Tyler Best

Committed to EKU.

Feb 2002: verbal to Charlotte.

8/5/01: "Mobile 6'9" forward from Lafayette Catholic HS in Indiana. Ball St, Ind St, Purdue, E Ky, Tulane, WVU, Marshall and St Louis are contacting him most and all have offered, in addition to Dayton. Has made no unofficial visits yet and will start those in August. Is wide open and will decide during early signing period. - Virginia Preps

7/24: "6-9 Lafayette (Ind.) Central Catholic PF Tyler Best is a solid player with good fundamentals, but he's not athletic enough to win with in, say, the Big Ten." - Brick O., CNN SI

7/7: "Forward Tyler Best is contemplating a decision. Does he go high-major and risk pine time early or does he take the mid-major route with a little more guaranteed playing time? If he goes mid-major, Indiana State and Ball State will battle. If it’s higher, UConn, Florida, Miami, Illinois and Purdue are showing interest." - Blue Chip Hoops

6/21: "For a top-100 prospect, Tyler Best doesn't attract all that much attention. Best, a 6-8 BF from Lafayette (IN) Central Catholic, has been overshadowed by fellow Hoosier big men Sean May and Chris Hunter. Tyler's style of play doesn't help his marketability. He doesn't put up huge numbers (roughly 15 points and nine rebounds per game) or jump out of the gym; his game is intelligence and versatility. But that lack of marquee value hasn't stopped several good schools from getting involved. "Right now my list is Purdue, Florida, Miami, CINCINNATI, Indiana State and Ball State, but I'm still wide open," Best told PrepStars. "Purdue, Indiana State and Ball State have offered, and the rest have said their very interested." When talking to Indiana prospects, it's always interesting to get their feelings about the home state – some won't consider leaving, and some won't consider staying. "It would be nice to be around here, so everyone could see me," Best said. "But it isn't that a big of a deal to me. I'm looking for a fast-paced tempo and a school where I can help right away. A good crowd and student base is also important to me." Best also added that he wants to play a versatile role in college; he thinks he has the size and skills to play either big forward or wing forward." - PrepStars (1 to 2)

5/25: "a 6-foot-8, 220-pound junior forward at Lafayette Central Catholic High (Ind.), is still in the early stages of the recruiting process. He’s looking at Georgia Tech, UCLA, Iowa, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ball State. Michigan and Virginia have also been sending him letters recently." - School Sports

5/15: "Best could actually be considered a three, because he likes to put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop, and he does it well. He also can bring the ball down the floor in transition. However, he forces it a lot, and turns the ball over frequently as a result. He can play with his back to the hoop and has good post skills, but he mostly shies away from inside contact. Defensively, he needs some work on his aggressiveness. He has Top 50 talent, but in terms of performance, probably does not rate much higher than a top 100 prospect in our opinion. He just turns it over too much and thinks he is too much of a wing player. Doubtful Best will get out of state, as Purdue, IU, and ND are all in hot pursuit. However, Kentucky really likes him as well." - BobGiggons.net

5/10/01: 38th best junior in the USA. - School Sports.com

5/7: Pic
http://www20.brinkster.com/macfan/Slam-n-jam-2001/Tyler-Best-01.jpg

4/14: "Lafayette Central Catholic's 6'9 C Tyler Best reports to us that he received his invitation to the 2001 Nike All-America Camp that will again be held on the campus of IUPUS in Indianapolis during the dates of July 5-10. The camp is a invitation-only setup of the top 200 players in the nation. "It means a lot to be selected because it shows that people across the nation have recognized me as one of the best," Best said of his invitation. "That is just awesome because there are so many good basketball players out there." Best, who surprisingly did not make the Junior All-Star team in Indiana this year, said receiving the invitation was "really exciting". He also gave us an update on his college recruitment. He has no clear cut favorite at this point, but said a few of the schools contacting him at this point include Southern California, Virginia, UCLA, Ball State, Indiana State, Purdue, Iowa, Michigan State, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame. "I'm not a lock for Purdue like a lot of schools instantly think," Best added. - Matts Stats

3/11: "My brother is playing at purdue. (Schools recruiting me include: ) Purdue, UCLA, Michigan state, G-Tech, Iowa, Ball state, Indiana, Notre Dame, and some others." - InHoops.com, Tyler Best mssg board.

2/16: "Tyler Best had a game-high 27 points and tied for a game-high 12 rebounds. Best shot 8-of-15 from the field, 11-of-15 from the line and missed his only three-pointer." - MrHoops

http://www.mrhoops.com/recruiting/recruits/tybest.shtml

2/5: Listed as the 9th best player in Indiana. - Hoosierland Report

2/2/01: "LCC was led by Jr. star Tyler Best's 23 points /12 boards..." - INBNews.com

1/24: listed as the best SF in the state. - Oncourt Indiana

1/13: "Iowa Coach Steve Alford and Purdue Coach Gene Keady were at the game to view Tyler Best. Best was solid scoring 14 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Ironically, Iowa was scheduled for a Friday 7:00 PM practice time at Mackey by Purdue officials, (apparently to) discourage Iowa coaches from scouting Best and other Indiana players." - INBNews.com

1/11: Tyler Best has averaged 18 pts and 10 rebs in his last three games.

1/6/01: "thinks he still is a Point Guard like he was in grade school. At his 6-9 size he is playmaking his team to a 9-1 record. He seems content to just set his 'mates up. He recorded a triple double in a win against Rossville. This is a good Rossville team that has three college prospect players. Tyler had 13 points , 11 rebounds and 12 assists vs. Rossville. He has led his LCC team to by averaging 14 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 5 apg. He could dominate in the low post and from the wing if his team allowed him to do so. Hopefully, this will happen instead of lesser talents on the team handling the ball too much. Best has been evaluated extensively by Kentucky , Michigan State and Cincinnati. They want to view him through July before they extend an offer. Purdue, Indiana State and Ball State have all extended offers to Best. He likes Gene Keady, Royce Waltman and Tim Buckley as Head Coaches. Boiler fans want to believe that Tyler is a lock for them. He may choose Purdue next September but he will play the July period out ,in front of the World's College Basketball Recruiters, before he makes a College Choice. Larry Bird did it all at French Lick ! Best does not shoot as well as the Legend Bird, but he is so similar in size and all other aspects.. Best sees the court as well as Bird did. He is a very exciting High Major College Prospect." - INB News

Fall '00: Listed as the 2nd best Junior in Indiana -M@tt's Stats