Mike Ridaught
Former Buchholz basketball coach Blake Golden said that in this era of college basketball, “it is extremely difficult to get a scholarship and to get any kind of money.”
Due to the COVID-19 extra year, and the transfer portal, the chances of playing at the next level right out of high school have diminished.
However, through hard work and dedication, Bobcats’ senior guard Ryan Webster earned that opportunity when he signed on Tuesday with Endicott College, a Division III program located in Beverly, Massachusetts, approximately 30 minutes from Boston.
“I’m just excited to finally be able to get the opportunity to play in college,” Webster said. “It’s been my dream my whole life and I’ve been through so much, and I’m just glad I just finally get to achieve my dream and go have fun.”
It will be a family reunion for Webster, who said his whole family lives there.
“Ever since I’ve been wanting to go to college I’ve been wanting to live near family because we used to take vacations up there,” he said. “I just love it. I’m just thankful that the coaches up there reached out to me and wanted to give me a chance because it’s like a dream school to me, sort of.”
Webster is expected to play at the 2-guard (shooting guard) this year. They believe he can really make an impact as a freshman.
“I think the biggest thing with Ryan that is attractive to a college team is number one his work ethic, and then number two the fact that he wants to help the team win,” said Golden, who stepped down as Bobcats’ coach in March. “You’re going to go super far in this game if you do those two things.”
It was an up-and-down year for the Buchholz basketball team, which finished 13-14 against one of the toughest schedules in the state.
Webster, who finished second on the team with an average of 12.6 points per game, said his biggest game as a Bobcat came during this year’s Class 6A-District 2 semifinals with a career-high 30 points in a 74-60 home win against Lincoln (Tallahassee).
“It was just such a fun game,” he said. “I just felt everything flowing. I texted my coach the night before and said, ‘We’re not going home tomorrow’ and I went out and just went off, had fun. Yeah, that’s my highlight of the year.”
Golden said, “That was a night where he kind of had it all going.”
“I love to see those nights for players because it proves that the work you’re putting in is being rewarded,” he said.
The honorable mention All Area selection followed that up with 16 points in his final game in a Buchholz uniform in a 59-55 loss at rival Gainesville in the district championship game.
“He was just a constant for us,” Golden said. “There was some ups and downs, people quitting and unsure, and some in between every year, but he was a constant factor every week, a first in, last out kind of guy, and those guys get rewarded.”