After summer struggles, Tylis Jordan emerges as a key piece for Georgia Tech
Early on during Georgia Tech’s summer basketball workouts, one player coach Scott Cross had high expectations for struggled.
Tylis Jordan, an Ole Miss transfer, graded out among the worst players on the team defensively during an intrasquad scrimmage.
“He was awful and then all of sudden he figured it out,” Cross said before the season began. “The light bulb went on.”
Jordan, who grew up in Georgia and starred at Shiloh and Wheeler in high school, went from a question mark to a starter by elevating his defense.
On Tuesday, he led the Yellow Jackets with 27 points in an 85-71 win against Eastern Kentucky at McCamish Pavilion.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore forward made eight of 12 shots from the field and 11 of 12 free throws. He added six rebounds, two assists and two steals in a team-high 34 minutes.
As it was during the preseason, Jordan said his offensive breakthrough started with his defense.
“I believe my defense sparks my offense,” Jordan said. “I feel like I hang my hat on that side of the floor and that kind of gets myself going as well as the whole team.”
Jordan’s emergence in the frontcourt has been important for Tech (3-0), which had gotten its leading scorers from the backcourt in each of its first two games. Guards Colby Garland and Nasir Whitlock led the Jackets in scoring against Hampton and Georgia Southern, respectively.
Production in the paint has been less consistent.
Freshman Moustapha Diop, a 6-foot-11 forward, missed the first two games with an injury, while sophomore center Cole Kirouac and freshman forward Ilja Kurucs each missed one game. Cross also has played predominately smaller lineups dictated by the matchups.
Jordan has been a constant, leading Tech in minutes played in two of its first three games. His skill set and 7-foot-plus wingspan allow him to defend multiple positions, Cross said, giving the coach flexibility with his rotations.
Against Eastern Kentucky, Víctor Valdés also provided a boost off the bench, finishing with 17 points, six assists and six rebounds. The senior forward credited Jordan with creating opportunities for the rest of the offense.
“Having a great person like Ty, he’s a freak athlete,” said Valdés, a Troy transfer. “You just have to throw it around the rim and he’s going to catch it.”
Three games into his first season at Tech, Cross said he’s still learning about his roster and how to best use its pieces. He expects to need bigger lineups at times, particularly when ACC play begins in late December.
Jordan gives him options. He can play forward in a bigger lineup or handle the center spot when the Jackets go smaller.
“Once he focuses on defense and rebounding, he is special,” Cross said. “I think he could play at the very, very highest level.
“There’s not much he can’t do. When he focused on those two things, I think that’s when you get the best version of him.”