Former Notre Dame sharpshooter Matt Ryan transfers to Vanderbilt

With Matthew Fisher-Davis, Riley LaChance, and Jeff Roberson all graduating in 2018, Vanderbilt will have a need for shooting in subsequent seasons. Bryce Drew went a long way toward addressing that projected hole on the roster by adding Notre Dame transfer Matt Ryan, who will be eligible to play in 2018-19 after sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. Ryan announced his decision via Twitter on Tuesday night.

Ryan, a 6’7”, 228-pound forward from Cortlandt Manor, NY, played two seasons for the Irish before transferring. He saw his minutes decrease from 14.5 to 7.9 per game as a sophomore, which likely played a role in his decision to leave the program — though at least one Notre Dame site thought he would have started for them next season.

Of course, that site also pointed out that the presumed reason that Ryan didn’t get more playing time had to do with defensive deficiencies. Still, as a sophomore, Ryan shot 43.4 percent on three-pointers and 90 percent (small sample size alert) on free throws, so there’s no question he can shoot.

With Ryan in the fold, Vanderbilt now has 12 scholarships accounted for next season assuming everybody expected to return does, in fact, return. The Commodores have one scholarship available next season and are still looking at filling it with a big man.