Note: This is part of an ongoing series previewing the 2009-10 Hoyas.
A brief post to highlight two guys you won’t be hearing much from this year, walk-ons Stephen Stepka and Ryan Doughtery.
Ryan Dougherty
Dougherty comes to the Hoyas as a transfer from the University of Rochester. A local product from St. Alban’s, Doughterty, a junior, measures 6 foot even, and weighs in at 192 lbs. While Dougherty joined the Hoyas last year, he was not listed on the roster, and not given a jersey number. At St. Alban’s, he received an honorable mention for the all-Met team (which featured sseveral now-familiar faces), and apparently was prolific from beyond the arc. He does not appear to have made much of a contribution in his year at Rochester, which participates in a conference that includes such esteemed basketball powerhouses as the University of Chicago, NYU, and Brandeis, and exhorts its fans to “Be Loud! Be Proud! Be Positive!“ Don’t expect to see much more of Dougherty this year, despite his new jersey number, except for shots of the towel-waving variety.
Stephen Stepka
Stepka, another local product walk-on, joins the Hoyas as a freshman this year from W.T. Woodson in Fairfax. He measures 6’6″ and a svelte 190 lbs., and will rock the #25, likely exclusively under his warm-ups. He appears to have chosen to walk on over opportunities at other academically oriented schools, including Harvard. He tallied 17 points per game in his senior season, and was noted for his well-rounded offensive game and on-court intelligence. In an interview, Stepka acknowledged his likely limited role with the Hoyas this year, but nevertheless expressed enthusiasm. No word on whether JTIII has required Stepka and Dougherty to watch Ronny Turiaf videos for tips on effective cheering from the bench.
