Chicora youth wins Pa. hoop shoot
CHICORA — Like mother, like daughter. Well, sort of.
“She can shoot much better than I ever could,” said Kerry Gutherie Ryan of her 12-year-old daughter, Jordan.
Jordan is proving that.
She won the age 12-13 girls division of the state hoop shoot last weekend at Penn State University. Jordan sank only 5 of 10 free throws in the first round — falling three shots off the pace — but sank 14 of 15 in the second round to claim the state championship.
Her mother, Kerry Gutherie, was a starting guard on the Karns City High School girls basketball team that captured the PIAA title in 2000.
“I was more of a defensive player on that team,” Gutherie Ryan said. “That was my role. Jordan is an all-around player. She played for Butler Junior High this year (sixth grade) and was one of the top scorers. She’s a very aggressive basketball player.
“She went first in that second round. When she made 14 of 15, it put a lot of pressure on the other girls.”
This is the first year Jordan’s parents, Tony and Kerry Ryan, entered her in the hoop shoot competition. There was no local hoop shoot contest this year, so Jordan went to the local shoot in Franklin and won, sinking 18 of 25 shots. She then sank 18 of 25 shots to win the district competition in Warren, qualifying her for the state shoot.
Jordan was one of the youngest girls in her age group.
“I was really nervous at the start (of the state shoot),” she admitted. “Those other girls were intimidating. I thought they would make 10 out of 10 shots, 15 out of 15, and I wouldn’t have a chance.
“Once I calmed down, I was OK. It was all muscle memory.”
Jordan’s father, also a Karns City graduate, played baseball and football in high school. He went on to play baseball at La Roche University as well. Mr. and Mrs. Ryan spend a lot of time coaching up their daughter.
“We took her to the YMCA and the Cubs Hall. She practiced every day. She’d take as many as 150 free throws each day in prepping for the contest,” Tony Ryan said.
“My arms would feel a little tired ... I would shoot and the ball would hit the front of the rim. But it was worth it,” Jordan said. “You develop a mindset. Shooting (free throws) becomes natural.”
Also a lacrosse and soccer player, Jordan added that her favorite sport is basketball. She’s watched viddeotape of her mother’s playing days at Karns City.
“It was pretty neat,” Jordan said of the videos. “I just liked to see my mom play in high school. It was fun.”
The Ryan family have made a lot of trips to watch basketball. They take Jordan to Butler and Karns City high school games. They’ve been to Duquesne and Pitt games, even traveled to Penn State when Purdue played there so they could watch Butler graduate Ethan Morton play.
“Jordan got her picture taken with Ethan when we were out there,” Gutherie Ryan said. “It was fun.”
Little did the Ryans know they would be returning to Penn State to watch their daughter win a state championship.
Jordan will now advance to the northeast central region semifinals March 19 in Wilkes-Barre, where she will go up against state champions from New York and New Jersey. If victorious there, the national championships are April 30 in Chicago.
“I know the competition is going to be harder. I’m going up against other state champions,” Jordan said. “But I’ll keep practicing. I’ll be ready.”
Her goal down the road is to play high school basketball at Butler.
“I want to play basketball as long as I can,” Jordan said.
