Grappling with a decision
Should Pride release its recruits now that Ryan has moved on?
BY STEVEN MARCUS
Newsday Staff Writer
Wrestling at Hofstra had hit the skids before coach Tom Ryan arrived in 1995. The program was poorly funded and lowly regarded. Extinction was an option until the administration decided to preserve a program it had had since 1947.
Ryan wanted Hofstra to be a national power, mentioned in the same class with the elite Division I programs in Iowa, Oklahoma and Michigan. Each year he edged Hofstra closer, producing All-Americans and appearing in the national rankings.
Now a top five ranking is perhaps a season away, but Ryan’s departure for Ohio State – he announced his resignation April 22 – could put Hofstra at a crossroads. Uncertainty surrounds the team as top recruits angle to be released from their commitments to the university even as the search proceeds to find Ryan’s replacement.
Ryan encouraged his top assistant, Rob Anspach, to apply, but some associated with the team want a higher-profile name, such as Stanford coach Kerry McCoy, the two-time Olympian and former Longwood High School star. McCoy last night said from California he has not been contacted by Hofstra and would not gauge his interest in the job without such contact.
Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes is not discussing candidates publicly. “We want to find the best person we can as soon as possible, “he said. “But not at the expense of a thorough search.”
Meanwhile, Hayes has fielded numerous calls from the parents of high school seniors looking to be released from their commitments. Hayes said multiple athletes have asked for their releases, but the administration has not yet decided on its response. “We’ve given no definitive answer as to what we would do, “Hayes said. “Since we don’t have a coach, I don’t want to make that decision right now.”
Islip High School’s Ryan Patrovich, a two-time state champion, has requested his release. “He chose Hofstra because of our relationship with Tom Ryan, “said Islip wrestling coach Joe Patrovich, whose son Mike just finished his junior year wrestling at Hofstra. “I think he would like his release just to have the freedom to look at it objectively.”
Joe Patrovich has had a conversation with Hayes but is not confident his son will be released. “I think he is an honest man and good guy, “Patrovich said of Hayes. “His job is to protect Hofstra, to have Hofstra’s best interests at heart. He said, ‘Let’s wait until we name a coach and then we will re-evaluate the whole thing.'”
The wait is getting to Patrovich and others, including the family of Louie Ruggirello, a three-time state champion from upstate Valley Central. “We are exploring other avenues and one may be following Tom [Ryan], “said the wrestler’s father, Lou. “If we are not happy with the coach they pick, we will probably go somewhere else without even getting the release.”
Under NCAA rules in Division I, those who do not obtain releases cannot get financial aid at another institution for one year and automatically lose a year of eligibility. The national letter of intent does not have an escape clause based on a coach leaving.
The Patrovich family has a long-standing friendship with Ryan and does not begrudge his decision to go to Ohio State, but Joe Patrovich said, “If a coach has an opportunity of advancing himself, why shouldn’t a recruit who the university has nothing invested in?”
Hofstra obviously is concerned that the roster could be decimated by releasing the recruits. Hayes pointed to a similar situation at Virginia Tech, where nine wrestlers asked out when coach Tom Brands left for Iowa. Virginia Tech did not give outright releases; it is requiring its recruits to stay for one season and will guarantee releases after the 2006-07 season for anyone dissatisfied with the program.
Patrovich said a similar offer from Hofstra would mollify his son – but it would have to be in writing. Hayes would not say if Hofstra is contemplating using the Virginia Tech plan.
Ryan is somewhat frustrated about the stir created by his departure. “I care greatly about Hofstra and want it to be second in the country every year behind Ohio State, “he said. “It is out of my hands at this point. I started at Ohio State May 1.”
He disagrees with the letter of intent holding athletes when a coach departs, but he believes his former administrators will rectify the situation. Said Ryan, “I believe that Jack Hayes and the president [Stuart Rabinowitz] will do the right thing.”
Remembering Teague. Teague Ryan, Tom Ryan’s 5-year-old son, who died in 2004 from the heart disorder called Long Q-T Syndrome, will be with his family in body and spirit when they leave Long Island. The child was interred in a mausoleum but will be moved to the Midwest. “If my son was not buried above ground, we probably would never leave, “Ryan said. “I believe he is with God, but this is a human way of keeping him close to us.”
Wrestling Gear
