ORLANDO, Fla. — The bookend parts fit a storybook year.
Ryan Larson, in his only season as a College of Charleston basketball player, was MVP of the Charleston Classic in November and MVP of a classic Charleston victory at the CAA Tournament in March.
The No. 12 seed Cougars bowed out of the NCAA Tournament early, losing by 63-57 to No. 5 seed San Diego State at the Amway Center on Thursday.
But the stuff in between summer workouts, when Larson just knew this team was special, to late Thursday afternoon, when he gave a final wave to the Cougar fans on hand in Orlando …
A 31-4 record.
Just the second NCAA Tournament appearance for the Cougars since 1999.
Four months of TD Arena madness.
“I can’t put into words what this team means to me, what the coaches and the whole coaching staff mean to me,” Larson said. “Quite frankly, it’s probably been the most special basketball season in my life. And it’s all credit to my teammates and coaches.”
He talked about his fellow students, the fans, the college itself.
“I would not trade a single thing for what’s happened this year,” Larson said.
It had to be a little more than even the always optimistic Pat Kelsey bargained for when he signed a 6-1 grad student from Wofford and St. Paul, Minn.
A pretty good player at Wofford was a team leader on a College of Charleston squad with three other standout grad students, Pat Robinson III, Dalton Bolon and Jaylon Scott.
So popular off the court they call him The Mayor.
The best player on one of the school’s best teams.
Larson, the College of Charleston MBA student, was good for business.
A Michael Jordan act
Larson had a good regular season, averaging 10.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He led the Cougars in assists (4.0) and steals (1.6).
He saved the best for the most important game of the season, looking like Michael Jordan against the Utah Jazz with big baskets at one end of the floor (23 points) and a critical steal at the other end in College of Charleston’s 63-58 victory over UNC Wilmington in the CAA Tournament championship game on March 7.
That and other hero stuff in Washington, D.C., earned Larson the tournament MVP award.
San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher was well aware of Larson and the Cougars’ other 3-point shooters, and that the key was College of Charleston’s knack for getting extra shots.
“They send more people (to the rim) than anybody in the country,” Dutcher said Wednesday.
With the Aztecs holding College of Charleston to one offensive rebound in the first half and eight overall, the Cougars had to scramble.
They forced a lot of shots and wound up 5 for 24 from 3-point range. Larson scored 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Just after the buzzer sounded, he got a hearty pat on the back from sophomore guard Reyne Smith.
“He set an example for the rest of my college career and life,” Smith said. “Being able to learn from him has been amazing and I’m sure a lot of the other guys feel the same way.”
Saw the madness coming
Larson started 82 games over four seasons at Wofford. That included helping Mike Young’s Terriers get to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
What, you think this was Larson’s first Big Dance card in the state of Florida?
No, he played as a freshman in Wofford’s 2019 win over Seton Hall in Jacksonville and the loss to Kentucky that followed.
A tougher loss Thursday, an end to a five-year college career. Larson was typically unflappable. Emotional, sure.
But no public tears.
Just a lot of appreciation for what he saw coming.
“That first week of summer practices, just the way everyone competed, it felt like we had been together for four years,” Larson said. “I had the exact same feeling my freshman year at Wofford. Just the togetherness and the love we had for each other was special.”
Next?
Larson hopes to continue playing basketball, probably internationally.
Then perhaps some commercial real estate or finance work.
But a part of Larson will remain in what Kelsey late Thursday called “the vibe on King Street,” a new legacy established by an old guy that did a little bit of everything to get College of Charleston back in the March Madness biz.
Follow Gene Sapakoff on Twitter @sapakoff
This content was originally published here.
