By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Athletic ability runs strong in the men of the Windham family. Wayne Windham played basketball at Mississippi State University. His son Don played football and baseball at Northeast Mississippi Community College. Don’s oldest son, Eric, played baseball at St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley, and was recruited by several schools for his abilities on the football field. Eric’s little brother, Ryan, is currently following in their footsteps.

Ryan is playing basketball at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. The 19 year old son of Don & Vicki Windham is a 2010 graduate of Dexter High School and just finished his freshman season with the Eagles. He was a three-sport athlete at DHS until his senior year, when he decided not to play tennis. Despite not getting a lot of playing time during his freshman season, he is optimistic about his future at the school.

“I didn’t get to play a lot this year, but hopefully that will change this season,” he said. “We have a new coach and a new system, and I think it will be a good system to play in. It’s fast paced, which is what I like and play the best in, and that makes it more fun for me.”

The Eagles struggled last season, ending with an 11-17 (4-10 American Midwest Conference) record, but hopefully with new blood in the system, things will begin to change.

“Jeff Rider was our coach, and he had just finished his fifteenth season at Williams,” Windham added. “Coach Nichols actually played for him. Our new coach is John Austin, who used to be at Central Baptist in Conway.”

One would think that there would be a lot of pressure with such a prolific family history in athletics, but it wasn’t the case.

“There was never really that much pressure on me,” Windham noted. “Everybody always just told me that if I wanted to play, then go play. If not, that’s fine too. The only demand was that I give my best effort if I decided to play.”

Windham began playing basketball at a young age, and even went on to win the Show-Me State Games with one of his teams.

“I started playing AAU ball in fifth grade - we won the Show-Me State tournament,” Windham recalled. “Amos Smith was the coach - he started shooting with me and teaching me a lot, but I’ve played with the same group since third or fourth grade. Guys like Ben Mills, Sawyer Smith, Hunter Bruce and Chance Holden.”

“Amos always taught me left hand,” he added. “He told me that I’d never be the strongest or the fastest, so I’d have to be the smartest. That’s really stuck with me over the years - it’s all about reading the defense and seeing what they’re going to do.”

Moving into junior high and high school, Ryan had a great person to learn from: his older brother Eric, who was a starter on the varsity football, basketball, and baseball teams.


“My brother didn’t teach me a lot directly, but I learned a lot by watching him. We always played one on one growing up, but I still can’t beat him...its just that little brother thing. He always beats up on me in the driveway,” Windham said, laughing. “He was someone I could watch and mimic myself after, especially with ‘the shot’ - he has one of the best shots I’ve ever seen. Even today, when we play together, I still try to make myself shoot like him. He’s hard-nosed and likes to hit people, so I’ve tried to move that into my game as well. I’m not the biggest guy, so I have to make up for it with a little extra physicality sometimes.”

Windham also noted other DHS Alums that he took lessons from during his youth, as well as a former Duke Blue Devil.

“Amos Smith, I took his passing and ball-handling. I used to go across the street to his house; we’d sit in his basement and watch videos of Michael Jordan doing crazy moves with the ball and try to learn how to do them. I also liked watching Matt & Kyle Christian play when I was a kid, as well as Shannon Wright. I loved watching J.J. Redick when he was at Duke. He can hit shots at any time, averaged like 30 points a game. Great free-throw shooter too.”

A three sport athlete for all but his senior year, Windham enjoyed success on the football field and tennis court, as well as the basketball court.

“I liked whichever sport was in season the best, but I really liked football. The teamwork aspect that Coach Pixley pushed, I really got behind that and made it a part of my mentality in all sports,” he said. “We always just had fun in football - I was out there as a sophomore with my brother, and just kept going through and grew up and quit getting knocked around so much.”

Windham also noted the persistence of his high school basketball coach, Rob Nichols, in helping him to get where he is now.

“Coach Nichols always stayed on me about shooting the ball more,” he said. “He made me come in and shoot all the time, and I think it really helped me in getting a college basketball scholarship.”

Williams Baptist wasn’t the only school to recruit Windham: he was also contacted by Bethel University - where fellow Bearcat alum Derek Demaree played basketball - and Northeastern Mississippi Community College.

“I was looking at Bethel, where Derek Demaree went,” Windham recalled. “He talked to their coach about me and got me a tryout; I just didn’t feel that I’d really fit in there.”

“I like the people down there - everyone’s super nice,” Windham said of his school. “The Christian atmosphere is great. We’re in the middle of a corn field - literally - so there isn’t much to do other than go to Jonesboro, which is like 20 miles away. Being down there with Tyler [Tanner] really helps things a lot. It’s a really nice campus. They’ve been renovating a lot of the buildings recently.”

Windham is planning on finishing a business degree at Williams Baptist College, and expects to graduate in May of 2014.


Regardless of what he does in life or when he graduates, Ryan Windham will live up to both of his ‘family traditions‘ - he’s an outstanding collegiate athlete and he always has been, and always will be, a hard working man.

---


Make sure to check back with the ShowMe Times for updates on Ryan’s future basketball seasons at Williams Baptist College!