pic credit: Tbilisi State University
It was that time again for me where I had an opportunity to interview a guy that has been staring at adversary more times than none despite having game. It seems like I´m interviewing a guy from division 2 or lower college/university leagues every week. People maynotice it who cover country first divisions as much since these guys aren´t as prevalent there, but those guys that have a heart bigger than the population of New York and love the game more than a kid does the local candy shop on main street and grind as hard as a poor factory worker in Detroit are all over Europe trying to make their mark any way they can. Another skilled player that I stumbled across was Tyree Boykin (180-PG-1999, college: App State). Just like a few weeks ago where I heard beautiful words from Jay Jay Chandler who was more than thankful for a guy from the press giving him the time of day overseas, it wasn´t any different with Boykin. He greeted me with his first message back after I asked to interview him with “I appreciate you for reaching out to me and I greatly appreciate you for this opportunity”. At only 180cm, he was overlooked by D-1 schools at first and had a stellar 5 year career at Union University (NCAA2) and then was rewarded with a last year at Appalachian State University (NCAA). Now he is a rookie in Georgia and riding a chip as big as Mount Everest. “It’s a huge chip. Proving everyone wrong is nothing new to me. I work extremely hard every day, I show up to perform, and I know the results will speak for itself”, warned Tyree Boykin who never saw the sequel to the classic Coming to America because he didn´t want to risk ruining an all-time classic movie by seeing the sequel. Tyree Boykin wants to continue to show that if you can ball then you can play at any level even if he played division 2 ball.
Tyree Boykin who lists Terry Taylor of the Chicago Bulls as his toughest cover in the NCAA was born Feb 6 1999 in Clarksville, Tennessee. After playing at Kenwood high school, he embarked on a 5 year career at Union University where he played a total of 95 games. He was able to average double figures in scoring each season. In his last 3 seasons he averaged 18,0ppg in 62 games and scored in double figures in 58 of 62 games and scored 20 points or more 29 times. He had massive games against West Georgia with 33 points, hit Lee for 31 points and Valdosta state twice for 30 points. “My time at union was extremely influential in the development of my game. I was under great coaching from David Niven, Easton Bazzoli, Sean Blackburn, and Christian Goodwin in my time there that instilled so much confidence in my game. This group of men along with my teammates gave more the support of a lifetime and still do to this day which fuels me and has made me a better player”, warned Tyree Boykin. But his biggest game there was against Spring Hill College where he exploded for 48 points. “ The greatest part about this game was that my teammates enjoyed and celebrated me having a career night much more than I did. At half time I had to remind them that we still had another half to play and the game wasn’t over just yet. This just speaks to the character and genuine camaraderie that we had as a team that is truly rare”, remembered Tyree Boykin. He couldn´t of made such incredible strides at Union without head coach David Niven who will forever be in his heart. “David Niven is one of the greatest influences that I have in my life. He not only coached me to be a great basketball player, but to be a great man. The way he has impacted my life spiritually along with on and off the court, I will forever be extremely grateful. He challenged me every single day to be a great leader, player, and teammate. The first day I met him, he told me that he would coach me as if I were his son, and in my 5 years there I never had to question that”, stressed Tyree Boykin. He played an extra year at Appalachian State University (NCAA) averaging 9.9ppg, 2.4rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 76.8%. He scored in double figures in 12 games including 2 great games against Louisville and Coastal where he scored 14 and 16 points in tight 1 point wins. “The best part of the games is the last couple of minutes where you’re trading baskets, working hard to get stops, feeling the adrenaline rush, and hearing the crowd go crazy. Those are the situations where you see what players are really made of and it’s always good to come out on top in games like that”, commented Tyree Boykin.
The diminutive explosive guard who lists Tylandrius Parks, Terrandus Smith, Tamell Pearson, Boe Nguidjol, and Justin Debuck as his 5 best teammates of all-time is playing his rookie season with Tbilisi State University (Georgia-Superleague). He is a guy that definitely isn´t taking anything for granted and is relishing every moment with the overseas grind. “God has truly blessed me beyond measure. Nothing would be possible without God. I’m extremely grateful to be a part of TSU. I have so much support from my coaches, teammates, and management that has made my transition to playing professionally very smooth. I am also very thankful for my agent, Zois Christou with Phenom Sports Services, for making this opportunity happen. Playing professionally has been my dream as long as I can remember, and I’m grateful that it has come true. I take a lot of pride in playing D-2 basketball because there are so many great players that play D-2 due to a number of different circumstances. There is a lot of great talent at the D-2 level that gets overlooked. At the end of the day, if you can hoop then you can hoop on any level”, warned Tyree Boykin. Georgia isn´t Germany or France, but he isn´t complaining. “ I love Georgia. It is much different from my home in Tennessee, but I have been adjusting very well. One thing I really appreciate is how rich the culture is here in Georgia. Since I have been here with my team, it has felt like family from day one”, commented Tyree Boykin. He also has figured out when exactly is the best time to call his dad. “My wake up call being overseas was trying to call my dad when I woke up in the morning not realizing it was a 9-hour time difference and it was the middle of the night for him”, said Tyree Boykin. He has needed no adjustment time to the court as he is putting up great stats, but what about coming to terms with his teammates long names like Jintcharadze, Turdziladze, Tsindsadze or Andronikasvilli? “It has honestly been extremely easy getting to know the guys. They welcomed me with opened arms and have been teaching me a lot about the culture, language, etc.. And as for the last names, they already have nicknames for each other so that was an easy adjustment”, stated Tyree Boykin.
The Tennessee native who lists Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Shaquille O’Neal on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore and also names Lebron as his GOAT because he is statistically the greatest player in every facet of the game has needed no adjustment time to overseas ball. In his first Fiba Europe Cup game against German team BG Gottingen, he had a super 19/6/8 game while shooting 6/12 from the field in a tough 88-81 loss. But there are still things that he has to get used so he can be as consistent as possible. “The biggest challenge in my opinion is learning to react and think on the fly. In basketball, 24 seconds is a lot shorter than 30 seconds on the shot clock. With that, you have to make decisions faster and react quicker”, warned Tyree Boykin. He is a player that studies many NBA point guards and would compare his game most to Jalen Brunson, because he is small but strong like him and even played in the post in school. He is a guy that has proven he can score in school, but now wants to demonstrate that he can also be an efficient playmaker at a higher level. “I think my game is much better with team play and it will develop me into a better professional going forward. It is also a lot more fun to play this way. I definitely believe I could improve my playmaking skills with the European play style. I have a lot of faith in my playmaking skills, but there is a lot of improvement that must be made as I continue my career. Playing with and watching George Tsintsadze has been a big influence on my playmaking skills and overall development. It’s a blessing to play and learn from one of the best point guards in Georgian history”, stressed Tyree Boykin. Becoming a two way player is also something that wouldn´t hurt in his quest in continuing to climb the basketball ladder and reach higher leagues down the road. “I think right now I’m a pretty good defender, but I have a lot of work to do. I want to become a much more disruptive and physical defender. I want to be the guy that the other team hates to see coming”, added Tyree Boykin. It will be interesting to see how his basketball career keeps progressing and where he lands in the next seasons. He is definitely another guy that with continued impressive outings against German teams could be in the notebooks of easyCredit BBL teams next season and land in Germany.
German Hoops 