Many high school coaches will talk about how special a player is on and off the playing field. Salem boys’ basketball coach Ryan Nimmerguth raves about Ryan Peters in exactly that way.

“Ryan is an outstanding young man with a great work ethic who also is an excellent student in the classroom,” Nimmerguth said. “Being able to coach him and be a part of his growth on and off the court the last three years has been a pleasure.”

But to truly understand how special Peters is on and off the court is to hear about what he wants to do after high school.

“I want to do something that interests me but also helps others,” he said.

A three-year varsity player and two-year starter, Peters was All-Conference, an MHSAA Scholar Athlete and Salem MVP last year after averaging around 17 points per game and leading the Rocks in points, rebounds and steals.

“I know when talking with many opposing coaches he is near the top if not at the top of their scouting reports of our team,” Nimmerguth said. “He can score in multiple ways on offense and is tough to stop off the dribble when going to the basket. We love that he also takes great pride in his defense and every game he is asked to guard one of our opponents’ top players.”

The Rocks, who are coming off a season where they finished around .500 and lost their second playoff game, have set some big expectations for this year.

“This year’s team is a very close group even though we have all grade levels 9-12,” Peters said. “The underclassmen are mature and the seniors are great leaders. Our goal this year is to win districts and become a very tight-knit squad.”

Salem has long had a proud tradition and plenty of success on the basketball court.

“What makes Salem basketball special is how hard we work,” said Peters, who plays both point and shooting guard. “The past two years we haven't had a big/tall team, but we have made up for it with our hard play and competitiveness. Even through rough times we pick each other up and don't point fingers when things don't go our way.”

Ryan, 17, is the son of Hanan and Michael Peters and has a 4.2 GPA. He also plays lacrosse and enjoys snowboarding/skiing and chess. He plans on going to college and studying biomedical engineering.

“I’m still waiting on acceptance from some schools,” he said. “I want to play basketball in college but I also have my dream of being a biomedical engineer, so I will have a tough decision to make in January.”

He offers some excellent advice for youngsters just starting to dribble a basketball.

“My advice would be to give it your all every time you step on the court, and not to take it for granted,” he said. “Enjoy playing the game and don't put so much pressure on yourself to play well or win.”

And just don’t listen to his words, but follow in his footsteps if you want to be successful – on and off the court.

“My offseason consists of many hours of training in basketball, lacrosse, and the weight room,” Peters said. “I practice almost every day during the week, taking the weekend off to heal and regroup.”

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