By Matt Caputo
Those of you who read our magazine may remember the name Jack Ryan. A Brooklyn native, Ryan is considered to be one of the best shooters outside the NBA and probably the best shooter from New York City hands down. His career on the city blacktop made him legendary and his career as a Harlem Wizard helped him transition into a new audience. Ryan, who scored 60 points in a quarter versus a team of middle school teachers once, now spends a lot of his time running clinics and performing in trick shows for kids all across the country.
Right after the NBA All-Star break, Matt Sheridan and I once again loaded up my Jeep and met Ryan at a community center in Clark, New Jersey. Ryan had just come back from New Orleans where he set three new world records in the Guinness Book of World Records. One for longest time spent spinning the ball on his nose, another for longest time spent spinning the ball on his toe and another for making the most free throws blindfolded.
Considering his storied streetball shooting exhibitions and sharp mechanics, we thought “Black” Jack Ryan was the perfect person to break down the finer points of shooting the basketball for our second installment of THE reincarnated “SKILLZ” series.
To learn more about or contact Jack Ryan, visit hoopwizard.com
-Matt Caputo
