Tyler Hooker stays in first gear. He has no other setting.
Whether he’s staying after practice for extra reps, improving his game in the offseason or running point for the Kennesaw State Owls, Hooker gives it all he’s got.
“(My work ethic is important) because if I want to play at a high level and continue to do so, I know I have to work hard,” Hooker said. “I can’t get content or get too comfortable. I just come in every day and do my part, and then try to do a little more.”
The junior is the shining star of a struggling Kennesaw State program. He is averaging 18.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes per game for the Owls, who hold a 5-25 record (2-13 in the Atlantic Sun conference).
He has improved steadily each season, while continuing to take on a bigger workload. As a freshman, Hooker played 18.9 minutes per game, but averaged over two assists and six points per game off the bench and led the team in plus/minus. In his sophomore season, he climbed to 26.1 minutes per contest and averaged 10.8 points while starting 16 of the team’s 30 games.
Coach Al Skinner said that the traits that define Hooker as a player are his aggression and tenacity, but those qualities also point to him as a person.
“It’s an indication of the person he is. He’s assertive, he’s outspoken, and he plays that way. He’s confrontational -- sometimes that’s good and sometimes that’s not so good,” Skinner said.
Tasked with being a leader as a fourth-year player on a young team, Hooker brings his confrontational personality to the floor every night in a motivational way, something Skinner described as an “asset.”
“I really try to encourage my teammates to get the most out of them,” Hooker said. “I try not to put anybody down, but if I have to bark at them a little bit, you know, put the fire under them, I might do that too.”
Skinner said that Hooker’s next step in development will be to match his play to his mentality. Hooker’s aggression gets him into trouble at times as a point guard, so the two are working together on developing Hooker’s decision-making ability.
“What I’m trying to get him to understand is that you don’t always have to react,” Skinner said. “Good players dictate the decisions they want to make. When you get to that point, you really start to control the basketball game.”
Skinner recently announced that he will step down after this season, his fourth at the helm of KSU. Entering Friday’s regular-season finale at home against Stetson, the Owls have a 40-83 record since his hire in 2015, and have not recorded a winning season overall or in conference play.
Hooker said that he appreciated Skinner’s commitment to helping the team grow despite the lackluster record.
“I know coming from outside, it may look like there’s some things he could’ve done better, but we are still learning as a team. We’re still young. You have to take that into consideration also,” Hooker said.
With one game left in the 2018-19 season and a coaching change on the horizon, the eyes of many around KSU have started looking toward next season. But Hooker, with his relentless motor, would never allow the prospect of greener pastures to get in the way of getting better today.
“Things may not be going the way we want them to, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to come in and work hard. We just have to grind it out, and hopefully it will turn into our favor,” he said.
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