Ryan Tapak was a former, four-year basketball player that played for the Indiana Hoosiers after walking on. He is from Indianapolis, Indiana and went to Perry Meridian High School also located in Indianapolis. Tapak played as a guard for the Hoosiers between 2001 and 2005.
- Name: Ryan Tapak
- Position: Guard
- Nationality: USA
- Birthday: October 10
- Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
- High School: Perry Meridian High School (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Height: 6’2″ (188 cm)
- Weight: 180 lb (86 kg)
- Seasons: 4 (2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2004-2005)
- Jersey: #34
- Education: Indiana University
Awards and Accolades
- 2002 NCAA Tournament Runner Up
- 2002 Big Ten Regular Season Champion
Ryan Tapak Seasons with the Hoosiers
25-12 (11-5 Big Ten)
🥈NCAA Runner-Up
21-13 (8-8 Big Ten)
🏅 NCAA Second Round
14-15 (7-9 Big Ten)
15-14 (10-6 Big Ten)
🏅 NIT First Round
Ryan Tapaka Career Statistics at Indiana University
| Season | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-2002 | 14 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 8 | 0.375 | 1 | 4 | 0.25 | 2 | 4 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2002-2003 | 10 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 7 | 0.143 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2003-2004 | 20 | 5 | 338 | 23 | 74 | 0.311 | 6 | 15 | 0.4 | 17 | 59 | 0.288 | 4 | 7 | 0.571 | 10 | 40 | 50 | 40 | 17 | 5 | 24 | 36 | 67 |
| 2004-2005 | 16 | 0 | 130 | 3 | 15 | 0.2 | 2 | 4 | 0.5 | 1 | 11 | 0.091 | 2 | 3 | 0.667 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 9 |
| Career | 60 | 5 | 517 | 30 | 104 | 0.288 | 10 | 24 | 0.417 | 20 | 80 | 0.250 | 7 | 12 | 0.583 | 14 | 52 | 66 | 52 | 28 | 6 | 35 | 48 | 87 |
Ryan Tapak High School (Perry Meridian) Career
Tapak played high school ball at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis, Indiana and averaged 13 points per game his senior year. In the regional title game against Lawrence North in 2001, Perry Meridian lost in a nail biter 58-57 on a game winning tip in at the buzzer. In that game, Tapak scored 23 points and hit a whopping 7 three-pointers.
Ryan Tapak Indiana University Basketball Career
Tapak’s efforts in high school didn’t land him a scholarship initially at Indiana. However, he didn’t give up on his dreams of becoming a Hoosier. When he arrived at Bloomington, Tapak only weighed 145 pounds, and his mother told him he was too small to play in the Big Ten. When he made the team, he weighed in at 180 pounds and called his mother, who was emotional.
Even though Tapak was a walk on, he still made an impact on coach Mike Davis’ 2001-2002 NCAA Tournament runner up team his freshman year by playing 14 games. This team also went on to share the Big Ten Regular Season Championship with Illinois.
In the following year, Tapak saw a slight uptick in minutes per game but ended up playing 10 games that year. The 2002-2003 team started off the year great, winning the Maui Invitational by defeating Massachusetts, Gonzaga, and Virginia. Unfortunately, the team would not have as much success as the year prior. The Hoosiers finished 6th in the Big Ten and lost to Big East tournament champion and regular season co-champion Pittsburgh in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
During Tapak’s junior year, coach Davis utilized him the most. He played 17 minutes a game and averaged 2 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. However, the Hoosiers had a rough season, finishing 14-15 overall and 7-9 in the Big Ten.
During Tapak’s senior season, he dealt with a downgrade in playing time, averaging only 8 minutes per game. The 2004-2005 season was also largely unsuccessful, resulting in a 15-14 overall record, and 10-6 Big Ten record, leading to a 4th place finish in a tough conference yet no NCAA Tournament bid. IU would go on to participate in the NIT, yet they fell in the first round.
