'It's Surreal': St. Joe's Leading Scorer Ryan Daly Hopes Play Caught Eye Of NBA Scouts
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The hawk will never die in the Daly household. Three generations have played or coached at Saint Joseph's University and now Ryan Daly hopes to live out his NBA dream.
It's not just basketball that's in Ryan Daly's blood, it's St. Joe's basketball with a long family history on Hawk Hill. His grandfather is former St Joe's head coach Jim Boyle.
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"He actually recruited my dad and my dad married his daughter," Daly explained.
The junior is going to test the waters in this year's NBA Draft, but he's leaving the option open to return for his senior year.
"It's surreal to me. I only wanted to play Division I basketball. I never even dreamed about the NBA, but now it's a possibility, so I think it was the right thing to do," he said.
His coach, Billy Lange, supports him 100%.
"If he makes it, great! He can come back to Hawk Hill as alumni and we will embrace him. If he comes back and he finishes his eligibility here, we certainly want him to do that as well," Lange said.
Daly averaged just over 20 points per game last season, taking some amazing shots along the way. It's something he hopes will catch the eye of NBA scouts.
"I've had an uphill battle and I think I've produced everywhere I've been. I'll do anything for my team," Daly said. "I hope they know I'm a crazy competitor and all I want to do is win."
Now, if things don't work out for Daly in the NBA Draft this year, the Hawks would love nothing more than to have him back at St. Joe's.