The Villanova basketball team has won two national championships in the last three years with teamwork, clutch shooting, and a stout defense. In addition to good basketball fundamentals, though, the team’s success may have been bolstered by the presence of a 12-year-old from West Chester.

Sure, Loyola-Chicago may have Sister Jean as its lucky charm, but Villanova has Ryan Ranalli.

Though just 5-foot-3, there is no bigger fan of the Wildcats than Ranalli, who attends the Woodlynde School in Wayne. But here’s the best part: Ryan has attended more than 50 Villanova basketball games, including the national championships in 2016 and 2018, and the Wildcats have won every single game.

“My husband Andrew and I met as students at Villanova,” said Ryan’s mother Lauren Ranalli, the Chief Financial Officer at First Resource Bank and one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2018 CFOs of the Year. “Andrew is a huge Villanova fan, and that rubbed off on Ryan, who started watching games when he was three and has been going to games since he was six.”

In addition to attending the games on campus and in Philadelphia, Ryan has traveled to New York City, Houston, and San Antonio to root for Villanova. And while there have been some close calls, like an overtime thriller against Syracuse and the nail-biter against North Carolina in the 2016 title game, the Wildcats have always come out ahead when Ryan was in the stands.

As Ryan recalls, it was at that 2016 game that some other fans became believers.

“In the 2016 championship, we were going to our seats and we told the people around us that I never went to a game when they lost,” he said. “So they all rubbed my head for good luck.”

Of course, there have been some “what if” moments along the way, such as the time Villanova lost in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament in Buffalo when the Ranallis planned to attend only the later rounds.

“We had tickets for the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16 that were going to be played in New York City that year,” said Lauren. “My immediate reaction was that we should have gone to Buffalo. If we were there, I know they would have won.”

Ryan’s passion for basketball is also on display in sports camps and on two youth basketball teams.

“I play AAU and CYO ball (for Saints Peter & Paul in West Chester),” said Ryan. “I attended the Sixers basketball camp this year and Villanova’s camp the last two summers.”

At those camps, Ryan had the opportunity to meet Villanova players, as well as coach Jay Wright, who is not yet aware of his team’s good luck charm.

Not only does Ryan play the part of superfan, he dresses the part, too, whether in full Villanova gear at games or during dress-down days at his school. And it is at school where he never fails to incorporate something about Villanova basketball in his creative writing assignments.

Ryan’s favorite Villanova player is Josh Hart, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

“He was always playing even when he was a freshman, and it was fun to see him getting better,” said Ryan.

Lauren cherishes the time her family spends rooting for the Wildcats.

“It has been a lot of good bonding,” she said. “It’s been a great family activity for us.”

Having lost four players to the NBA from last season’s national championship team, the Wildcats will have their work cut out for them this winter.

They might want to give the Ranalli family season tickets.

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