Bridgeport High School alum Ryan Sprouse isn’t different from many that grew up a basketball junkie in West Virginia. He grew up dreaming of putting on the gold and blue and playing on the floor of the Coliseum for West Virginia University.

 

Although Sprouse, who graduated in 2014 from BHS, was a more than just a serviceable player during his time with the Indians, he didn’t draw any Division I basketball offers and that meant any hopes he had as a youngster to play on the Coliseum floor were gone. As it turns out, that’s not entirely true.

 

Thanks to a patient a connect between Ryan’s father Brad Sprouse and WVU women’s Coach Mike Carey’s father Ron, a unique opportunity presented itself. Ron Carey had let Ryan’s father know that his son Mike was always looking for young men at the University to help out with scrimmaging and practicing against the women.

 

From there, Sprouse actually got his chance to be on the Coliseum floor in the most unlikely of ways. This past year, the freshman studying Speech Pathology and Audiology was a near full-time member of the women’s practice squad.

 

“It’s an all-male team and it’s been a lot of fun,” said Sprouse. “I’m glad everything worked out. I just had to do some paperwork in order to be eligible and that’s how it got started.”

 

After those initial conversations, Sprouse said he had some email exchanges with graduate assistant Liz Repella and things went into motion. And since September, Ryan Sprouse has been part of a near full-time practice slate against Bria Holmes, Linda Stepney and the rest of the WVU women.

 

For Sprouse, the practices were eye-opening on two levels. The first involved the athletes he was now competing with

 

“I found an appreciation for just how good the women were on the team immediately. They play at a very high skill level and it was a lot higher than I anticipated,” said Sprouse. “I can tell you that physically they are very strong and they are very athletic. I wasn’t into my first practice for a few minutes when I realized that.”

 

The other eye-opener was being in a practice setting with Carey, a former Bridgeport resident who was about to have a Bridgeport graduate working with him. For those that have heard about his intensity, it pales in comparison to those that get a chance to partake in it.

 

“I really had never been around him a lot, but that first day they were having individual workouts and he was just amazingly intense. You could see in his face that this first practice was being treated like game day,” said Sprouse. “I had heard from everyone how intense he was, but you are caught off guard because it’s really intense. I’ve never seen a coach that dialed in.”

 

And for anyone that knows Mike Carey, they know that being a member of the practice squad didn’t spare you from a verbal jab – or two, or three. Sprouse said it was a good thing because it really made those he worked with feel like a part of what was happening.

 

“He didn’t get on us as much as the players, but he would get on us. If we were supposed to do something in a manner that was simulating what the other team was doing and weren’t getting it done, believe me, he had no problem letting us know about it. The other thing was that when it came to having to run or things of that nature, we weren’t safe from it,” he said with a laugh.

 

Sprouse said he went to as many practices as his classes would allow. He said they would often practice on the Coliseum floor, but usually did their work in the state-of-the-art WVU Basketball Practice Facility.

 

“Getting to shoot and compete there was really cool. After you do it a bunch of times it becomes an afterthought, but that first time was one of the best experiences because I always wanted to be on that floor as a kid,” said Sprouse. “The funny thing is that I never entertained the thought in my life that this would be the way that it would happen.”

 

There was another bonus beyond getting a chance to play inside the Coliseum and the practice facility. He said he got to know Coach Carey.

 

“I got to talk to him a little at first and the more I was there and when I started getting there consistently early, you got to know him even better,” Sprouse said. “The thing that’s amazing is that as soon as practice was over he would flip this switch. He was out of his coach mode, which was impressive because of the high intensity level that he coached at during practice.”

 

As for Carey, he appreciates the effort of Sprouse and others that volunteer their time.

 

"Practice players are a critical part of our success. We need them to challenge and help our players grow," said Carey. "They are a essential part of what we do. Ryan has been a great asset to the WVU women's basketball program." 

 

As one might expect, Sprouse ended up becoming a big fan of the team. He said during the regular season he would go to games when tests or school work didn’t get in the way.

 

“I went to all the NIT games except the championship game (in Charleston),” said Sprouse. “They treat you good and let you sit under the basket.”

 

The practice players also got practice gear. And after the girls got their meals, Sprouse and his cohorts could partake in what was left.

 

“Really, they treat you great,” he said. “There wasn’t much of a downside to the whole experience.”

 

The one thing that did take him aback was WVU losing to UCLA in the WNIT title game at the Charleston Civic Center. He said he knew he was hooked by how he felt after the game was over

 

“It was tough to watch the end of the game. I can’t tell you how bummed I was for the players because you get to know them and you like them,” said Sprouse, who said Robert C. Byrd’s Nick Dyer is also on the practice team. “They’re all great to be around. I wanted the best for them and Coach Carey.”

 

So is Sprouse a one and done?

 

“I’m going to do it again next year and, honestly, I’ll do it the next three years if everything works out and they’ll have me,” said Sprouse. “I love the game and love playing at the Rec Center, but getting a chance to work with Coach Carey and his team is just unbelievable. It’s made my first year at WVU better than I could have ever expected.”

 

Editor's Note: Top and third photos are of WVU Coach Mike Carey, including his famous intensity being shown in the third picture. In the second and bottom photos, Ryan Sprouse is shown competing during his senior year in 2013-14 at Bridgeport High School. Photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.