A professional basketball team El Estudiantes (The Students), which is based in Argentina, has drafted Ryan Charles, a 2000 graduate of Radford University. Charles lit up the courts in Radford leading the team to several winning seasons and was also a member of the '97-'98 team that won RU its first Big South title and a trip to the big dance - The NCAA tournament. Charles left for Argentina a month ago and has begun traveling with the El Estudiantes.

The first tournament was in Punto Arenas, which required a traveling time of 30 hours on a bus. The team was undefeated in the tournament and currently has a preseason record of 8-0. Standing at 6 feet 10, Ryan is one of the tallest members in the league. He is the starting center for El Estudiantes and has had a successful season thus far. He led the team in scoring in several games. One game, in which he posted 27 points and 12 rebounds, was featured in the town paper, The Province.