Combine “outstanding competitiveness” into a “very athletic” 6-6, 210-pound frame, and you have not only one of the best basketball players in The College of Wooster’s tradition-rich history, but one of the best to come through the North Coast Athletic Conference, and the NCAA Div. III Great Lakes Region for that matter.
Those were the key qualities, according to long-time Wooster coach Steve Moore, that resulted in Ryan Gorman securing an NCAC-record 1,010 rebounds, a mark that has stood the test of time as it remains No. 1 through 28 years of league play.
Gorman did a lot more than dominate the glass during his time with the Black and Gold from 1995-99. He scored 1,371 points (No. 9 at Wooster upon graduation), and it was his all-around play that really stood out. Gorman’s the only true post player in team history to have led the team in assists, and he did it two seasons en route to 243 for his career, while his aggressive defense also left a significant mark – 254 blocked shots (No. 2 in NCAC and school history) and 210 steals (a team record upon graduation, now No. 2).
To rack up those eye-popping numbers, one must make an instant impact, and that’s what Moore expected from the Lambertville, Mich., (Toledo St. Francis deSales High School) product. “You never know with freshmen, but Ryan was the one guy over the years who we felt strongly would really help us right away.”
With big men Doug Cline and Scott Meech as well as two other starters having graduated, Gorman stepped right in and averaged 10.6 points on a then-school record 64.2 field-goal percentage and a league-leading 8.4 rebounds, while helping the team to a 19-7 mark in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season. He landed honorable mention on the All-NCAC Team.
Expectations grew and Gorman met them head on as a sophomore, upping his offense to a Scot-best 13.3 points a game, just about maintaining his rebounding pace (8.3 rpg), and improving his block (61 from 46) and steal totals (60 from 31), as the team bumped its record up to 23-6, which included winning the NCAC Tournament and one round in the NCAA Div. III Championship. The accolades started to roll in, as he picked up the first of what would be three consecutive selections on both the All-NCAC and NABC All-Great Lakes District First Team.
Gorman’s junior season may have been his best, showing off all of the attributes of his diverse game. He not only averaged a double-double (12.7 points, 10.1 rebounds), a first for a Wooster player in 26 years (since 1971-72), but paced the NCAC champions in four major categories – rebounding, assists (90), blocks (66), and steals (66). The rest of the country took notice, as the NABC named him a second-team All-American.
His senior year played out similarly, leading the Scots in rebounding (9.2 rpg), assists (89), and blocks (81), while falling just two short in steals (53). He scored 12.2 points a game, and collected the lone award missing from his resume, NCAC Player of the Year, while joining the legendary Tom Dinger in becoming the second in program history to be a three-time first-team all-district choice. The team also went further than it had previously during Moore’s tenure, as it repeated as NCAC champs, and reached the sectional round (Round of 16) of the NCAA’s.
After graduating with a degree in communications, Gorman worked for a couple of years before returning to the hardwood as a professional. During the 2001-02 season, the All-NCAC Decade Team honoree (1993-04) played for the Waterford Crystal Club in the ESB Super League, governed by the Irish Basketball Association, an opportunity that Gorman says he “likely would not have had if I hadn’t gone to Wooster.”
Today, Gorman and his wife, Naibett, live in Odessa, Fla., near Tampa, and he works in sales for Ventana Medical Systems.