Tyler White had a good day Friday, Jan. 15. He hung a game-high 34 points on the Plant City Raiders, bombing away from behind the three-point line. Along with forward Justin Hughes, his play pumped up both the home team and the home crowd with pure energy.
You went off Friday night, and I have no idea how you hit some of those shots you took, but it worked pretty well. How were you feeling before the game?
I got off a lot of shots before the game. Just working out, felt good before the game.
Did you do anything before this one that you don’t normally do?
No, I just kept getting shots up, shooting on the shooting machine.
What was the key to turning the corner and beating Plant City for the first time this year?
We just played as a team, making extra passes and just hitting shots.
Someone behind me, maybe one of your friends, was saying, “Bad shot taker, bad shot maker.” Would you agree?
Some of them were forced, but they just go in.
It’s never a bad shot if you make it. But what do you say your real strengths are, as a basketball player?
Ballhandling and three-point shooting.
At what point did you start to think, “We can probably win this one?”
After the first half, when we were up by two. Everyone was doing pretty good. I knew we were probably going to win.
What was the game plan to try and beat Plant City?
Try to play good D, grab rebounds and, hopefully, our shots would fall.
How would you say this season has gone for you guys?
The beginning of this season was kind of rocky, but we’re on a three-game winning streak now. Now, we’re kind of clicking.
How long have you been playing basketball?
I started when I was 5, playing at the YMCA. I’m 17 now, so it’s been 12 years.
What made you first want to play?
My older brother, Kyle, plays, so I just wanted to be like him. He played at Trinity College his freshman year, and he played here (Durant) all four years. He graduated in 2013.
Who’s your favorite basketball player of all time?
Probably Steph Curry now. He’s crazy, what he does.
You say Steph Curry “now,” but who was it before?
Probably Michael Jordan. It was crazy what he did too.
What pro team would you want to play for?
Golden State Warriors. I feel like I could play in their system, the way I play.
Any college plans?
I’ve gotten letters from Stanford. I worked out at UCF in the summer. Stetson said they liked me and Palm Beach Atlantic.
How’s your GPA?
About a 3.0.
What’s your favorite subject?
Science.
You get $1 billion in the bank one day. What’s the first thing you buy?
Probably a house. A big, nice house.
You can have any superpower. What do you pick?
Balance — jumping ability.
Let’s say a younger kid comes up to you one day and asks for advice on how to be a good basketball player. What do you tell him?
Just stay in the gym, keep working out every day, and it’ll probably pay off.
What’s the coolest thing you ever did on a basketball court?
I got a dunk at L.A. Fitness. A putback. I pulled up on the rim. It was my first dunk. That was a couple months ago.
What’s been your proudest moment as a Cougar, so far?
Probably that Plant City win. That was a big win for us. We all played together.
Of all your teammates, who are you closest with?
Probably Justin Hughes. We work out a lot together, go to a lot of training and play well together. We always make the extra pass to each other. And we feed off of each other — whoever’s hot, we give the ball to them.