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Under the radar: Richland's Ryan Kleffer may be one of the best local high school players you haven't heard of
Rebel senior putting up big numbers
ESSEX -- He's a name that gets thrown around from time to time.
When discussions lean towards some of the best players in southeast Missouri, Richland senior Ryan Kleffer may get a few mentions from Rebel fans, but, for the most part, that's where it ends.
He's bound to the small school stereotype not named Scott County Central which leaves the Class 1 Richland Rebels' star out of most 'best player around' conversations.
"Richland, it's not a big school," Kleffer said. "A lot of people like to go watch the bigger schools play. Most everyone likes to talk about the Class 4 and 5 schools."
One would think his play on the court would be a totally new topic of discussion.
As a 6-3, 190-pound senior who averages 30 points and eight rebounds per game, Kleffer continues to prove he's worthy of the few 'best player' mentions he gets but, with numbers like that, he may deserve a few more.
"That's easy for a kid like him and where he's at for (overlooking him) to happen," Scott County Central head coach Kenyon Wright, who coached Kleffer at Bernie High School his freshman year, said. "The teams in the Stoddard County right now are some pretty good teams. There's several more good players than there has been in the last few years and that's kind of made it easier for everybody to overlook him."
Although Kleffer is limited as far as exposure in concerned, it's not stopping him to do all he can to put his name out there.
One year ago, Kleffer created a blog consisting of his high school accomplishments and some of his most up-to-date performances including his 54-point game at the Bloomfield Christmas tournament.
He describes himself as both a player and what kind of person he is in a personal profile hoping to catch the right college coaches eye.
"I'm just trying to get my name out there," said Kleffer about his blog. "I've been getting calls about every day -- schools from Florida, Colorado and Michigan.
"It gets responses quick. It's a good way to get your name out there. There's three or four colleges that want me to come work out and one has came and saw me play."
Kleffer's college aspirations, for now, are geared more towards the junior college path. With four-year schools such as Northwest Missouri State and Central Missouri along with State Fair Community College in his sights, Kleffer believes the NJCAA will give him the best chance at a Division I scholarship later on.
"If I went to a junior college, I think I would get quite a bit of playing time," Kleffer said. "If I went to a Division II -- maybe I'd sit a lot the first year and get better and start playing a lot towards my junior year.
"I'm trying to go to a junior college first. Then, I'm going to try and go to a D-I after that."
Another tactic in gaining recognition was Kleffer's decision to play during the summer.
The senior has played for St. Louis Gateway, Southern Illinois Jets and the Southeast Missouri Eagles as well as other AAU teams.
"Some coaches got in touch with me and sent mail to me and got in contact with me because of that," Kleffer said. "Mostly, (I played) just because it's fun to play in the summer."
Kleffer's dedication to getting better and earning acknowledgement led to 10 hours a week inside of a car, driving to and from St. Louis for two practices a week.
"It was hard," Kleffer said about traveling. "A two-and-a-half hour drive there and back, two times a week. It's one of the things I felt like I had to do.
"He's a good kid and he's got a lot of tools," added Wright. "He's got the body for a good basketball player and he works hard. Whenever I had him at Bernie he worked hard, was always around basketball and wanted to always work on his game and try to get as good as he can be."
This season, Kleffer has found himself in a different role than in year's past. Without the assistance of departed seniors, Drew Thornton, Mac Thornton and Mikey Latham, Kleffer is looked to as Richland's primary scorer. It's a situation he says he likes but with the lofty expectations he sets for himself and the pressure of winning games, it can get frustrating at times.
"It's kind of hard because we're not surrounded by those good players anymore," said Kleffer. "We really have to focus on what we have to do and because (they're not around) I have to do a lot more.
"I don't get to come out a whole lot. Sometimes I don't come out at all."
"I don't feel good about myself if I don't have at least 30 points," he added. "I set goals for myself pretty high. I'm never satisfied and I think that's one good thing about myself."
Limited exposure or not, scoring 54, 33, 30, 39 and 40 points in games this season warrants recognition.
And although his name pops up from time to time, Kleffer will continue to score his points and do all he can to give his Rebels their best chances at a win game in and game out, whether college coaches know about it or not.
"He's got a lot of potential," Wright said. "He's extremely athletic, he's got some size but just like everyone else he's got some improving to do. When you start talking about college it just gets tougher. It comes down to work ethic at that point and I think he's got that."