When New Hope High School boys basketball coach Drew McBrayer sat Tyler Stevenson down for a visit back in the fall, the meeting served two purposes.
“We talked about him being a leader,” McBrayer said. “I needed him on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. He had a chance to be a special player. Even though we had several seniors, he was going to one of the main catalysts for our success.”
Stevenson’s production spoke for itself.
With Stevenson as the team’s leading scorer and a top rebounder, New Hope won 23 games, a district tournament title, and advanced to the Mississippi Coliseum for the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A State tournament for the first time since 2008.
“It was going to be on Kyree (Fields), Andrew (Junkin), and me,” Stevenson said. “It means a lot when your coaches and your teammates have that really high level of confidence in your abilities. It makes you think you can do anything on a court. We had a special season. There is no doubt about that.”
The meeting served its second purpose Thursday night when Stevenson gave a verbal commitment to Southern Mississippi. Stevenson made the announcement on his Twitter account.
“When you have a Division I player, it’s very big for your program,” McBrayer said. “It’s big for the person, but it’s also big for the entire school. Tyler has really put the hard work in, so I am thrilled to see him being rewarded like this. It’s really an honor to have watched him grow and develop, both as a person and as a player. He really put us on his back.”
McBrayer said Southern Miss has been extremely aggressive in the recruitment of the 6-foot-7 Stevenson. Assistant coach Clarence Weatherspoon attended several of New Hope’s games and a couple of practices.
“This really feels like the right decision,” Stevenson said. “It feels like a family. They have been great to me during this whole recruiting process. Coach Weatherspoon and (assistant) coach (Marques) Townsend are really high on my game. They have said I have a chance with some hard work to come in and play some right away.”
Stevenson, who played small forward for the Trojans with Junkin at center, said his length and speed stood out to the Golden Eagles’ coaches. He said they have told him he could really become a complete player by his second season in their program.
“This is a special decision,” McBrayer said. “Everyone is fighting for that college exposure. When you hit your senior year, you turn it up a notch because you don’t want to leave anything to chance. Tyler dedicated himself last summer to making sure he had an impact his senior year. He got stronger, faster.
“He had that ability to dominate on both ends of the court. It’s one thing to score a lot of points in high school. It’s another thing that he had such a major impact on defense, really hurting what the other team was trying to do.”
While Stevenson was instrumental to a second-half surge for the Trojans, he saved his best work for the state’s biggest stage.
In a state tournament quarterfinal victory against Lanier, Stevenson had 23 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocked shots. In a state tournament semifinal loss to Corinth, Stevenson had 30 points, eight rebounds, and a blocked shot.
Last month, he also played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game.
“It was an honor to play basketball at New Hope,” Stevenson said. “We had some good teams. It felt great to get back to Jackson, too. We had a couple of chances earlier in my career. Fortunately, my last chance worked out.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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