BRENTWOOD TENN. (WTVF) — It’s a Tuesday night and Tyler Tanner is doing what he does best, terrorizing an opposing high school’s defense. This time it’s CPA and Tanner is going off for 51 points in the first three quarters of Brentwood Academy’s 91-58 blowout win.
It’s a career night for Tanner, who has had a special career on the hardwood.
“I thank God every day for having the ability to play basketball at this level,” Tanner said after a recent game.
The basketball court has always been Tanner’s happy place. There’s joy in every dribble and in every shot he makes.
“In 22 years as a coach I’ve never seen a kid be so consistently positive and excited to play basketball,” said Brentwood Academy coach Andy Blankston. “He’s special. He impacts the game not just scoring. He impacts the game with his passing. He impacts the game with his ballhandling. He impacts the game with his steals. And he impacts the game with his character. He brings it every day.”
A four-year starter Tanner led Brentwood Academy to the Division II-AAA state title last season. He averaged 19.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.1 steals for the year and was named the Gatorade Tennessee Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
He’s been even better as a senior, and earlier this month topped 2,000 points for his career.
“It just speaks to how good he’s been over time,” Blankston said. “Every night he is excellent.”
Tanner becomes just the third Eagle to score 2,000 points, joining McDonald’s All-Americans and NBA first-round picks Brandan Wright and Darius Garland in the exclusive club.
“It’s special,” Tanner said. “I’m not a guy that thinks about myself a ton, but to be in the conversation with Brandan Wright and Darius Garland is really special.”
Tanner’s committed to play at Vanderbilt next season, where he will once again follow in Garland’s footsteps. It’s an opportunity to showcase his game against SEC competition while getting a world-class education close to home.
He also has grown close with fifth-year Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse during the recruiting process and cites that relationship with the former NBA All-Star as one of the biggest reasons he chose to become a Commodore.
“Coach Stack is a guy with a lot of experience,” Tanner said. “He played 18 years in the league. I think he can teach me a lot about my goals and where I want to get not only in basketball, but in life. Playing in the SEC is something I’ve always wanted to do, and then, lastly, the academics there. No matter how the ball bounces, if I’m playing professional ball or if I’m stopped after college I’ll be set for life with that education.”
But for now, Tanner’s enjoying every moment as an Eagle. He’s cherishing each one of those dribbles and every one of those buckets as he tries to cap off his storied high school career with a second straight state championship.
“Win state,” Tanner said. “That’s really the only goal (the team has). At the end of the day, we want that gold ball.”
