Scott LaLonde was looking for an experienced player to take over the scoring load as well as the main leadership role for his young Thousand Islands boys' basketball program.
Ryan Hanrahan was searching for a place to resume his high school basketball career, to get his education back on track and to refocus on his goal of going to college.
It has been a perfect match. In Hanrahan, LaLonde has found a natural leader and a prime-time scorer who has helped lead the Vikings to a sensational 7-1 start.
Hanrahan, who left his family in the greater Boston suburb of Ashland to live with his grandparents in Cape Vincent and attend Thousand Islands, has been able to put down solid roots among several extended family members. He also has made friends on and off the court in the river community.
"It's probably the best decision I've ever made," Hanrahan said about his move from the big city to the country. "If I'd stayed in Ashland, I don't know what would have happened. I'm sure I wouldn't have been doing as well in school."
Academics had become unimportant to Hanrahan. So much so that he basically skipped all of last year to work with his father, a carpenter.
"I made some wrong decisions that finally caught up to me," Hanrahan said. "So I knew I had to make a change or I'd just keep going the wrong way."
So he and his parents decided what was best was to move to Cape Vincent to live with his grandfather and grandmother, Harold and Carol Hinchy. They moved to the river town about six years ago, and Hanrahan had been a frequent visitor on summer vacations.
"It seemed like a quiet place to live, to go to school and hopefully to play some basketball," Hanrahan said. "It was tough to leave my family, but we all agreed it was for the best."
Hanrahan had not only fallen behind in the classroom, he had sorely missed competing on the court. He played varsity basketball for three seasons. But last year, he was left to play pickup games during the week, and to participate in some AAU programs.
"I tried to stay in shape, but it wasn't the same as being on a regular team," he said.
When Hanrahan arrived in Cape Vincent, he went to an open gym at the high school. LaLonde was one of the interested spectators.
"You could see right away he was a very good player," LaLonde said. "Sometimes you hear rumors about kids coming in, and most of the time that's all they are. This time, it was almost too good to be true."
Hanrahan was not only an instant hit with LaLonde, he was welcomed onto the team by the players.
"Sometimes that's not easy," LaLonde said. "But Ryan is a likeable kid, and he is such a hard worker. The kids kind of followed his lead right away."
Hanrahan began his Thousand Islands career with a 25-point, 7-rebound, 6-steal, 4-assist game against LaFargeville on Nov. 24. Since then, he's scored over 20 points in each game, with a high of 37 twice.
He's averaging 28.4 points, and leads the team in almost every offensive category.
"So far it's been good," Hanrahan said. "We've played pretty well as a team, and the guys and the people at the school have been great to me."
Hanrahan's game is purely physical. It is based on penetration and the ability to get to the rim. Although he's only 6-foot, and 185 pounds, he's very strong with the ball and has already made 58 free throws, including 15 Tuesday night versus Lowville.
"When I was younger and a lot smaller, I took mainly threes," Hanrahan said. "Now I want to get the basket and to the line."
As for the leadership role, that has simply evolved. "I take that seriously,'' Hanrahan said. "Anything I can do to help this team I'll do."
Hanrahan said school is also going well, and he's now recorded better grades than ever.
"He finally has people who care for him as a student first," LaLonde said. "Ryan is being held accountable for his actions, and he's become a very positive part of our community."
The only negative has been Hanrahan's allegiance to his beloved Boston Red Sox. He likes to wear his Red Sox cap around town, but LaLonde, a huge New York Yankee fan, has banned it from the locker room.
"We'll just have to work on him," joked LaLonde.
CALDWELL ON SCORING TEAR
While Hanrahan is off to a fast start, he's still trailing Immaculate Heart Central junior Connor Caldwell, who is having an unbelievable season through the first eight games.
After averaging nearly 24.2 points last season, Caldwell is hitting at a 31.8 point per game clip. He's already scored 30 or more points seven times, with a season- and career-high of 41 against Syracuse Academy of Science.
And if it wasn't for a mere mortal 14 points in a blowout against Blessed Virgin Mary, Caldwell's stats could be even better.
Sportswriter John Day covers Frontier League boys basketball for the Times.
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