Day School's Tyler Myers is continuing his climb up Evansville's City career scoring list

EVANSVILLE – Tyler Myers would be lying if he said it didn’t hold any significance.

It’s no secret the Day School guard can score the basketball. He does at a rate only a select few could.

That's what will start to bring eyes to the small Class 1A school over the next year. With each game, Myers inches closer to Evansville's City career scoring title. It's a list he holds in high regard, but not what gets him on the court every day.

“My job is to make sure I put the team in the best position to win,” he said. “At the end of the day, I have to let the game come to me. Focus on wins rather than taking an unconventional shot.”

An ideal mindset to have. Perhaps, it’s exactly why he is in this position.

Following a 42-point showing against South Spencer on Tuesday, Myers is now fifth all-time in City history with 1,631 points. He’s passed former stars such as Ernie Duncan (Harrison), Jaelan Sanford (Reitz), Everett Duncan (Harrison) and Larry Weatherford (Bosse) the past few weeks.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Myers put himself on pace to join these ranks following his sophomore season. But this winter has been different. His numbers put him in rarified air across Indiana.

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The junior is averaging 37.4 points per game, which ranks first in the state. He’s done it against a schedule slotted sixth among 1A schools, per the Sagarin Ratings. It includes a 50-point outing to set not only a new school but also a City record.

Myers averages seven rebounds and over three assists, too.

“He’s become a better basketball player,” said Day School coach Gary Wilsey. “He’s taken on a bigger responsibility as a ball-handling guard and running the point. We’ve seen an improvement in his three-point shooting. I think it comes with maturity. He has a pretty good understanding of where he’s at as a player.”

This improvement didn’t suddenly happen. Myers was given a challenge in the summer and took it to heart.

Despite averaging over 30 points as a sophomore, there were holes in his game. Myers could read defenses well and find attacking lanes. But his shot was lacking. He wasn’t a liability from deep, but he’d tell you he wasn’t an asset either.

Myers spent more time in the gym this past year than ever before. If he wasn’t there, it was shooting in his driveway. The difference is stark from year to year. His form and footwork are better. He’s making shots that didn’t come easy before.

“I needed to improve,” said Myers. “I took it upon myself to get in the gym and half the time it was in my driveway. I knew there would be a time where I have to rely on everything. I can’t just be a one- or two-level scorer. I have to score at three levels.”

It’s those hours putting up shots and working on his ballhandling that led to nights like Jan. 4. Myers dropped 50 against Carmi-White (Ill.) in a victory to be the first in Evansville history to reach the plateau. He nearly matched it in the Eagles’ next game against South Spencer a week later.

His first thought when asked about those performances? The team lost to South Spencer. He’d trade the points for a victory.

“It feels good to see the ball go through the net,” said Myers. “All of those extra hours you see (them) translating to the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win in one of them. South Spencer is a really good team.”

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Wilsey will not take credit for any of this. He points to Myers’ ability to adapt to his surroundings. The junior played with more experienced teammates his first two years. It led to several transition buckets via turnovers. Not so much this year.

The coach doesn’t pay much attention to individual numbers but knows Myers has a good chance of continuing his ascension up the scoring list. At his current pace, the junior should be in second by the end of the season.

“He’s continued to work on his game and develop more,” said Wilsey. “If you give him something to challenge or improve upon, he’ll usually take it to heart. I know he doesn’t like to lose.”

Myers only needs 135 points to catch Memorial grad Clint Keown in fourth. Next is Bob Ford of North (1,815) and then Jeremy Willis with the Day School record (1,899). Former Bosse star Mekhi Lairy sits at the top with 2,237.

The 5-10 guard will worry about those another day. His motivation at the moment is to help the Eagles (2-9) succeed. Day School has just over a month before its sectional title defense begins. Although this wasn’t the team it envisioned in the summer – some players didn’t return – the plan is to push forward.

And it will start with Myers as he inches closer to history.

“We’ve had a very difficult schedule,” he said. “The way we handle it is to keep chopping at that wood. We’ve gotten better through 11 games. It may not show as much as we would like on our record. We will keep our heads up and go forward.”

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

Evansville high school boys basketball career scoring leaders

1. Mekhi Lairy, 2,237 (Bosse, 2018)

2. Jeremy Willis, 1,899 (Day School, 1999)

3. Bob Ford, 1,815 (North, 1968)

4. Clint Keown, 1,766 (Memorial, 1998)

5. Tyler Myers – 1,631 (Day School, 2023)

6. Rilee Epley, 1,604 (Day School + Harrison, 2018)

7. Larry Weatherford, 1,559 (Bosse, 1967)

8. Everett Duncan, 1,551 (Harrison, 2015)

9. Jaelan Sanford 1,544 (Reitz, 2015)

10. Ernie Duncan, 1,498 (Harrison, 2014)

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville high school basketball: Guard climbing career scoring list