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Michigan native Zyla takes the reins, looks to turn program around
Ryan Zyla’s basketball journey has taken him to Ely.
After coaching stints in Texas and his native Michigan, and jobs both as a head high school and club coach and collegiate assistant, Zyla has his first college head coaching job and is in charge of the women’s basketball program at Vermilion.
His Ironhawks have been practicing for several weeks, scrimmaged last weekend and are getting set for a Nov. 1 season-opener in Austin to kick off the 2024-25 campaign.
For Zyla, Vermilion is the latest stop in his quest to become a college head coach.
“It all started in Michigan and I played a little D3 basketball at Adrian,” said Zyla. “Then at age 22, I was a head high school coach in Jackson, Michigan, and then I was blessed to be able to be a student assistant in the women’s program at Lake Superior State, a D2 school. From there I ran my own AAU programs in Michigan and Texas.” Zyla was on track to assist a men’s basketball program in North Dakota when the Vermilion job opened up over the sumer.
“For a long time now I wanted to be a college head coach and I put my name out there,” he said. “It just happened that I had a job in North Dakota and Vermilion called and this happened. I like the challenge to build a program and try to turn around a program myself.”
Other than the Twin Cities, Zyla had never been to Minnesota before arriving here, but he said he’s already become attached.
“I love the community,” said Zyla. “This is a special place. You don’t really know until you get here how supportive the people are. It seems like when most people come here, they’re here. They come back for the summers or a part of them are still here. And at Vermilion, a lot of professors and administrators have been here a long time. They’ve put their heart and soul into the place.”
Zyla takes over an Ironhawks program that has struggled for several years, both on the court and with being able to consistently put a team on the court.
The new coach seems to have met his first challenge, assembling a 10-player roster.
Vermilion went 3-17 a year ago while several of the previous seasons were either canceled or riddled with forfeits because of a lack of players.
This year’s team is a work in progress, but recent scrimmages have shown that the Ironhawks could be much improved.
“We’ve put together a team from all over the country,” said Zyla. “We have a couple returners from last year’s team - Ce Ce Bradford and Destiny Gonzalez. I think they’re excited to have some help and have a team that hopefully plays a full year and has a full schedule. We’re excited. We should have a lot of growth and our motto this year is just to get better every day.”
Bradford, a California native, stands 5-4 and averaged about 10 points and eight rebounds per contest in her first season in Vermilion blue and gold.
Also back is Gonzalez, who is 5-3 and from El Paso, TX. She scored six points per night last winter.
Zyla may have found an impact first-year player in 5-10 Tamia Cahee, who hails from Lafayette, LA. “I think people found out this weekend she is legit,” said Zyla. “She’s a point forward but can play everywhere and score from ‘three.’ She can inside out and defend and can really impact the game.”
Several other first-year players are looking to make an impact, including smooth-shooting Amiya Yunker (5-5, Bradenton, FL) and guard Ni’Jay Wright (5-3, Detroit, MI).
Angie Schuchart, a post player from Houston, provides some size. “She’s a true six-footer and I think she’ll be our most improved player from our first game Nov. 1 to our last game,” said Zyla. “She just needs game reps.”
Aurora Seidel (5-9, Huson, MT) comes to Vermilion as a third-year college student but one who has entered the school’s veterinary technician program.
Meanwhile, Zyla is hoping Parker Johnson gives the Ironhawks a boost.
“She’s our hidden secret but is coming off a torn ACL,” said Zyla. “She averaged almost 22 points a game at a high level in Milwaukee. When she gets back healthy she’ll surprise some people.”
Come January, Vermilion will add more depth as transfer Lyric Chiplin (5-2, Vicksburg, MS) becomes eligible.
Last weekend’s scrimmages showed plenty of promise, according to Zyla.
“We got to play a couple of very good teams in Anoka and Minnesota West right off the bat,” said Zyla. “We got our feet wet and competed, and I think we learned talent-wise we’ve got enough to compete. I think the weekend proved we can make some noise in the north this year.”
The Vermilion schedule is busier than it has been for several years, starting with two games at Austin’s Riverland Classic Nov. 1-2, and a home opener Nov. 7 against Leech Lake.
“We just want to compete and if we put ourselves in position to win a ballgame, hopefully we can do that,” said Zyla. “But it’s the repetition. If you look at the schedule we’ve put together. We play Minnesota West, we play Rochester, we play some really good teams in that first semester. We want to see the best so we can prepare for the start of our conference season in January. When we get to league play that’s when we want to be our best.”
The docket includes 13 home dates at the Vermilion gymnasium. “I think we’ll play hard and we’ll play the right way,” said Zyla. “We will try and get involved in the community, get involved in the school and support the other teams so I think, these girls are from all over the place, so to come and support the team and support their story and they really are working hard. It’s a representation of Ely. We’re trying to be a program that’s hard working and doing things the right way.”
Zyla has some help on the sideline, with assistants Dominic Lynch and Kevin Lawler.
