AT six foot two inches tall, Ryan Ellison is used to looking down on friends, family and fellow pupils but now things are looking up for the budding basketball player.

The Park High pupil only took up the game a year ago but he has already helped Manchester Giants Under 16s finish third in the country while he has also recently been selected for the North West basketball squad.

The 14-year-old from Colne has dreams of playing for England and one day joining the professional ranks and given his rapid rise in the game, he has every chance of achieving those ambitions.

Ryan, who is also a talented footballer, first started playing basketball at Park High PE under teacher Richard Orme where the Colne school entered the Lancashire Cup.

“It turned out he was something of a natural,” said mum Helen. “And it wasn’t just down to his size. He had the ability and all the attributes as well. There isn’t a history of basketball players in the family, it is something that Ryan happens to be very good at. We are quite a tall family but Ryan is already taller than his dad and that certainly helps when it comes to playing basketball.”

Looking to progress and with no suitable juniors teams in the area, Ryan attended trials with Manchester Giants.

“Basketball doesn’t seem as popular a sport around here so we heard about the trials and went across just to see what would happen. So we're delighted that he got selected for the Giants.”

And Ryan, who plays point guard, has certainly made an impression in Manchester where he was won the Most Improved Player of the Year award which was voted for by fellow players and coaches.

He was in the starting five throughout the season which culminated with the Giants finishing in third place in the Final Four national competition, earning bronze medals from Basketball England.

While Ryan was put forward for the North West squad by his Giants’ coach and Mr Orme, he still had to attend an open trial session where again he stood out.

“It was pretty tense stuff,” added his mum. “Hundreds of players turned up and told to go on court and start playing. If they were tapped on the shoulder they got to go on to the next court, if there weren’t then they went home.

“Ryan obviously made a big impression because he is now in the North West squad of 16 players.”

While he would love to fulfil his basketball dream, Helen says he is also concentrating on his school work.

“If you were to ask Ryan now he would say he would love to be a professional basketball player,” she said. “But he is very bright and works very hard at school and knows how important that is.

“He has managed to combine playing and studying, particularly over the last month or so because he has been training about six times a week in Manchester as well as completing all his homework, revision and exam work.

“He has worked very hard and we think this is a fantastic achievement at the end of his first year playing basketball and being up against boys who are a year older than him.”