While so many high school basketball players are chasing after a basketball scholarship at the collegiate level, Ryan Thissen has a different plan for himself. Thissen, a 6’6” senior forward at Eastview High School Minnesota, has two scholarship offers from division two schools. However, Thissen has turned his focus to a pair of division three schools. 

Over the summer Thissen received scholarship offers from Bemidji State and Minot State. For Thissen however, those two were just not suited best for him, “these schools had a lot of things to offer and I really liked the coaching staff from both schools, but I just felt they weren’t the best fit for me.”

Instead, he has currently narrowed his focus down to Saint John’s University and University of St. Thomas. They are two of the premier division three programs in the nation and both located in his home state of Minnesota. When talking about these two schools, Thissen mentioned “they have everything I’m looking for in a school, which is how I’d fit into their programs, they have great post basketball opportunities to help me with the profession I want to pursue. I just really like the atmosphere of the community and team at both schools.” 

Thissen and Eastview are currently having a big season as they stand at an impressive 10-1 record. The forward is leading the charge with a staggering stat line of 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. In one his most recent game, the forward drilled a deep buzzer beating three-pointer to give his squad a key victory over East Ridge High School. 

The wait to see where Thissen will be playing collegiate basketball should not be long as he stated that he would be looking to make a commitment in the middle of his high school season which is quickly approaching.