Via Justin Marcano/MDC The Reporter
During his first season at Miami Dade College, Kaevon Tyler has been a pleasant surprise for the men's basketball team.
The freshman guard is averaging 15.2 points per game and shooting 37 percent from three-point range.
"He's definitely one of the best shooters that I have seen in a while," said Sharks assistant basketball coach, Brandon Cosby. "From [the first meeting] on, I just saw a kid that wanted to get better and learn. In practice, since day one, he's always the loudest one cheering guys on. He's all about the team. He's all about getting better."
Tyler made his presence known on the basketball court early on. In the team's season opener on Nov. 2, he scored 25 points and added seven steals during a lopsided 142-60 win versus the Red Devils Basketball Academy.
"Kaevon is laid back and a very confident person, probably one of the best shooters I've played with," said sophomore shooting guard Elijah Hill.
Tyler grew up in Liberty City. His tough upbringing shaped who he is today. The 6-foot-2-inch tall shooting guard said he got accustomed to hearing police sirens and gunshots on a regular basis.
"Days wasn't always bad, some people might buy you a bag of chips from the corner store or you could get your money taken too," Tyler said. "Outside my house, I could always see a homeless person walking around or you could see someone selling crack outside."
Tyler used basketball to keep himself out of trouble. When he was 11 years old, he started playing for the South Beach All-Stars, now known as Nike South Beach.
Basketball has helped him garner a variety of accolades. In 2016, he was selected third team All-Dade at the Sports Leadership and Management (SLAM) Charter School and, in 2017, he was a Florida Hoops Top 25 senior shooting guard at South Miami Senior High.
"He's just a hard worker. Everyday he came to get better and in this offense you have to be able to shoot the ball," Cosby said. "That's his strength so he forced his way into the line-up a lot quicker just with his ability to shoot from the three-point [range]. He's a pure shooter."
After his basketball career comes to an end at MDC, Tyler dreams of attending a four-year university and finishing his business administration degree.
"From day one, my father, Alvin Tyler, and my older brother, Lowan Tyler, was there with me every step of the way. We would always work out together and motivate and challenge each other everyday to get better," Tyler said. "Now all the hard work has paid off."