David Ryles could dish it out, and he’d steal an opponent blind when given the chance.
The former Milwaukee Messmer High School standout (1979-83) was inducted into the North Dakota State University Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, one of seven new members in the 37th annual ceremony.
Ryles was a four-year starter at guard and helped the Bison to three 19-9 finishes and a 16-12 season from 1983-87.
He was a first-team all-North Central Conference selection as a senior. He averaged 6.8 points during a career that included 94 starts. He held four NCC marks upon graduating: season and career records in assists and steals.
Ryles grew up in Milwaukee and started at Messmer beginning as a sophomore. He led Messmer to a third-place finish in the WISAA state tournament as a junior and earned all-league honors as a senior.
The former Bison star has worked for Waukesha County Juvenile Services during the 19 years since his playing days ended.
Here are a few of Ryles’ other accomplishments at NDSU:
He established eight school standards in assists and steals that still stand.
He led the Bison in assists and steals three times and topped the NCC in assists once and in steals on three occasions.
He holds school records for steals in a game (eight), season (86) and career (275), and assists in a game (16) and season (230). His 639 assists are second in school history.
Ryles works as a mentor for at-risk kids for Lad Lake, a nonprofit organization in Milwaukee. He and his wife, Mozella, and their five children live in Germantown.