Tyson Playing Basketball Like a Grown Man

Clemson forward having a First-Team All-ACC caliber season

USA Today Network

CLEMSON, S.C. – None of Hunter Tyson’s Clemson teammates beat him to the basketball facility in the mornings.

“He comes in and gets a cup of coffee and is here an hour and fifteen minutes before he lifts weights,” head coach Brad Brownell said. “He just sits down, makes his oatmeal. Eats his oatmeal and drinks his cup of coffee like a grown up.”

Tyson is playing like a grown man, too.

One of the main reasons for the Tigers’ historic 6-0 start in ACC play, which has their current odds of winning the ACC at +450, according to Fanduel, is due to the way Tyson is playing. Through the first 17 games, he is playing like a first-team All-ACC caliber player and is even being mentioned by some as a Player of the Year candidate.

It’s hard to argue with them. Tyson leads Clemson in both scoring (16.2 points per game) and rebounding (10.1) this year. He is one of 14 players in Division I averaging a double-double.

He is also shooting 44.2 percent from 3-point range and is connecting on 84.3 percent of his free throws. Overall, he is shooting 48.6 percent from the field.

“He’s playing with a lot of confidence, he’s shooting balls in, he’s attacking the basket, rebounding and in huddles his voice is the loudest. He’s just a mature player,” Brownell said.

Tyson showed his maturity in the Tigers’ 83-70 victory over Louisville Wednesday night. Though the Cardinals were keying to not let Tyson beat them, the Clemson forward still scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

“Amazing that he’s the one guy on this team that we sort of wanted to target. Target meaning knows where he is at all times, and he gets 28 and 11,” Louisville head coach Kenny Payne said. “That goes to show he plays hard, he’s skilled, he passes the ball, he’s not selfish. He lets the game come to him, and he’s efficient. Hell of a player.”

The performance from the 6-foot-8 forward from Monroe, N.C., was his fifth straight double-double and his ninth of the season.

Despite the Cardinals’ efforts to stop Tyson, he brushed past his opponent’s advances. Tyson, unbeknownst to the apparent targeting, credited his teammates for allowing him to perform well.

“There’s a lot of times I just find myself with an open shot and I don’t have to do any of the work,” Tyson said. “Chase (Hunter) does all the work and I reap the benefits, so I’m always thankful for this guy in that matter.”

Brownell believes it's Tyson’s approach to everything he does that has allowed him to develop mature habits and gain immense success as a result.

Clemson and Tyson will try to keep it going when it hosts No. 24 Duke Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson.

Jon Rothstein currently has the Tigers in the NCAA Tournament as the automatic qualifier on The Duel.

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