography | embed = yes | header-color = #CCCC99

| position = Defender

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2008

| youthclubs1 = Coronado Islanders

| collegeyears1 = 2008–2010

| college1 = Metro State Roadrunners

| collegecaps1 = 54

| collegegoals1 = 3

}}

Courtney Anne Ryan (born September 21, 1990) is a 2.0 point American wheelchair basketball player and member of the United States women's national wheelchair basketball team. In 2017, she played for the Sydney Metro Blues in the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League in Australia.

Early life

Courtney Anne Ryan was born in San Diego, California, on September 21, 1990, the daughter of Kevin and Patti Ryan. She has a brother, Chris, and a sister, Caitlin. She attended Coronado High School, where she played soccer. She was Coronado's Rookie of the Year in 2007 as a junior, and as an education the following year was a first team All-Western League performer, was named to the all-section team, and was Most Valuable Player.

In 2008, she entered Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she played soccer for its team, the Roadrunners. As a freshman, she played 25 games, in which she scored one goal and was credited with seven assists. In 2009, she played 24 games as a defender. She was named first team All-America and first team All-Central Region, and set a school record for defenders with 15 assists on the season.{{citation |url=http://roadrunnersathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=554 |title=Courtney Ryan – 2010 Women's Soccer Roster |publisher=Metropolitan State University of Denver Athletics |access-date=May 22, 2017 }}

Ryan played only five games in 2010. During the fifth, against Colorado Mesa University on October 8, 2010,

she was tackled from behind and fell on her back. A blood clot developed that burst and leaked into her spinal cord, leaving her paralysed from the waist down. She stayed at Metro for the 2011 spring semester, then returned to San Diego. She became involved with the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and took up wheelchair basketball.{{cite web |url=http://mymetmedia.com/sports/courtney-ryan-trades-cleats-for-wheels/ |title=Courtney Ryan trades cleats for wheels |first=Mario |last=Sanelli |date=August 21, 2013 |access-date=May 22, 2017 }}

Career

Pete Hughes, the head coach of the University of Arizona Wildcats women's wheelchair basketball team saw Ryan play a game in which she sank a game-winning buzzer-beater. After the game, he offered her a scholarship. She entered the University of Arizona in the fall of 2012. She enrolled in its College of Education, majoring in special education, with an emphasis in rehabilitation, planning to earn a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or disability studies.

Hughes was sufficiently impressed with Ryan's attitude, ability and performance that he wrote a letter of recommendation to Stephanie Wheeler, the head coach of the USA national women's wheelchair basketball team. Two weeks later, Ryan was one of 30 players invited to try out for the national teams at tryouts held in Birmingham, Alabama. In April, she was selected for the team, making her international debut in eight games against the German national team.{{cite web |url=https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/wildcats-make-national-wheelchair-basketball-team |publisher=University of Arizona |title=Wildcats Make National Wheelchair Basketball Team |first=a Monica |last=Everett-Haynes |date=July 18, 2013 |access-date=May 22, 2017 }} She played with the national team at the 2014 Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Toronto.{{cite web |url=http://2014wheelchairbasketball.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014WWWBC-MediaGuide-web.pdf |title=2014 Women's Wheelchair Basketball World Championship Media Guide |accessdate=June 20, 2014 |publisher=Wheelchair Basketball Canada |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102055456/http://2014wheelchairbasketball.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014WWWBC-MediaGuide-web.pdf |archivedate=November 2, 2014}} The United States came fourth.{{cite web |url=http://2014wheelchairbasketball.com/schedule-results-top/schedule-and-results |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202174928/http://2014wheelchairbasketball.com/schedule-results-top/schedule-and-results |archive-date=February 2, 2015 |title=Schedule & Results |publisher=2014 WWWBC }}

In 2017, Ryan played for the Sydney Metro Blues in the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League in Australia.{{cite web |url=http://websites.sportstg.com/team_info.cgi?id=25986204&client=1-6734-0-0-0&compID=451674 |title=Team Home for Sydney Metro Blues |publisher=SportsTG |access-date=May 22, 2017 }} The Blues went on to win the league championship.

{{cite web |url=http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-6734-0-0-0&sID=119018&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=58180511 |title=2017 Awards Winners |publisher=Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League |via=SportsTG |access-date=August 2, 2017 }}

In August 2019, Ryan became the assistant coach of the University of Arizona women's wheelchair basketball team.{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/azadaptiveathletics/ |title=University of Arizona Adaptive Athletics – Home |publisher=Facebook |access-date=September 9, 2019 }}

She represented the United States at the 2022 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships and won a bronze medal.{{cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.com/news/2023/june/09/us-squads-enter-postponed-wheelchair-basketball-worlds-with-medal-hopes |title=U.S. Squads Enter Postponed Wheelchair Basketball Worlds With Medal Hopes |website=teamusa.org |first=Steve |last=Goldberg |date=June 9, 2023 |access-date=June 9, 2023}}

In November 2023 she competed at the 2023 Parapan American Games in the wheelchair basketball tournament and won a gold medal.{{cite web |url=https://www.nwba.org/news_article/show/1279771 |title=Parapan American Games Roster Selected for 2023 USA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team |website=nwba.org |date=July 22, 2023 |access-date=July 21, 2024}} As a result, the team earned an automatic bid to the 2024 Summer Paralympics.{{cite web |url=https://www.nwba.org/news_article/show/1292301 |title=Ticket Punched: We're Going to Paris! Team USA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Defeats Rival Canada, 62-56, to Secure Gold at the 2023 Santiago Parapan American Games |website=nwba.org |date=November 24, 2023 |access-date=July 21, 2024}} On March 30, 2024, she was named to Team USA's roster to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.{{cite web |url=https://www.nwba.org/news_article/show/1305656 |title=Paralympics Games Roster Selected for 2024 U.S.A Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team |website=nwba.org |date=March 30, 2024 |access-date=July 21, 2024}}

Personal life

Ryan is married to her former University of Arizona teammate Molly Bloom.{{cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.org/para-wheelchair-basketball/athletes/Courtney-Ryan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810120040/https://www.teamusa.org/para-wheelchair-basketball/athletes/Courtney-Ryan |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 10, 2020 |title=Courtney Ryan |publisher=Team USA |access-date=July 15, 2021 }}{{cite web|url=http://angelcitysports.org/womenswheelchairbasketball|title=Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Program|publisher=Angel City Sports|access-date=December 5, 2023}}

References

External links

{{cite web |url=https://www.paralympic.org/video/interview-courtney-ryan-usa-2014-iwbf-womens-world-wheelchair-basketball-championships |title=Interview: Courtney Ryan (USA) {{!}} 2014 IWBF Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championships |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |access-date=May 22, 2017 }}

Category:1990 births

Category:Living people

Category:American women's wheelchair basketball players

Category:People with paraplegia

Category:LGBTQ basketball players

Category:American lesbian sportswomen

Category:Basketball players from San Diego

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Australia

Category:Paralympic wheelchair basketball players for the United States

Category:Wheelchair basketball players at the 2020 Summer Paralympics

Category:Wheelchair basketball players at the 2024 Summer Paralympics

Category:Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics