HTL Player of the Year: North Farmington's Ryan Hurst trades Hot Cheetos for hot shooting

The sacrifices haven't been easy for Ryan Hurst, but making them keeps getting him closer to achieving his goals. 

When his family bought a new house, he had to leave his friends at West Bloomfield and transfer to North Farmington, seemingly starting high school all over again just a few miles down Orchard Lake Rd. 

When his basketball career started taking off, he had to quit the football team so he could dedicate his time and training solely on the hardwood. One year later, the Lakers won a state title, and he missed out on lining up in the backfield with Michigan commit Semaj Morgan, one of his closest friends. 

And when he knew he needed to take his diet and exercise more seriously, he had to say goodbye to slathering hot sauces on his chicken, dipping his foods in ranch and munching on Hot Cheetos, his favorite snack. He spent more time lifting weights and doing strength and endurance training, and he even considered going vegan. 

But it's all paid off for the junior combo guard. 

He's now the best player on a Raiders squad that is gunning for a state championship next winter, while West Bloomfield finds itself in the middle of the pack of the Oakland Activities Association-Red. And without a doubt, either North or Brother Rice will have the best roster in Oakland County next season. One through eight, both teams are deep with talent and future college players. Hurst will have a say in which school winds up the best. 

Saying farewell to the gridiron has opened opportunities for Hurst to play more travel ball. And the Division I interest continues to pile up as he makes the rounds on the circuit throughout the midwest. He's taking his time on the recruiting trail, soaking it all up and expects to make a commitment to a school later during his senior year. 

And giving up junk food has turned him into an almost unstoppable scorer, as he averaged 23 points in his first season wearing a Raiders uniform. He's lighter on his feet and his game features more athleticism than it ever has because he's not being weighed down by a crummy diet. 

Those sacrifices continue to mold Hurst into a must-watch talent and someone who is already on the watch list for next year's Mr. Basketball award.

 And because of that, he is Hometown Life's Player of the Year. 

"We say it all the time in our program: You've got to be willing to be uncomfortable to get better at anything in life," North coach Todd Negoshian said. "You've got to step out of your comfort zone to get better. It doesn't matter if you're a student, a husband, a father, an athlete or a best friend.

"For Ryan to take that next step, he's got to get uncomfortable with the way he eats, trains and does things in his life. For him and his future, I hope doing that really sticks with him."

Regardless of the sacrifices, Hurst has had to perform, and, boy, did he do that this past winter. 

It's hard to say what his best skill is. 

Not many players can drive to the hoop like him. At 6-foot-3 and close to 225 pounds, he's either going to get a tough contested layup or he's bulldozing someone over to earn a trip to the foul line. He can get layups in transition or take defenders off the dribble in the half-court. 

What's more, he's a put-back machine. He seemingly cleans up all of his misses. He's 3 or 4 inches shorter than some of the best forwards out there, but he had no trouble averaging six rebounds per game. 

And, of course, he can shoot. From basically anywhere. Mid-range jumpers. Pull-ups in front of the 3-point line. Shots from downtown near the volleyball line. He buried six 3-pointers during a 36-point performance in the Division 1 district championship, which ensured the Raiders a convincing 77-54 victory over Livonia Stevenson. 

"I've always been a big, strong guy," Hurst said. "I played football when I was little so that helped me with attacking the rim. As I go up, no one can stop me. I've always had that mindset, a killer mindset. When I step on the court every time, that translates to my game."

It sure does. 

That's why it's not surprising to learn Hurst played linebacker and fullback when he was still at West Bloomfield. 

He quit playing the sport after his freshman year. But if you watch him play, he's clearly a small forward in a linebacker's body.

"I loved football, but basketball is very fun to me," Hurst added. "Football season, it was keeping me bigger. In football, you've got to be big and stocky. Once I quit to play basketball, it was a sacrifice I needed to make for my body to get into better shape. Football shape is much different than basketball shape."

It also helped that Hurst quit eating junk food, too. 

He stopped eating chips and started chugging water. 

He picked up the hobby of running 2 or 3 miles per day to get cardio in when he wasn't training in the weight room. 

He misses eating spicy food but loves seeing his hard work pay off. His goals are to guide North to a state title, win Mr. Basketball and sign with a mid-major. 

"It's awful, for sure," Hurst said, laughing about being so regimented with his diet, something he's even honed in on even more since the Raiders lost to Orchard Lake St. Mary's in the regional opener in March. 

"He's already lost a ton of weight since the season ended," Negoshian added. "He needs to continue to change the body. He comes committed in the weight room with our guys five days a week. He's getting explosion in lateral quickness. Billy Slobin, our strength and condition coach, has done a great job zoning in on that with him." 

Who knows how many goals Hurst checks off his list as a senior? 

Whether one goal or all of them come true, we'll know it's because of the sacrifices he's making away from the bright lights of a Friday night game. 

Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on Twitter @folsombrandonj.