The last time the Waynesboro Indians dominated on the basketball court, Ryan Shaffer was one of the main cogs on a team that won 38 games in two seasons.
Three years ago, Shaffer moved his game to McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. And he’s coming into his own with the Green Terror.
Shaffer, the son of Scott and Kathy Shaffer of Waynesboro, is majoring in criminal justice.
McDaniel is an NCAA Division III program that competes in the Centennial Conference with Johns Hopkins, Franklin & Marshall, Bryn Mawr, Ursinus, Washington College, Haverford, Swarthmore, Dickinson, Muhlenberg and Gettysburg.
Shaffer, who said he never heard of McDaniel before he received a text message from Green Terror assistant coach Carson Garvis, has himself become a very familiar sight on the hardwood at McDaniel, formerly Western Maryland College (the site of the Baltimore Ravens summer camps for years).
The 6-foot-3 junior guard has started in all 18 games this season, averaging 27.4 minutes and 6.8 points per game.
“He’s been having a great year for us,” Curley said Wednesday as the team was preparing for its home game against Gettysburg College. “I’m really proud of the way he’s playing. I’m happy with his intensity and effort.”
Shaffer’s season-high so far was a 25-point performance against Delaware Valley in which he played 37 minutes out of 40 minutes on Nov. 22. He was 10 of 13 from the field and made three of four from three-point range.
“Yeah, obviously he shot the ball really well that game,” said Curley. “He was feeling it. He carried us.”
In fact, Shaffer’s 25 points, 37 minutes played, three three-pointers and 12 rebounds against Delaware Valley were all career highs.
“It was just like one of those days everything felt like it was going to go in,” Shaffer said. “ Basketball is like a rhythm sport; you can be hot some days and cold some days. I kept getting open.”
It wasn’t always that way. Shaffer said he didn’t play a minute during his freshman year.
“My sophomore year, I played a little, not as much as I wanted,” Shaffer said. “This year, I worked hard in the summer and fall to earn the spot.”
Shaffer’s secret to success? “Work hard and do my job every time I’m on the floor,” he said.
Shaffer’s dedication to preparing for the season was not lost on the coaching staff.
“This fall he was working hard in the gym,” Curley said. “It paid off. I could see it the way he was playing defense.”
Defense is just as important as offense at McDaniel. Shaffer describes defense as a “mentality. You realize how important defending is. A lot of drills are defensive-centered.”
The 2022-23 Tribe team advanced to the PIAA Class 6A state tournament, no small feat in a state that features some of the most talented players anywhere.
