6'5" Cormac Ryan is the embodiment of the student-athlete that the NCAA ads try to portray. A junior at the academically rigorous Milton Academy, Ryan deals with battling an extensive academic workload, while trying to develop one of the better perimeter skill-sets in the class of 2018 as well as enhancing his physique and overall athleticism. After moving over from the Middlesex Magic, the four-star junior guard is currently leading the New York Renaissance in scoring (18 ppg) on the vaunted EYBL. Ryan is being pursued by some of the nation's strongest combinations of athletic-academic programs, including Notre Dame, Michigan, Stanford, Northwestern, Villanova, and Yale, where he has strong family ties. We caught up with Ryan to discuss the latest in his recruitment and adjustments to Nike's EYBL Circuit.

Let's start with your high school season. How do you think you developed over the course of the year?

The high school season for me went really well. We made it to the New England Class-A Final Four. We had a really young team this year, so I'm really proud of what we were able to accomplish, especially against teams that have fifth year seniors and that kind of experience. I'm proud of our guys and what we did. It went really well for me, personally, in terms of being a play-maker and a leader for those guys and getting us to where we need to go. I'm just looking forward to playing on the EYBL. It'll be great for me and I'm looking forward to it.

Maybe touch on your skill and physical development. You added some upper body strength.

I'm been working on my strength and agility and athleticism because that's a big part of the next level and the next level after that. So, I think that'll be my standout for people who haven't seen me play in a while. You know, lifting and continuing to get stronger and I need to work on foot speed and lateral quickness is definitely a focus for me. There's definitely more room for me there- continue to work on my body and get it where I want it to be to play at the next level.

What are you hoping to show coaches and other players this summer on the EYBL circuit?

I'm playing mostly for my teammates. Just that I'm a capable athlete and defender. I think that is often misconceived about my game.

This is your opportunity to show you're capable of defending some of the elite athletes.

Some of the coaches who have seen me play on EYBL, one of the things they're saying, "We saw you at Middlesex and we knew you were a talented player, but we didn't know how well you could compete against some of these guys." That's the main reason I came here to kind of show myself and show others I'm capable of defending and playing against the highest level of guys.

Does it infuse you with confidence, when you can compete with players at the highest level?

Yeah, absolutely. I believed I could do it and now actually coming out here and showing I can be really good or me, I think, proving to myself that I can do this and I'm absolutely capable of making plays.

People are always interested in recruiting. Who are some schools you're hearing a lot from?

Recruiting for me, the process basically began last summer and in Middlesex which was good and you have to have some time since receiving a handful of offers basically last summer and evaluate my options. I'm basically looking at high-level academic and high-level basketball schools.

I noticed. It's refreshing. Yale..

My family puts a big focus on education. I haven't made any decisions, but the list is Stanford, Northwestern, Michigan, Notre Dame, Villanova, and Yale are among the ones that have been recruiting me the hardest off of that package I'm looking for. There are some others, but I would say those are the core ones.

Which schools have you visited so far? Do you have any upcoming?

I've been lucky enough to visit the schools that have been recruiting me, which is a big part of getting to know them. I've visited Michigan, I've visited Northwestern, Villanova, Stanford, Yale, Notre Dame, all of those guys.

Can you give a quick comment on each of those schools? What were the highlights of their pitches?

They all have great staffs. They're professionals, all of them. They know how to do this and have done it for a while. With Notre Dame, Mike Brey's a great guy and runs great offense at Notre Dame. Michigan is both high academic and basketball. (John) Beilein is also a great coach and knows how to develop his guards. Villanova speaks for itself coming off of a National Championship two years ago. They have a great basketball culture over there. Coach (Jay) Wright has really done a phenomenal job in building a culture of winning and respect and teamwork. Stanford's a new coaching staff, but Coach (Jerod) Haase and his staff basically put together almost a top ten recruiting class coming in 2017, which is really impressive. I think those guys have a great job of hitting the ground running over there and are poised for success. Northwestern had a historic season this year making it to the tournament for the first time, a lot of energy in the program. Coach (Chris) Collins is a really great guy, loves the game, loves basketball, knows how to use guards in his offense. Yale is shocking to some people. The Ivy League is commonly undervalued, in terms of basketball and the conference is really good. It's not as big time, show time, TV money stuff, but they have some high-level players. Coach (Joe) Jones and I have had a long relationship. My brother goes there right now. They're doing a great job.

What do you think it'll come down to? Style of play? Distance? What are some factors? You're, sort of, an unusual recruit.

I don't know. Basically, the relationship with head coaches is important for any school because those are having the most impact on your basketball life. The style of the school, the academics of the school, and the campus life is important. I'm thinking through it. There's a lot of factors. I could be there all day if I list them all.

Do you have a timeline for when you'd like to decide by?

I don't really have a timeline in terms of dates. Whenever I feel confident enough in a coaching staff and school, I'll make a decision. I think there's no reason to wait if you know what you want to do. It can only help you. I don't need any additional media attention and I can go back to playing basketball and doing what I do best.

Has this attention changed your life? You go to a very good academic school, which may insulate you a bit.

I think being a part of a school that has a high-academic people and really smart people is they create an environment where there's not a lot of fanfare, which is nice because sometimes recruiting gets very distracting for people. I just like to go about my business in school and on the court.

I assume you have pro aspirations as well.

Yeah, that's every college player's, every high school player's dream, so if things work out and everything goes well, I hope so.