How Ella Ryan's sister helped unlock the talent leading Brentwood basketball this season

Thoughts of her sister are never far away for Brentwood basketball sophomore Ella Ryan.

Last season, Ella and Sydney were a solid one-two punch for the Lady Bruins. Sydney supplied much of the offense while Ella picked her spots. The setup worked for coach Marcel Williams, who finished 21-10 in her first season.

With Sydney now playing at Furman, the attention has turned to Ella, who has developed into one of the best players in Middle Tennessee.

"I learned so much from Sydney last year as a freshman," Ella said after a 49-46 loss to Hillsboro in District 11-4A. "Basically, the passion to play comes from her. The little things that I do, like rebounding, that's just about desire and wanting it more than the other player. That comes from Sydney."

The pair are only two years apart but talk almost daily. Ella and her family have traveled to South Carolina to watch Sydney play three times this season and for Ella, those trips give her a chance to pick her sister's brain.

"We talk about keeping energy levels high on the court from start to finish," Ella said after scoring 21 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. "We talk a lot about focus and holding yourself accountable. Those things are important."

It's even more important with a young team that's looking at Ella as its No. 1 option.

"She's our go-to," said Williams, who's in his second season at Brentwood. "Our girls know that. We're young. We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores, including Ella, but our job is to get everyone more invovled. It can't just be Ella every game."

Last season, Ella led Brentwood in 3-point shooting. This season, Williams asked her to expand her game in her sister's absence.

"That meant attacking the basket," he said. "We didn't want her to be known as just a shooter. We wanted to expand her game. She's done that and done it well."

Ryan is averaging 17.1 points and eight rebounds and already has offers from Furman, Samford and Wofford. Williams anticipates more offers to come and Ryan knows she's got a template for how to hand that, too.

"Sydney has been through it," she said. "I know I can lean on her to help guide me through. But right now my focus is basketball. College will come down the road. I just want to get better and win games."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball: Ella Ryan credits sister for shaping her game