University of Toledo basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk believes incoming freshman Ryan Rollins has the perfect setup for his first season with the program.
Rollins, a 6-foot-4 guard who is likely the point guard of the future for the Rockets, can have a year learning from senior point guard Marreon Jackson.
“I think it's an ideal situation,” Kowalczyk said. “That's a big thing we talked about with him during the recruiting process, that he can come in and learn from Marreon and grow and get better and compete against him every day.”
The situation at Toledo with Jackson reminds Rollins of his freshman season at Macomb (Mich.) Dakota High School, where he played alongside point guard Jermaine Jackson, Jr., who later played at Detroit Mercy and now Long Island University-Brooklyn.
“Playing with a guard like that is good,” Rollins said, “because they can teach you how things work and show you the ropes and help you run the team.”
Rollins, a three-star recruit, filled up the stat sheet his entire career at Macomb Dakota. During his senior season, he averaged 25.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocked shot per game on the way to second team All-State honors from the Associated Press.
He is the No. 7 player in Michigan for his class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.
“I think he is certainly ready to come in and compete for us right away,” Kowalczyk said. “He's an extremely skilled guard who has a really good feel. Now he just needs to come in and work hard and continue to get better.”
Macomb Dakota coach Paul Tocco was most impressed with the consistency Rollins exhibited on the court.
“You know what you are going to get from Ryan,” Tocco said. “You are going to get 27 points, eight or nine rebounds, five or six assists, and two or three blocks. Consistency on the court was something where we could always count on Ryan. He rarely took a night off when it comes to how hard he played night in and night out.”
Rollins said his dad, Chris, is 5-foot-11 and his mom, Toni, is 5-10, so it's a little surprising he got so much height. He went through a growth spurt from his freshman to his sophomore year of high school, when he went from 5-foot-10 to about 6-foot-2 or 6-3. He was able to immediately use that length and height on the court.
“I get a lot of deflections and blocks,” Rollins said. “And I have a good post-up game. It's good for me, because I can see the whole floor out there and see over the smaller guards sometimes.”
Rollins has developed into a versatile player.
“He's really long for a point guard,” Tocco said. “He's got great size for that position and is a great passer. He can score off the dribble better than anyone I ever coached. He goes to his left just as well as he goes to his right, so he doesn't have any definite flaws in his games when it comes to tendencies. He can shoot the ball. His 3-point shot really developed.”
Kowalczyk said Toledo made Rollins its No. 1 target in the 2020 recruiting class early in the process, and it paid off for them.
“I felt that I was wanted there and I was needed, so I felt like that was a good fit for me,” Rollins said.
Tocco sees Rollins as someone who has the potential to grow physically and put some more muscle on his frame. As he continues to develop, Tocco believes Rollins can become an All-Mid-American Conference player sooner rather than later.
“I think that's one of the reasons why he chose Toledo is the opportunity to play and be successful right away,” Tocco said. “It's an opportunity for him to grow and get stronger. The sky is the limit for Ryan. I think all-conference is definitely a goal of his, and I can see that happening within a couple of years.”
First Published June 4, 2020, 4:24 p.m.
