Texas Tech men's basketball guard Jaylon Tyson blessed to be in Red Raider uniform
Jaylon Tyson had been dreaming of Monday night.
Since arriving on campus almost a year ago, the transfer from Texas could not wait to don a Texas Tech uniform. What made the process all the more painful was watching from the sidelines.
But, the time away from the court proved to be a silver lining and helped the 6-foot-6 guard learn more of the nuances and facets of the game he never thought about while running the floor, making a basket or recording a steal.
“So my little break off of basketball, or whatever you call it — sitting on the bench,” Tyson said Monday, ”That’s one part of the game I’ve tried to learn: being a vocal leader. I’m not the best at it, but I’m definitely improving on it. That’s one of our goals, is being a vocal leader.
“Sitting on the bench, for that long, I got to learn different aspects of the game — not just going out there and playing. But, also, supporting my teammates.”
Tyson did his best to support his teammates earlier in the week, draining his first bucket for No. 25 Texas Tech — a three-pointer that was the beginning of a 73-49 season-opening home victory over Northwestern State.
”I dreamed of hitting my first shot,” said Tyson, who played in eight games with the Longhorns, logging 72 total minutes and 27 points before entering the transfer portal last December and joining the Red Raiders a month later. ”I didn’t dream of it being a 3(-pointer) or two(-pointer), I just dreamed of my first shot being made at Texas Tech.
“It’s going to be something I remember for the rest of my life.”
That memory, which was part of an eight-point, five-rebound performance, also began a journey he felt should have happened a few years prior when he initially inked with the Red Raiders back in November of 2020.
Instead of making his debut in Lubbock, Tyson elected to join the University of Texas — backing out of his Texas Tech letter of intent following a head coaching change in which he followed Chris Beard to Austin.
To make a long story short, playing time became an issue and Tyson looked elsewhere to display his talents. A familiar school and name — Mark Adams — came to the forefront and caught his heart.
Soon enough, he arrived on campus in time for the spring semester and began the work to carve out a role in the rotation with the potential to earn a starting nod when he would be eligible to play in the 2022-23 campaign.
Fast forward to Monday, where Tyson — along with Daniel Batcho and Richard ”Pop” Isaacs — each earned their first collegiate start in a Red Raider uniform.
Tyson was happy to get things going with a triple that jazzed the crowd and even drew some praise from his head coach.
“I was happy too,” Adams said, cracking a smile, after the Monday victory over the Demons.
More so, he had his family in the stands and wanted to show what he was capable of on the court — after biding his time on the bench, working in the shadows since his mid-year transfer.
“It was great to see him out there,” Adams said. ”He practiced last spring with us and we saw a lot of great things about him. He’s got huge upside, high ceiling.
“He’s going to be a guy that’s gonna get a whole-lot better. And we think he’s a guy that can help us win some games.”
Tyson helped Texas Tech get win No. 1, but will look to help the Red Raiders making a winning streak when they host Texas Southern (0-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at United Supermarkets Arena. It marks the second of a three-game homestand before Texas Tech participates in the Jim Maui Invitational.
But, before any of those things come to mind, Tyson wanted to ensure he attempted to stay present and know that the first step in his Texas Tech career was behind him.
“It was a dream come true, for real,” Tyson said of making his debut Monday in a win over Northwestern State. ”I just feel like God had it where I need to be a Red Raider. So now, I get to finally put this uniform on and rep this uniform.
NO. 25 TEXAS TECH VS. TEXAS SOUTHERN
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: United Supermarkets Arena
Records: Texas Tech 1-0, Texas Southern 0-1.
Radio: FM 97.3
Online stream: ESPN+
Fast facts: Daniel Batcho, Richard ”Pop” Isaacs and Jaylon Tyson each made their first starts in the previous contest. … Texas Southern earned an NCAA Tournament berth the past two seasons — which included wins in First Four games in Dayton over the last two tournaments.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech men's basketball: Jaylon Tyson blessed to be in Lubbock
