'What A Weapon'
December 19, 2022 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Tyler Stevenson was a late addition to Mississippi State's men's basketball roster after deciding to transfer from Southern Miss for his final season.
When he hit the practice floor this fall, Stevenson immediately impressed his new head coach Chris Jans with his baseline jump shot. So much so that Jans planned to institute specific plays in an effort to highlight it in the offense.
"When he first got here in the fall, I swear he went weeks without missing one of those midrange jump shots," Jans said. "I remember telling our coaches 'what a weapon'. We're going to run some stuff to get Tyler Stevenson some midrange jump shots. No coach in America runs stuff for midrange jump shots anymore but it's a weapon and we've got to do it."
That midrange jumper along the baseline has become a trademark of sorts for Stevenson. The former walk-on scored a large portion of his 1,200 career points with it as a Golden Eagle en route to being named a All Conference USA honorable mention and a finalist for the Bailey Howell Trophy last year.
"I've been working on that baseline jumper my whole collegiate career," Stevenson said. "I've been working on it since my freshman year of college."
Stevenson showcased that baseline jumper during MSU's 68-66 win over Nicholls State this past Saturday. He knocked down 6 of 7 shots from the field and finished with 14 points, the most he's scored as a Bulldog.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward provided 12 of those points in the first half, marking the 68th time he has scored in doubles figures during his five-year career.
"It was a nice shot in the arm for us and him," Jans said. "I'm so happy for him. It's got to be a big relief for him. We talked heading into the Jackson State game about taking those rhythm shots. He'd started turning those down a little bit and hopefully this will help his confidence going forward."
Stevenson has appeared in all 11 games during 15th-ranked Mississippi State's undefeated start. He has started one of those contests and is averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game.
It has been a dream come true for the Columbus native to play out the final season of his collegiate career back in the Golden Triangle for the team he and his entire family grew up cheering for.
"This has been a really good feeling," Stevenson said. "I've been wanting to do this since I was in high school and I finally got the opportunity to do it. I'm just thankful to the coaches for giving me the opportunity."
Longtime MSU assistant coach George Brooks recommended Stevenson to Jans when the Bulldogs were looking to fill one final roster spot. Brooks was familiar with Stevenson's game from his time at New Hope High School, where he averaged 22 points and 9.4 rebounds as an All-Star for the Trojans.
"I'm happy for him and his family," Jans said. "They're creating great memories. He wants to do well and he's finally playing at the school that he's always dreamed of playing at. Certainly, that's not why we put him on scholarship or why we recruited him. We recruited him because he's a good player and we thought he could help us win games."
Stevenson and his family have certainly enjoyed their close proximity to Starkville so far this season. His entire family has been able to attend his games in Humphrey Coliseum and he has had a lot more opportunities to return home to visit the past few months as well.
"My whole family loves this," Stevenson said. "Sometimes they're even happier than I am. I definitely get a lot more home-cooked meals now that I'm just 20 minutes down the street. Sometimes my mom or my grandma will come and bring me some food and different things. I'm just grateful for that and blessed."
