You may have seen it before. It occurred often at Montgomery High School between 2000 and 2003, and at Santa Rosa Junior College in 2004-05. Now it's happening in Boise, Idaho.
Tyler Tiedeman is on a roll.
Tiedeman, the sweet-shooting basketball player who left Montgomery as a three-time All-Empire pick and the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,540 points, has been heating up for the Boise State Broncos.
He scored 20 points, hitting 6-of-10 3-pointers and adding eight rebounds and five assists in a 76-73 loss to New Mexico State on Jan. 10; followed that with 15 points and 4-of-6 3-point shooting in an 81-66 victory against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 12; tallied 20 points and sank 4-of-7 3-pointers in an 82-78 loss at Utah State on Jan. 17; and scored a career-high 27 points while draining 4-of-6 from long range in a big 95-80 win at Nevada on Jan. 19.
So in his past four games, Tiedeman is averaging 20.5 points per game and making better than 60 percent of his 3-point attempts. No wonder that before Boise State's game at Utah State, USU associate coach Don Verlin told the Herald Journal of Logan, Utah: "Tyler Tiedeman is having as good a year as anybody in the (Western Athletic Conference)."
Not bad for somebody who had to radically redefine his career plans after an injury.
Many local sports fans no doubt are familiar with Tiedeman's story. He opted for baseball after leaving Montgomery, turning down a $150,000 contract offer from the Atlanta Braves and accepting a scholarship at the University of Arizona.
In his first season pitching at Tucson, though, he blew out his elbow. Tiedeman wound up having Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his baseball career.
But not his sports career.
Tiedeman rededicated himself to basketball, spent one stellar season at SRJC, and committed to Boise State as a sophomore. He was an on-again, off-again starter during his first two seasons in Boise (rooming for a while with current Los Angeles Laker Coby Karl, son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl), and has become an every-game regular in 2007-08.
"This year as a senior, first of all, he's more developed physically," Boise State coach Greg Graham said. "He's stronger and quicker than when he got here. And as most seniors, his mental state has developed, too. He's a lot tougher. He understands what we want."
This year, Tiedeman is averaging 13.3 points (third on team), 3.7 assists (second) and 2.9 rebounds per game, in 29.6 minutes. He leads Boise State with 45 3-pointers in 89 attempts, a percentage of .506 that currently ranks sixth in the nation.
"He can usually shoot the ball," Graham said. "But he's getting better at getting to the basket and scoring buckets. That opens things up for him outside."
Tiedeman occasionally plays the 4 position (power forward) when Graham goes to a small lineup, but the 6-foot-7, 210-pounder has mostly settled into the 3 (small forward) spot.
"He can score inside, he can shoot from outside, on the perimeter," Graham said. "He gives us a lot of flexibility with his size. And he's a quick learner. His dad was a very good player, and his younger brother plays. So I guess you could say he has good genes as well."
Steve Tiedeman, Tyler's father, played basketball for Montgomery teams that went 43-2 over a two-year period in the late 1960s, and is a member of the Sonoma State athletic hall of fame. He and his wife, Lori, flew to Boise for the Broncos' most recent home games, and were expected to make the drive to Reno to see Tyler play last Saturday.
Meanwhile, Tyler's younger brother Zac is a Bronco, too -- he's a sophomore point guard at Santa Clara.
In Boise, Tyler Tiedeman's rangy quickness makes him a perfect fit for Graham's demanding, up-tempo scheme. The Broncos run like mad, shoot 3-pointers in bunches and score on the fast break.
"It's real fun when you're playing that way," Tiedeman said. "Everyone gets to score. Whoever is open takes the shot. . . . It's no fun to watch a team grind it out."
Boise State currently leads the WAC in scoring at 82.3 points per game and 3-point percentage (.390), and is second in 3-pointers per game (8.1).
It has gotten results. Boise, long known for its giant-killing football program, is experiencing something of a basketball revival in 2007-08. The Broncos raced to an 11-3 mark this year, which included an upset of No. 20 BYU on Dec. 30 -- just their fifth victory against a Top 25 opponent since 1982.
Attendance and season-ticket sales are way up.
"College sports are the professional team here," Tiedeman said. "It's really fun to walk around town after a win."
Those losses to New Mexico State and Utah State brought Boise State back to earth. But the convincing win at Nevada put the Broncos at 4-2 in conference play and rekindled hope of a rare WAC title.
Tonight, Boise State hosts Hawaii at 6 p.m.
If Boise is to bounce back, it will need big contributions from its four starting seniors. That includes Tiedeman, whom Graham described as "more of an action guy, not a talker."
"He's great," the coach said. "He's the kind of young man you want your son to grow up as."
Even if he can't throw a 90-mph fastball.
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