At 5’8″, he’s one of the smallest players on the team.
“I can’t tell you how many all-state kids he’s had to guard that were 6’3″ or 6’4″ or taller and he could slow them down,” said Crane Head Coach Kevin Smith.
The height has proven to be far from a limitation.
“I always believe heart over height. If you believe, you can stop somebody,” said Crane senior Tyler Campbell.
That’s part of what makes Tyler so valuable to the Pirates.
“He’s me on the floor,” Smith said. “A lot of people don’t realize that, there’s always got to be a coach on the floor.”
As a true floor general, Tyler helps run the Pirates offense, which often times runs through him.
“We’ve got a lot of shooters. We run them to the corner. If somebody’s open, I hit them. If they’re not open I’ll have a wide open lay up or a dump to the post,” Tyler said.
Some of those wide-open layups helped Tyler recently pass 1,500 career points while leading Crane to back-to-back conference titles.
“I think the Crane community really values hard work and effort, and Tyler exemplifies that,” Smith said.
That value placed on hard work has helped the Crane program excel for years, something Tyler knows first-hand.
As a freshman, he was the only current Pirate to play significant minutes during their last trip to the state title game in 2017.
That means another playoff run would bring his career full-circle.
“[I’m cherishing] every second, every moment,” Tyler said. “At practice, whenever districts start, any practice could be our last practice, and I just want to make the most of everything.”
As this journey nears it’s end, Tyler knows exactly how he wants to be remembered in the Crane community.
“On the court, I want to be known as one of the best teams Crane’s had, and as a good teammate and a good person,” Tyler said.
That is what makes Tyler Campbell this week’s Athlete of the Week.
