Despite height, 'he got game'

Photo By Lance Cpl. Robert Frenke | The shortest member on the U.S. Department of Defense Men's All-Tournament Basketball Team, Lance Cpl. Ryan McLellan (middle) is a force to be reckoned with on the court. During the 2008 Armed Forces Basketball Championship tournament, McLellan led the All-Marine Basketball team in scoring, averaging more than 21 points a game.  

CAMP FOSTER, JAPAN

06.06.2008

Story by Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

By Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein
III Marine Expeditionary Force, Public Affairs

OKINAWA, Japan - Standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, the kid from Newport, Maine, hardly projects an intimidating presence when he steps on the basketball court.

But at 23 years old, Lance Cpl. Ryan McLellan, a maintenance management specialist with Marine Air Control Group 18, is among the best basketball players in the Marine Corps.

As the starting point guard for the All-Marine Basketball team, McLellan led the team in scoring, averaging more than 21 points a game, during the 2008 Armed Forces Basketball Championship tournament in Fort Indiantown Gap, Penn.

He was subsequently picked to be the All-Tournament Team and selected for the All-Armed Forces Team. McLellan represented the U.S. as the squad won gold during this year's Conseil International du Sport Militaire Basketball Tournament in Texas by defeating military teams from seven other countries. It was the first tournament victory for the U.S. forces team in 20 years.

McLellan's basketball success could be attributed to his seemingly endless passion for the game and fighting spirit, which he attributes to his "strong Scottish bloodline." Even now, just talking about basketball brings a smile to his face because it sparks memories of friends, family and overcoming adversity, he said.

He remembers as a boy sitting alone on an "uncomfortable bar stool" in his family's kitchen watching his favorite team, the Chicago Bulls, on a 17-inch television screen while the rest of his family gathered in the living room to watch movies.

Basketball first became a major part of his life when he and his brother, Corey Rodrigue, started playing for the Wolves, a local 3rd-grade team coached by his stepfather Jason Tardy.

"Even though Ryan was the best player in that league, he made it a point to pass it to everyone on the team when he clearly could have dominated the game on his own," Tardy said. "He quickly became a fan of the 'no look pass.'"

Tardy said as his step-son's passion for the game grew, he practiced non-stop and constantly sought out the toughest games he could find to improve his skills.

"He would spend hours in the basement using the (support columns) as defenders, dribbling, changing hands and bouncing the ball off the wall to catch it as if it were a pass," Tardy said. "He always had a ball in his hands, and the wall took a beating."

Tardy boasts an undefeated record against McLellan in one on one, but admits once the future Marine reached 7th grade, he stopped playing him to protect his title.

McLellan continued to play basketball throughout junior high, but it was the summer before his 8th-grade year that he said he really started taking the game seriously.

"I was really, really small growing up," he said, noting he was always the smallest player on the teams he played with. "Once I hit my first growth spurt, I got a little more into it because I could do more."

He grew to about 5 feet 8 inches tall that summer and continued to play throughout high school, competing in national competitions. During his senior year at Nokomis Regional High School, he once again played alongside his brother, Rodrigue, on the Nokomis Warriors.

After high school, McLellan first planned to attend Army boot camp on a buddy program with Rodrigue, who is now a private first class in the Army. But McLellan changed his mind deciding instead to go the civilian route.

But after a semester of college basketball and a short period of working construction and playing in various men's basketball leagues, he decided again to join the military. This time, he chose the Marine Corps.

"It makes family Christmases a little more interesting," he said.

After boot camp and occupational training, he arrived on Okinawa and started playing at Camp Foster's Gunners Fitness Center during lunch and after work.

"I played about five to six times a week," he said.

The daily games helped him network with other basketball enthusiasts and join teams to compete in tournaments.

One of the enthusiasts included Staff Sgt. Floyd Spears, a member of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Basketball Team and former member of the All-Marine and All-Armed Forces Teams.

"He gave me the start I needed to actually get to (All-Marine) camp," he said.

McLellan joined the 1st MAW Basketball Team with the hopes of making the All-Marine Basketball Team, he said. He got his shot; but what he considers a poor performance in front of All-Marine scouts during an island-wide regional tournament, nearly cost him his chance.

"For the first three days, I couldn't hit a jump shot," he said. "Our team was loaded, and I didn't really have to do anything, just dribble the ball, pass it, and hit a couple jump shots here and there. They made fun of me the first few days, 'Man Mac shows up, and he can't hit a jump shot.' Luckily they knew that I could play, and they sent me to camp anyway."

The friendly banter he was accustomed to was no different when he arrived at the All-Marine camp to play for his spot on the squad.

"They made fun of me at camp," McLellan said. "They said when I came walking in, they thought I was in the wrong building."

Trying his best to contain his laughter, McLellan recalled some comments made by players at the camp. "We saw Mac walk in with his long-john shirt on thinking 'he's showing up to softball practice,'" McLellan said mimicking the voices of his teammates.

"I had a good laugh at that," he said.

During the All-Marine Basketball Team camp, the team traveled around competing in games against military teams in Atlanta, Georgia and Washington D.C. With a better showing in these games, McClellan earned his spot on the team.

The All-Marine Team finished third in the All-Armed Forces Tournament in Pennsylvania where McLellan was named to the All-Armed Forces Team.

McLellan said the players immediately formed strong bonds of friendship on and off the court. Those same bonds helped the team take the Conseil International du Sport Militaire Basketball Tournament going undefeated against seven foreign military teams.

Currently, McLellan waits to compete in the 45th Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Basketball Tournament in Germany. He hits the courts to catch games during lunch and after work. But even now, he still deals with players unaware of his accomplishments who pass him up for taller players.

But he takes it all in stride with a modest laugh while warming the bench, waiting for a friendly face that knows he has game.

• Date Taken: 06.06.2008
• Date Posted: 06.08.2008 03:33
• Story ID: 20207
• Location: CAMP FOSTER, JP