Dan Gibbs recently wrote about Derin Saran, but there’s another prospect at the Asheville School who is receiving Division 1 attention as well. 2024 forward Ryan Soulis is in his 1st season with the Blues and has quickly proven to be an important part of their success. From Greece, I first saw Soulis in a workout during the fall where he made it clear that he’d be one I’d track closely during his final 2 years of high school.
Soulis moves well for a 6’9-10” player and makes good use of that mobility on both sides of the ball. He runs in transition, can switch out onto guards away from the basket, and gets off the floor quickly to finish inside or contest shots. At the 2024 Select 80 Camp in September, he had a lot of people talking about these traits paired with a high level of energy & effort, which made him one of the day’s top performers.
The regular season is winding down for Asheville School and Soulis has become a consistent double-double threat for a Blues team that is 16-5 & regarded as one of the top NCISAA teams. Offensively he has shown skill & touch around the basket along in addition to the ability to step out for 3’s, but a lot of his production doesn’t require the ball much. Soulis & Saran have developed chemistry, resulting in Soulis being on the receiving end of accurate lobs & drop-offs for emphatic finishes. Although on the thinner side, he does not shy away from contact in traffic and has an aggression that you want from your big man.
Now that he’s put forth a productive year and the travel season is coming up, coaches are starting to take note of him as a prospect they need to be on this spring & summer. Stony Brook became the 1st school to offer Soulis on January 23rd; he visited UNCG for a game on January 29th and visited Furman for their game against Wofford yesterday. Given what I’ve seen from Soulis and the growth that should come, I expect a handful of similar level schools to jump into his recruitment. He has a lot of traits that are desirable in a post prospect.