Iowa State's Emily Ryan explains why she decided to stay with the Cyclones

AMES – Iowa State women’s basketball player Emily Ryan walks into the Sukup Basketball Complex on a May afternoon and searches for a spot to sit. The complex is undergoing renovations, so a sectional couch, tables, chairs and even a refrigerator are out on the court − but away from the baskets and out of bounds.

“What do you think of our new lounge?” Ryan jokingly asks.

The entire Cyclones women’s basketball program is undergoing a transformation. And not just at the practice facility. An offseason full of roster moves has led to an almost completely different roster for the upcoming season. Ryan, a senior point guard for the Cyclones, is one of the few familiar faces returning.

“There’s a lot of new things going on around here,” Ryan says.

And then there's Ryan, who has become the cornerstone of the Cyclones program. After watching many of her teammates and friends enter the transfer portal and find new teams, Ryan announced she was staying at Iowa State to lead a young Cyclones team. Her decision to come back has made her not only the most experienced player on the team, but also one of the most beloved players in the program’s history because of her loyalty to the team through thick and thin.

“At the end of the day, when the story is written about Iowa State women’s basketball and the people that impacted it ... her name will be one of the first that you think of,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.

'If she didn't come back, I wouldn't be here'

Fennelly was already gearing up for some big changes for the 2023-24 season. The Cyclones were losing star Ashley Joens to the WNBA, and Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw and Morgan Kane were thought to be headed elsewhere. And shortly after the season ended, there were even more departures.

• Maggie Vick, a lightly used post player, decided to transfer. She landed at Pepperdine.

• Then three-year starter Lexi Donarski announced she was leaving (she ended up at North Carolina).

• Denae Fritz, another starter for the Cyclones, followed Donarski into the transfer portal. Fritz said Iowa State’s style of play was the reason for the mass exodus. She'll play at Big 12 rival Baylor.

• To make matters worse, the NCAA denied Iowa State's waiver request that would have given an extra season of eligibility to injured post player Stephanie Soares. So she entered the WNBA Draft.

The moves shook the program. Fans criticized Fennelly and his staff on message boards and social media.

More: Dallas Wings waive former Iowa State star Ashley Joens

The Cyclones did bring back Nyamer Diew, who has experience starting, along with post player Izzi Zingaro, lightly used guard Shantavia Dawkins and walk-on Mary Kate King. But most of their star power had disappeared, except for Ryan, already one of the top point guards in Iowa State history. Her recruiting class, which included Donarski, Kylie Feuerbach and Ashley Joens’ little sister Aubrey, had been torn apart. Feuerbach had transferred to Iowa after her first year. Aubrey Joens moved on to Oklahoma before last season. And now Donarski had left the program.

All that was left was Ryan.

“I would say if she didn’t come back, I wouldn’t be here,” Fennelly said.

"I think the only person that probably had a worse spring or worse six weeks than her was me. But she had a hard time. I mean, those were her friends and ... when your friends leave and you think you had something to do with it or you could have done something about it, that's hard."

As the point guard, Ryan was the leader on the floor and off the court as well. Fennelly worried that Ryan would feel some responsibility for the departures. But Ryan says she didn't let the moves overwhelm her.

Meanwhile, there was plenty of talk about Ryan and her future with the program. With all the changes happening, fans wondered if Ryan would be next. Would she stick around after all her friends transferred? Did she even want to play on a team that would be full of new players and low on expectations a year after the Cyclones won the Big 12 Tournament? Fennelly said opposing teams tried to poach her. But Ryan said she never considered transferring.

“There was never a thought to leave,” Ryan said. “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. There’s no better place than Cyclone Nation.”

Ryan said she loved the school, the fans and the coaches too much to move on. Fennelly understood and said he wasn't worried she'd leave. Still, Ryan wanted to clear the air and make sure everyone knew. So she grabbed three photos: One of Fennelly covered in confetti after winning the Big 12 Tournament, one of Ryan and Fennelly holding the trophy, and another of his coaching staff hugging. She posted the three pictures on Twitter with the caption “Ride or die through it all. Love you Cyclone Nation.” Two hearts, cardinal and gold, followed the words.

“It was a time when Twitter was a really negative place,” Ryan said. “I thought that there was a lot of unfair criticism being thrown around towards the program itself, the coaches in general and just a lot of negativity that wasn’t necessary. So I was just trying to find any way I could to support this program and coach Fennelly and his coaching staff, especially because there was a lot of things being said that were not true, unnecessary and just a lot of assumptions being made. And I was just wanting to clear the air a little bit and provide some sort of positivity.”

The move was important to Fennelly, who was reeling from the tough times so much that he'd gotten off social media to avoid the chatter. After Ryan posted her tweet, someone sent it to the longtime Cyclones coach. He wasn't shocked. But he was touched by the public show of support.

"I think it was just at a time when probably we all needed something like that," Fennelly said.

Ryan remains loyal to Iowa State through thick and thin

Ask Emily Ryan's mom, Lisa, about her daughter's loyalty and another story comes to mind.

Back when Ryan was younger and solidifying herself as a star on the AAU circuit, other teams came calling. They all wanted to persuade the small-town Kansas girl to change her mind about her college choice. Ryan never budged. She stayed with her teammates and her friends and never even thought about changing teams.

"She very much is very loyal," Lisa Ryan said. "She always has been and always will be, I think, which is a great trait."

That's why Ryan chose to stay at Iowa State and help the Cyclones get back on track. Despite all the transfers, the cupboard is far from bare for Iowa State. The Cyclones brought in their highest-rated recruiting class this summer by adding freshmen Jalynn Bristow, Addy Brown, Audi Crooks, Arianna Jackson and another Joens sister, Kelsey. Fennelly also dipped into the transfer portal and picked up Hannah Belanger and Isnelle Natabou. Another transfer, Alisa Williams, will redshirt this season.

Related: Iowa State women's basketball coach Bill Fennelly expecting a lot out of incoming freshmen class

There aren't high expectations for the Cyclones like there were a season ago. But the new additions have intrigued and excited Ryan, who is intent on finding the good that has come out of everything.

"Just being a part of the team is so exciting and (it's) a team that two weeks in, it couldn't be more fun to be around," Ryan said. "They couldn't be better people."

All eyes will be on Ryan this season. With Joens, Donarski and Fritz all departed, Ryan will be the center of attention. It's something Fennelly has tried to prepare her for and something Ryan is bracing for.

Fennelly has taken Ryan out of drills to help him coach on the sidelines during summer workouts. He told her to expect most of the interview requests throughout the season, as the leader of the team. Ryan is getting ready for it all. After she finished classes in the spring, she returned to her hometown of Claflin, Kan., and went to the gym three times a day for up to three hours. When she returned to campus, she quickly went out of her way to check in on the newcomers to make sure they were adjusting well. During dinner, Ryan will ask how the day has gone for all the freshmen.

"I'd definitely say she is a mom, role model," Jackson said.

Ryan has even earned the nickname Stanley, like the cup, because, as Jackson says, she "holds us all together."

There are plenty of unknowns when it comes to next season and the new roster, but the future looks bright for Ryan. She has another season of eligibility remaining (for 2024-25) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fennelly said they haven't discussed if she'll use it. Ryan plans to graduate next year while majoring in kinesiology. She hopes to play professionally.

Regardless of what happens, Fennelly said he's thankful that Ryan has stuck around. To Ryan, there really was no other option. Staying at Iowa State was the only thing she was going to do.

"Cyclone for life," Ryan said. "For sure."

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State's Emily Ryan remained loyal while teammates, friends left