Ryan Amoroso led the Blaze to the semifinals of Class AAAA Section 4,
losing to Eden Prairie. Burnsville finished 22-7 and had won eleven straight
games before their playoff loss. He averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds per game.
He shot 50.4% from the field, 75.9% from the free throw line and 35.2% from the
charity stripe.
He underwent a growth spurt in ninth grade as he went from 6-4 to 6-8. He
said that he has worked hard to develop his post game and his ability to play
both inside and outside.
Amoroso started the 2001-02 season on the JV, but he continued to make
strides throughout the season and wound up averaging 9.8 points and five
rebounds per game as a sophomore.
Amoroso is playing for the Minnesota Magic AAU team again this season.
The team has juniors Spencer Tollackson and Miles Webb, who both committed to
Minnesota. They might have the top AAU team in the state. The Minnesota Magic
will play in the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions this weekend and in the AAU
national and Super Showcase in Orlando.
Amoroso has not received an invitation to the Nike or adidas ABCD camp
and will play at the mid-American camp in Kansas City, if he does not receive an
offer.
He said that he has worked hard in the offseason to improve his
quickness, strength, shot, jumping ability and athleticism. He has bulked up to
233 pounds.
Burnsville figures to be one of the state’s best teams next season. They
return 5-9 outside shooter Adam Chandler and 6-6 forward Eric Heisler. Amoroso
said that the sophomore team had a 6-8 player and two 6-7 performers who will
move up to the varsity next year
Amoroso has a nice shooting touch and has the ability to step out to
three-point range. He has made big strides in his game this season and observers
have even notice more improvement in the last month. He needs to continue to get
stronger and improve his athleticism. However, he has emerged as one of the top
five juniors in the state and his recruitment list will continue to expand.
Amoroso has visited Northern Iowa, Indiana State, Creighton and Marquette
unofficially. His father attended Northern Iowa and he has relatives in the
area. However, his continued improvement has likely cost the Missouri Valley
Conference team any chance of landing Amoroso.
Amoroso said that Marquette is the slight early favorite. However, that
is likely due to the Warriors being the biggest school to offer him a
scholarship and their Final Four bid certainly did not hurt. Amoroso admits that
he is a Gopher fan and understands the delay in getting a scholarship offer from
Minnesota, due to the uncertainty of Rick Rickert (who has since said that he is
staying in the NBA Draft) and limited official visits for the Gopher program.
Amoroso is a former youth golfer who finished 18th in the 2000
PGA Junior championship for 14-15 year olds. He is playing in the Lake
Conference meet today. Amoroso shot a season best 78 and said that he has a 10
handicap.