Ryan Humphrey 2021-22 Men's Basketball Staff

Ryan Humphrey is entering his sixth season at Notre Dame in 2021-22. He returned to his alma mater in the summer of 2016-17 after serving as the Director of Player Development at Northwestern University and finishing off an outstanding professional basketball playing career.

Humphrey had an immediate effect on the Irish front line players in 2016-17, particularly All-American forward Bonzie Colson. A first-team All-ACC selection, Colson averaged a double-double and set career marks for scoring, rebounding and blocked shots in Humphrey’s first year on the Irish bench.

In the 2018-19 season, junior John Mooney showed off his development by leading the ACC in rebounding, earning third-team all-league honors and posting 13 double-doubles in ACC play – the most since Tim Duncan had 15 in the 1996-97 season. Humphrey then pushed Mooney to even greater heights in 2019-20, as the senior forward led the nation in double-doubles with 25 while finishing second overall and first among power five conference players in rebounds per game (12.7). 

Humphrey was a key component of Mike Brey’s first Notre Dame squad that returned Irish basketball to national prominence. A transfer from Oklahoma who sat out the 1999-2000 season due to NCAA regulations, Humphrey averaged 14.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in 2000-01, earning third-team All-BIG EAST honors and helping the Irish finish with a 20-10 record and claim the program’s first conference title by finishing first in the BIG EAST West Division.

Moving to a captaincy role in 2001-02 with David Graves and current Director of Basketball Operations Harold Swanagan, Humphrey was named the Notre Dame Monogram Club Team MVP after leading the Irish with 18.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He finished the season with 11 straight double-doubles and helped the Irish return to the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 22-11 record.

In his two years with the Irish, Humphrey blocked 166 shots, just 35 off the school record (201 by Jordan Cornette from 2001-05) and his 2.8 career blocks per game average is the best in school history. In his final season, Humphrey established the school record for single-season blocked shots with 87 and his 2000-01 and 2001-02 blocked shot average of 2.7 and 2.8 rank first and second, respectively, on the Notre Dame single season lists.

Humphrey spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Oklahoma and was a third-team all-Big 12 selection as a sophomore. Searching for a change of scenery from OU, Humphrey transferred to Notre Dame in part to play for Matt Doherty, who recruited him while an assistant at Kansas. Doherty coached the Irish during the 1999-2000 season, then left to coach North Carolina at the end of the season.

His professional career started when he was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 19th selection of 2002 NBA Draft. Humphrey was traded to Orlando Magic on draft night for the rights to the 20th overall selection, Curtis Borchardt. His first season with the Magic was limited to 13 games by knee tendinitis and he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in March 2003.

Humphrey played for the Grizzlies through the 2004-05 season and finished his NBA career appearing in 85 games and averaging 2.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest. He continued his career in Italy for the 2005-06 season, playing 17 games for Bipop-Carire Reggio Emilia and three games in the Spanish League for Polaris World Murcia. Humphrey’s stops around the world playing professional basketball included Puerto Rico, Cyprus, Uruguay, Argentina and Venezuela. His lifetime statistics from the collection of ‘Euro League’ games are 127 GP, 1,644 points (12.9 pg) and 778 rebounds (6.1 pg).

Humphrey also enjoyed a standout season in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the NBA D-League’s 66ers in the 2008-09 season, averaging 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Humphrey and his wife, RaSheda have two sons, Ryan and Rylan.

Humphrey In The Notre Dame Record Book –

• 1st in blocked shots average (2.8)

• 3rd in total blocked shots (166)

• 10th in rebound average (10.0)

• 16th in scoring average (16.6)

College Basketball Honors and Awards –

• 2002 Basketball News Second-Team All-American

• 2002 All-BIG EAST First Team

• 2002 Basketball Times All-Mideast Team

• 2002 Notre Dame Monogram Club Team MVP

• 2001 Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic MVP

• BIG EAST Player of the Week (Nov. 26, 2001)

• 2001 All-BIG EAST Third Team

• 1999 All-Big 12 Third Team (at Oklahoma)

• 1998 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (at Oklahoma)

• Big 12 Freshman of the Week (Dec. 29, 1997) (at Oklahoma)

Professional Basketball Honors and Awards –

• 2012 Latinbasket.com All-Liga Sudamericana Second Team

• 2012 Latinbasket.com All-Uruguay LUB Second Team

• 2011 Eurobasket.com All-Spanish LEB Gold Third Team

• 2010 Eurobasket.com All-Spanish LEB Gold Second Team

• 2010 Eurobasket.com Spanish LEB All-Imports Team

• 2007 Eurobasket.com All-Cyprus League Second Team

• 2007 Eurobasket.com Cyprus League All-Imports Team

HUMPHREY NOTES:

• Participated in the 2002 NCAA Final Four Slam Dunk Contest.

• In the summer of 1998 was one of 32 collegians who participated in the USA Goodwill Games Team trials and was one of the last two players cut before the final roster.

• Saved some of his best basketball at Notre Dame during the NCAA tournament, averaging 16.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg and 3.5 bpg in four appearances.

• If his total rebounds from Oklahoma were added to his Notre Dame totals, would rank sixth all-time in Notre Dame history with 1,040 rebounds.

• Was just three points shy (997) of scoring 1,000 points in his two-year Notre Dame career.

• A powerful post presence and slam dunk specialist, Humphrey is still remembered for shattering a fiberglass backboard on a rebound dunk during practice in November of 2000.

• Has a twin sister, Robyn, who also started college at Oklahoma and also transferred to Notre Dame.

• Spent time in the summer pro leagues for the Orlando Magic (2002), Memphis Grizzlies (2003, 2004) and Golden State Warriors (2006).

• Also spent some time on the Minnesota Timberwolves preseason camp in 2006 and the Los Angeles Clippers roster during the 2006 season.