While the Saskatchewan Rush didn’t announce anything publicly, first overall pick Ryan Keenan knew days before the 2016 NLL draft that he was their choice. That’s due to the fact that the head coach and general manager of the Rush, the man with the most important input into team decisions, is Ryan’s father, Derek.
It was made official on September 26, when NLL commissioner Nick Sakiewicz announced Ryan’s name at the draft at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville. It’s the first time, supposedly, in pro sports history that a father has drafted his son first overall.
“[Going first] was a discussion we’d had leading up to this,” Ryan said. “I didn’t really know for sure until the days leading up. We wanted to keep it kind of under wraps and he didn’t want to give me too much information, but it was something we had always discussed.”
The 5-foot-11, 180 lb. lefty forward said hearing his name called first was a crazy moment and being selected by his father was even more special after the passing of his mother, Wendy, in 2015, as it allows him to be with family.
“It’s starting to sink in just a little bit,” he said. “It’s something I could never have imagined. It’s pretty special.”
Derek had been considering drafting Ryan for a long time, knowing his son was widely considered as one of the top three prospects for the draft, but it wasn’t a forgone conclusion. The Rush staff did their homework on all the available players.
“We had a very good idea as a group, my coaches and my western scout and our owner, that Ryan was one of those top three guys,” Derek said. “Then we looked at the position he played and it became a determination that we really needed to fill a role there and it came down to did I want to put him into that position from the pressure side of it. Being not only the number one overall pick, but being the number one overall pick chosen by your father. So that was kind of a hurdle we had to get over and that was through discussions with Ryan as well. He knew for awhile but we kept it quiet. It’s very exciting for him and our family.”
There was pre-draft speculation that Derek might not have wanted to put the pressure on Ryan as the number one pick. However, if Saskatchewan had not taken him, it’s likely the Toronto Rock would have in the number two spot.
“He would have been happy to play in Toronto, it was his favourite team growing up,” Derek said. “I used to be part of their staff years ago when he was a young kid and he loved the team.”
Ryan led the Quinnipiac University Bobcats men’s field lacrosse team in scoring in his senior year with 51 points in 16 games. He went on to have a dynamite rookie season with the MSL’s Brooklin Redmen in 2016, scoring 16 goals and 24 assists in 13 games, finishing fourth in team scoring.
“I’m just looking forward to being part of the Rush,” he said. “Being a part of this great organization and getting out there and showing what I can do and really earning a spot on the team.”
Ryan is not just an athlete, he’s a scholar too—and his dad may be even more proud of his off-floor accomplishments than his on-floor ones. Ryan graduated from a four-year business program at Quinnipiac but is back on campus this year, pursuing a master’s degree in finance.
“He was a D1 Academic All-American, there are only 43 chosen in all of the NCAA,” Derek said. “The fact that he’s committed to getting an MBA in a difficult program, a condensed program too (he started his senior year and will finish it up this year), I’m very very proud of that accomplishment, more so than anything else to be honest.”
Students have four years of NCAA eligibility so Ryan won’t be playing with the Bobcats this season, but he will still work out with his former teammates while he prepares himself for his first NLL camp.
“I’ll be training the rest of the year hard and I’m fortunate enough to work with some guys on the Quinnipiac lacrosse team, the strength and conditioning staff there, and I’m just going to be doing whatever it takes to get ready for the next level,” Ryan said.
Dad’s not worried about Ryan’s ability to make an impact at Rush camp.
“He’s well informed and has versed himself on how to prepare,” Derek said. “He’ll be fit and he’s already started working extremely hard in the weight room and running so I know he’ll be prepared. He knows what my standards are, he’s grown up with it.”
