The verbal commitment of 2016 five-star standout Tyus Battle has Orange hoops fans buzzing, and he’ll be helping fill the Carrier Dome soon¬†barring anything crazy happening.
Last November, SNY profiled Battle in the middle of his junior season of high school ball. During this season he injured his wrist, although he is expected to be fully recovered in time for his senior campaign.
Watching the video (found here), it is pretty clear that Battle is an extremely humble kid with a great head on his shoulders. His attitude, combined with his size and skillset are a great mix of attributes the Orange coaching staff has pulled in.
Here’s the top 5 quotes from Battle’s video:
1) Mergin Sina his high school coach: “You would think a kid that’s being recruited by every major college program in the country would have a big ego, get a big head, but he’s not that type of kid.”¬†
Good sign for the coaching staff at SU to be able to continue to help him develop and grow as a player.
2) Sina: “He’s the number one kid I’ve ever seen at this level. He works hard every day, he gets better. He’s the best player I’ve ever coached.”¬†
His natural talent and ability are obvious.
3) Of the process, Battle said, “If somebody wants you, they’ll you the stuff you want to hear.  It’s up to you to separate what you think is real from what you think is fluff.”
Good sign of grounding by Tyus. Usually it’s hard for young players to realize the salesmanship and the reality.
4) On Jim Boeheim, Battle’s father, Gary, said, “Jim Boeheim…I think he’s a little bit underrated. I think he’s a tremendous coach.”
Clearly, the family’s respect for the SU coaching staff helped ultimately push him that way.
5) Of his career goals, Tyus added, ‚ÄúGoing pro, that‚Äôs the ultimate goal. If I accomplish it, it‚Äôll be amazing. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn‚Äôt, it doesn‚Äôt. Your life goes on even after basketball, you‚Äôve still got to be prepared. There‚Äôs a long life after basketball, so you‚Äôve got to have fun playing the game. There‚Äôs no use playing if you’re not having fun.‚Äù
Good perspective for a young man who’s¬†just starting his basketball life to realize there’s plenty that comes after that.
Posted: Jason Weingold
