Coach Rahlfs has been playing and coaching basketball on the Eastside for his entire life. At Eastside Catholic High School, Ryan earned 3 Varsity letters and was a contributor on the school's best teams. Team accomplishments included: three years of district competition, a trip to the state tournament and the school's first and only state win, an invitation to the King Holiday Hoopfest, and a holiday tournament championship in Laguna Beach, California. Ryan was a two-year varsity MVP, and was awarded 2nd Team All-Metro honors his senior year. A graduate of Willamette University, Ryan's varsity teams were consistently at the top of the Northwest Conference.

Ryan has a Masters in Teaching from the University of Washington, and has taught and coached for the Bellevue School District for 6 years. Ryan is in his 2nd season at Mercer Island as an assistant varsity coach. The 2012 run into the state playoffs was aided by Ryan's commitment to developing the teams post players. In addition, Coach Rahlfs is in charge of keeping and computing team statistics.