PH Northern's Tyler Jamison revels in watching future teammates shock college hoops world
Like thousands of college basketball fans, Tyler Jamison was glued to the TV during Fairleigh Dickinson's stunning upset of Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday night.
The Knights became just the second 16-seed ever to beat a 1-seed in the tournament's 84-year history.
But unlike nearly every other viewer, Fairleigh Dickinson — a small private university in Teaneck, New Jersey — isn't just another little-known mid-major Cinderella team to Jamison. It's the team the Port Huron Northern senior is going to play for this fall.
"I always knew they had a shot," said Jamison, who signed with Fairleigh Dickson in November. "I thought they matched up pretty well with Purdue ... for it to actually happen is insane. It speaks to March Madness and how crazy it is. But it's also about how hard those guys work — both the coaches and the players.
"It's something I'm really excited to be a part of. You can see the passion and the attention to detail. That's something I think I'll fit in pretty well with."
While watching the game with his family Friday, Jamison reached out to another Fairleigh Dickinson commit.
"I was texting with one of my teammates for next year during the game," Jamison said. "He's the kid I'll be rooming with. That was our first time actually talking. I texted him, 'Are you watching this game? It's crazy.' "
With the Knights set to play Florida Atlantic in the second round Sunday, Jamison and his family considered making the four-hour trip to Columbus, Ohio, for the game.
"We thought about going," Jamison said. "But it's hard to do that in one day, especially with school and everything."
And Monday will be an especially big day for Jamison, who is one of five finalists for the 2023 Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award. The winner will be announced at 1 p.m. Monday afternoon at the Detroit Free Press.
"It's really cool, though, to be able to watch them (in the tournament)," Jamison said. "I'm glad their games weren't on during school."
Soon, Jamison won't have to worry about a broadcast schedule.
Because he'll be right there on the court at FDU, trying to make his own NCAA tournament memories.
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: PH Northern's Tyler Jamison revels in Fairleigh Dickinson NCAA shocker
