He’s small by today’s standards for college guards at 6-foot-1, but he shoots the lights out.
Rick Pitino is looking for shooters and he may have got a good one in Ryan McMahon, who is averaging 27 points per game and hitting 55 percent of his shots. McMahon, who weighs only 170 pounds, plays for Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota.
McMahon committed Friday to play for the University of Louisville basketball team. He will be a member of the 2015 class.
The night Pitino flew in to watch him play, McMahon exploded with 22 points in the second half and overtime against St. Peterburg Shorecrest, finishing with 32, to advance the Cougars with a 64-62 overtime victory.
McMahon was 13 of 14 from the free throw line, including 3 of 4 in overtime and 5 of 6 in the fourth quarter.
Can he withstand the physical pressure at the next level? His coach, Stefan Gates, believes so. “I’ll tell you what, the kid gets bumped, grabbed, pushed. It’s been happening all year. He’s found a way to fight through that and it’s made him a better player.”
Oh, and he reportedly has a 39-inch vertical leap.