Ella Ryan’s basketball journey has taken her from Brentwood, Tennessee, to Hamden, Connecticut, and now to Tempe, Arizona. The former Brentwood High School standout spent her first college season at Quinnipiac University, where she earned conference all-rookie honors before transferring to Arizona State. On Nov. 2, the 5-foot-8 sophomore guard scored eight points in her Sun Devil debut, an 84–41 season-opening win over Jackson State.

Ryan left Brentwood as the program’s career leader in points (2,321), rebounds (600), three-pointers (309) and steals (275). She also set school records with 689 points in a season and 40 in a game. A two-time all-state selection and Tennessee Miss Basketball finalist, she averaged 25 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals as a senior while shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc.

At Quinnipiac in 2025–26, Ryan started 33 of 34 games and averaged 10.4 points and 4.1 rebounds. She ranked third on the team in scoring and second with 67 made three-pointers, hitting about 41 percent from deep to lead the Bobcats. She was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week three times, earned a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie Team and helped Quinnipiac reach the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.

Her rebounding carried over from Brentwood, too. The freshman guard ranked fourth on the team in rebounds per game. Ryan joined coach Molly Miller’s transfer class for the 2026–27 season and wears No. 22 for the Sun Devils. The move from the MAAC to the Big 12 gives her a chance to show how her shooting holds up against a new set of defenses. At Brentwood, she carried much of the scoring load. At Quinnipiac, she showed she could start nearly every game and make roughly two threes a night while sharing the offense. Now Arizona State gets a sophomore with a full season of Division I starts and a shot that can stretch a defense.