Server: Microsoft-IIS/3.0 Set-Cookie: SWID=A48B589E-788B-11D1-B290-00A0C921A583; path=/; expires=Thursday, 14-Dec-17 08:43:30 GMT; domain=.nba.com; Set-Cookie: SWID=A48B589F-788B-11D1-B290-00A0C921A583; path=/; domain=.nba.com; expires=Thursday, 14-Dec-17 08:43:30 GMT; Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 16:43:30 GMT Content-Type: text/html Accept-Ranges: bytes Last-Modified: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 10:51:59 GMT Content-Length: 13055
![]() ![]() ![]() INSIDE THE CELTICS ![]() SCHEDULE & SCORES ![]() PLAYERS ![]() STATS ![]() CELTICS THEATER ![]() ARENA & TICKETS ![]() ![]() ![]() Teams ![]() NBA Store Related Content:
|
![]() |
To Tyus Edney, there's no better role than running the point
Having a Ball
GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES. Tyus Edney would agree with that. The 5-10 point guard for the Boston Celtics may be small, but his impact on the court is very big. So is his role.
Tyus Edney
"As a point man," explains Edney, "you've got to get everyone the ball in a position to score. You've got to be able to distribute, penetrate and make things happen. A point needs to create the tempo by pushing the ball up the floor and really playing good defense. He definitely sets the tone for the other guys on the court."
Tyus Edney does that. He's been doing it for years. They say players are born to be certain things, if that is true than the UCLA graduate was put on this earth to man the point. He has always been a point guard, as long as he can remember. Edney was able to resist the lure of being "The Man" and lighting up scoreboards anywhere he played. As strong-willed as he is there was always another reason why he always found the ball in his hand: His size.
"I was always smaller than everybody, so I was always a point guard," Edney says with a coy little smile.
So the small guy took the ball, dribbled through everyone, passed the basketball to his teammates, made them happy and still found time to develop into a great finisher in the lane. It was a role only a true point guard could love, and it's one that Edney relishes.
Like anything in this world, no matter how natural something comes to you, you still need to work on it. Edney knew that. You see point guards in the NBA make things look so easy and you wonder how they do it? Well, Edney will tell you, as much as those plays flourish from natural-born talent, there are still things that one must learn.
"You definitely pick up certain skills of being a point guard through the years of playing," he says. "The more you play the point the better you get at it. You learn to recognize and pick up certain situations. You learn what kind of shot you have to get for your team, you learn when to push the ball and when to slow it down, you learn a lot with experience."
Edney started learning at a very young age. With the ball in his hand and everyone looking to him to lead them, Edney would take the court with his older brother and his friends. Even though they were bigger, stronger and faster than he was he would challenge them and learn from them.
"Growing up, I was always playing with older guys," explains the Gardena, CA native. "I would play with my older brother, who was two years older than me, so I got very used to being the smallest player on the court real quick. I tried to use my quickness and size as an advantage, not as a disadvantage."
Easier said than done. If you look at the average height of an NBA player, they would tower over Mr. Edney. Same goes for college too. Being 5-10 in this game is not easy. It presents a lot of challenges for a player that size who is trying to be successful, and all of them are not physical.
"I have run into situations where people have told me that I was too small," says Edney.
The voices of doubt can be very persuasive, especially when it seems like the deck is stacked against you. Edney knew that, but something inside of him told him not to give up or give in to the doubters. "I didn't let it bother me though. I just kept working and playing hard."
That hard work earned Edney a scholarship to one of the nation's most prestigious basketball colleges, a national championship ring and a place in NCAA history. No basketball fan can forget Edney's full-court dash and hoop that helped the Bruins stay alive and sink Missouri. There he was slashing in, around and through defenders, refusing to be stopped and then sinking an improbable off-balance leaner to propel UCLA onward in the tournament. That moment, that vision is what Edney is all about. Constantly pushing, constantly fighting, constantly trying to prove people wrong and working until he comes out on top.
"It's definitely an important part of me," Edney explains after being questioned about his big heart. "It's why I've achieved some success in my career. Being motivated to prove people wrong has really pushed me to become better and better."
That drive and determination pushed Edney right into the NBA and the Sacramento Kings starting lineup as a rookie during the 1995-96 season. He had overcome plenty of obstacles and challenges in his life to reach that point, but his biggest mountain now stood before him. Would his size finally catch up with him? Did he have what it took to play the most demanding and challenging position in the NBA?
What do you think?
Edney excelled in the Kings' backcourt, starting 60 games, averaging 10.8 points, 6.1 assists and leading Sacramento to the NBA Playoffs. He also earned Second-Team All-Rookie honors in his NBA freshman campaign. But as great as the success was, Edney knew his rookie year was about more than awards.
"My rookie season was a great learning experience," says Edney. "I was glad I got to play as much as I did because it really helped me learn.
"It is really difficult to play point guard in the NBA because of its style of play. Growing up, you never had to deal with a 24-second clock and all the different offenses, so that makes it really tough."
Tough yes, impossible no. No because Edney's game is tailor-made for NBA Showtime, and more-importantly it is ideal for Head Coach Rick Pitino's style. For a coach who loves to run, who loves to attack and who loves to push the ball up the floor, Tyus Edney is a perfect fit and Pitino knows it.
"He pushes the ball up faster than anybody else on our roster," explains Pitino. "He can get shots for himself and he can get shots for other people. He's been our best point guard since we signed him this summer."
Being a point guard is what Edney does best. He is quick, smart, intelligent but more importantly he knows how to direct his teammates and help them on the floor. Those qualities are often found in the men who pace the sidelines in suits and ties. Coaches are the ones who usually give team's directions, but when it comes time to lace'em up and play it is out of the coach's hands . Enter the point guard.
"A point guard has to be a leader," Edney says. "He's got to act like the coach on the floor. It is his job to make everyone around him better."
Making his teammates better is a big responsibility for the point man. There are a number of ways to do it, but for Edney his best weapon has always been his quickness.
"Using my quickness to create tempo is a big part of my game," he says. "That really helps me get guys shots where they want them and get the best out of my teammates."
That quickness has other uses on the basketball court for Edney. If you can believe it, it even makes him taller sometimes. Or maybe it makes his opponents smaller? You see, when he usually lines up defensively to try to check someone, it often is a safe bet to say that he will be shorter than his opponent. That can create plenty of problems, except Edney doesn't let it. He counters back with one of his strengths in an effort to battle one of the more difficult obstacles he faces every time he steps out on the court.
"Playing defense can be tough because you come across some big guards in this league like Penny Hardaway," explains Edney. "You've got some guys who will try to take advantage of the height difference. I just try to get them on the other end. By using my quickness, I drive by them, create havoc and really make them work to guard me. That way, maybe they won't have as much energy or as much spring in their legs for offense."
It seems like Edney always has that spring to his step. He may not be the biggest guy on the court or the strongest, but it would be hard to say that anyone has a bigger heart and a bigger will than Edney. He loves the game, and he loves the challenges it presents to him. He cares for it so much, and he doesn't let a little thing like his height get in the way. There have been plenty of smaller players who have been extremely successful in the league, so what Edney is accomplishing isn't necessarily earth-shattering. What is great about it though, is that night in and night out we get a chance to watch him play, watch him lead and watch him drive to succeed. And most importantly, Tyus Edney has fun doing it, and that is what the game is all about.
|
|||
All rights reserved. Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form. |