A reunion four years in the making was finalized with a versatile guard’s commitment to the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team.
Ryan Rapp is transferring from Washington State, where he played in 54 games in three years as a point guard, off guard and wing. He will sign a scholarship agreement with UH, and join the Rainbow Warriors this summer. Rapp has two seasons of NCAA eligibility remaining.
In November 2018, Rapp visited Hawaii on a UH-hosted recruiting trip. He picked San Francisco over UH, but never made it to the USF campus. Rapp followed Kyle Smith, who resigned at USF to accept the head coach’s job at Washington State.
Now Rapp, who is 6 feet 5 and 200 pounds, will compete for multiple roles with the Rainbow Warriors.
“The biggest thing is the culture Hawaii brings,” said Ryan Rapp, who grew up in Melbourne, Australia. “I’m excited to be around that kind of culture and to immerse myself into it. I have really good relations with the (UH) coaches. The coaches believe in me and what I can do. I just want to be able to go out there and give it my all when it comes to basketball.”
UH head coach Eran Ganot and WSU’s Smith were assistants under Randy Bennett at Saint Mary’s. There are some schematic similarities between the ’Bows and Cougars.
“I can play in any type, really,” Rapp said. “It won’t be that big of a transition for me.”
Rapp was born in Glendova, Calif., but moved soon after to Australia, where his mother was reared and his father played basketball professionally. Tim Rapp played at UC San Diego, where he was a Division III All-American and eventual inductee into UCSD’s Hall of Fame. The elder Rapp also was head coach at Cal Poly Pomona. Ryan Rapp’s aunt, Jessica Foley, played for Duke, where she won a national championship. His sister Hannah Rapp is a guard for Saint Mary’s.
Growing up, Rapp was a point guard who was skilled on drives and outside shooting. During a stretch in high school from his sophomore to junior years at Mazenrod College, he grew 7 inches. “I kept all the ball skills I had growing up, but became a tall point guard,” Rapp said.
While enjoying his time in Pullman, Wash., Rapp decided “It was time. … I graduate this year. It’s a new chapter for me. I want to take on a bigger role, and see what I can do down in Hawaii.”
Rapp will earn a bachelor’s degree in finance next month. He plans to pursue a master’s in finance at UH.
Rapp will have a chance to compete for Junior Madut’s vacated role. Madut, who played both guard positions and the wing this season, will earn a bachelor’s degree next month and pursue pro-basketball opportunities. Noel Coleman, JoVon McClanahan, Amoro Lado, Beon Riley, Justus Jackson and Juan Munoz are combo guards for the ’Bows.