After averaging only 48 points a game as a team last year, Columbus East boys basketball coach Brent Chitty decided to employ a more up-tempo style this season.
While the Olympians have yet to pick up a win in their first four games against some stiff competition, their scoring is way up. East is averaging 71 points a game.
Tyler Boyer has been the main beneficiary in that up-tempo game. The 6-foot-3 senior has lit up defenses to the tune of 22.5 points per contest.
“Coach Chitty and (assistant) coach (Sean) Miller want us to play fast,” Boyer said. “Last year, we struggled storing a lot, so they opened it up. “I feel like as a team and for me personally, it helps us a lot because it’s an easier way to get shots. We’ve been getting in shape all summer, so we can get up and down the court, so it helps us a ton.”
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It also helps that Boyer has been able to put the ball in the basket. He shot 50 percent from 3-point range in each of East’s first four games.
“He’s hitting shots,” East coach Brent Chitty said. “He’s shooting the ball with a lot of confidence. Defensively, he has a good understanding of it, and he’s doing a really good job with that. I hope that gets better for all of our guys.”
Boyer’s scoring is up by nearly 10 points a game over last season, when he led the Olympians with 12.8 points and 4.3 rebounds and added 2.1 assists.
“Tyler is one of those kids that is a three-year starter, and his role has kind of changed every year,” Chitty said. “As a sophomore, he was a support kid for us and did a great job of it. Last year, we had to kind of put him to the forefront. He did a lot of work in the offseason, and his work is paying off. He’s been going out there every night and getting it done for us.”
This spring and summer, Boyer was able to put up a lot of shots when athletes were pretty much on their own because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During the summer with quarantine, I had to find a way, and coach Chitty gave us workouts to do,” Boyer said. “I did a lot of shooting. I did all the drills that we usually go through in practice. Over the first four games, that’s really paid off.”
Boyer also went to work with Nathan Frasier at MVP to get in better shape and increase his explosiveness.
“I wanted to get more explosive off the dribble,” Boyer said. “I feel like that’s helped me a ton defensively and off the ball.”
Beyond scoring, Boyer has made other contributions. He ranks second on the team with 5.8 rebounds a game and third with 2.3 assists. He is shooting 91 percent from the free-throw line.
Boyer also has provided a steady leadership on and off the court.
“I’m very pleased with our seniors, Tyler included,” Chitty said. “They do it as a group, and they’ve done a very good job of it. We’ve had some ups-and-downs. We just have to rely on those guys to be leaders in the locker room and on the floor.”
Although Boyer has the size and the shooting range to play at the next level, he is undecided if he will continue his career beyond this season. He wants to go into finance, possibly accounting, and has talked to some smaller schools in Indiana and Wisconsin about the possibility of playing basketball.
“I’m talking it over with my parents to see if it’s better to go somewhere smaller and play basketball or go to someplace like IU and just go for education,” Boyer said.
For now, Boyer is intent on helping East turn things around from the wins and losses perspective.
“We haven’t gotten off to the best start, wins-wise, but compared to last season, we’re closer,” Boyer said. “The more experience we get on the court, the more wins we’ll get, and our record will be better. As a team, we should be able to get up to an even record. Our goal every year is to make a run in sectional and do our best to win sectional.”
