For three days a week, 52 weeks a year, for 36 years, Oxford High School head men’s basketball coach Drew Tyler has laced up his shoes and walked through the doors of every Ole Miss gym to play pickup basketball.
“We would sneak into the old gym and play, and (the University Police Department) would kick us out, and then we would get into (the Tad Smith Coliseum.) They’d kick us out. We’d go to the education building that is now where the Ole Miss Band music department is, and we’d get in that gym. They’d kick us out,” Tyler said. “But they couldn’t keep us out. We knew every way that we could get into the Tad Smith Coliseum. We thought that was pretty neat at that time, of course — but UPD didn’t.”
Tyler, a 55-year-old Oxford native, grew up playing basketball in his hometown, making his way to the Turner Center for the first time at 17 years old in 1983. Tyler said many things have kept him coming back over the years — but the driving factor, he said, is the people.
The coach behind the player
“I had a kids camp for like 21 years — kindergarten through sixth grade — and we’d go from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. inside Turner Center,” Tyler said. “We’d send them home, and then my basketball team would go eat pizza together. And then, later that evening, I’d be back in the Turner Center playing with some college kids that were in summer school or some law school students that were still around.”
Tyler, through a hearty chuckle, described these summer days as “a good day.”
“I could work with a kindergarten kid and use basketball to connect with them,” Tyler said. “Then, I got to hang out with my basketball team, and then, all of a sudden, I’m going back to my hobby: basketball. I think that just made for a good day.”
Tyler has coached at Oxford High School (OHS) since 1997, accumulating an overall record of 487-165. His players have come and gone, but the relationships he built with the people, not just the players he coached, lasted long past their time as Chargers.
One of Tyler’s coaching mantras is, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” He takes this lesson into every season with each new team.
Kobe Jones, one of Tyler’s former players and a freshman biological sciences major, said his former coach cared for ‘Kobe the person’ before ‘Kobe the basketball player.’
“He always checked on me in school and out of school, just asking me if I wanted to go eat lunch some days. He made it clear that I was more than just one of his players but a son.”
Miles Luber, another former player of Tyler’s and a freshman finance and real estate double major, said he and Tyler still keep in contact. He also shared the greatest lesson Tyler taught him.
“We talk on the phone almost once a week, whether it’s me asking if I can get in the gym to play some pickup or just talking to talk. I know he’s always one call away,” Luber said. “I could go on with a lot of things he’s taught me, but one of the main things would probably be how I watched him win the day every day. No matter if it was with coaching, teaching, playing or being a father, he is always trying to be the best he can be.”
Dr. Kurre Luber, Miles’ dad, is thankful that his son knows someone like Tyler.
“It’s huge to have somebody like (Drew Tyler) in your kid’s life in school,” Luber said. “To have your son have someone else to look up to outside of the family circle is great. … Drew relates to kids as well if not better than anybody I have ever been around.”
Basketball has served as a pseudo-love language for Tyler — a method of connection that comes naturally to him.
“It’s a good feeling when one (of my former players) will text and say, ‘Hey coach, I’m headed to Turner Center to play if you want to play at 5:30 p.m. or something.’ It lets me know that they think I am going to connect with them and win some games, get some exercise — and I need to cherish every moment,” Tyler said.
Tyler has brought Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf to Turner Center to run pickup games on numerous occasions. What some may not know is that Metcalf is a former OHS Charger. Of course, Metcalf made his mark on the football field, but he was also a four-year basketball player under Tyler.
“I knew DK’s parents before DK knew his parents,” Tyler said. “He’s always been very humble and not shied away from being vocal about where he knows his roots are in Oxford. He knows that I know DeKaylin Metcalf through and through. When I was coaching, it was a player-coach relationship, and now it’s kind of a friend relationship — and if you look at my age, it would be like a second dad-type relationship.”
The player behind the coach
Similar to most basketball players, Tyler has a competitive fire that, like building relationships, pushes him to keep playing. Tyler plays to win.
“I just cannot understand somebody wanting to play for fun,” Tyler said through a laugh. “I don’t understand somebody saying, ‘Hey, this is not the NBA.’ But then, all of a sudden, we are keeping score. I’ll never understand that, ever.”
Miles Luber said Tyler’s competitiveness is one of his greatest traits.
“He showed his care by being the competitor he is. It was a great feeling as a player to know that your coach wants to win just as badly and maybe even more than some players do,” Luber said. “I’ve never played under a coach nor met anyone that is as competitive as Coach Tyler, and I know that’s a big factor in how close he is with his players and why people have so much respect for him.”
Tyler is also serious about wanting to play basketball for as long as his body will let him. One way he goes about this is by visiting Kurre Luber, an orthopedic surgeon based in Oxford. Luber is the doctor for the Ole Miss Football team, but he and Tyler have built a relationship over the years.
“(Dr. Luber) performed my microfracture knee surgery about eight years ago, and he now helps me keep my legs in working condition,” Tyler said. “His attention to detail and his expertise is a huge reason that I can play a high-impact sport at the age of 55.”
Tyler has dealt with psoriatic arthritis, which affects his joints. Luber said Tyler gets inflammation in multiple joints, which he has helped treat. Despite the medical hurdles, Luber is not surprised Tyler still plays.
“I think, obviously, it boils down to the love of the game and his competitiveness and just the fact that he has basically dedicated most of his life to basketball,” Luber said. “He takes care of himself. You can tell he is very fit; he eats right, he exercises. Clearly, at his age, that is a huge part of being able to make your joints and your body last that long.”
Those who get to know Tyler, like Jones and Miles Luber, agree that his drive and passion for the game of basketball are nothing short of amazing.
“It’s actually inspiring,” Jones said. “He inspires me to continue to work out and stay in shape as I get older. It’s cool to see him keep the same passion for the game throughout all the years.”
Those who frequent the Turner Center know how much of a hot commodity Tyler is when he enters the gym; everyone wants him on the team. At the same time, those who do not know him see a 55-year-old man walk through the doors and brush it off like it is nothing.
“It’s funny to watch him surprise people when he can actually still play, and it also usually gives us an
advantage because it takes them a little bit to realize he is actually good,” Jones said.
Tyler Dancy, a junior exercise science major, loves watching people play with Coach Tyler for the first time.
“I have to laugh because not too many people know what Coach Tyler can do,” Dancy said. “It’s funny seeing them react to what he does, and I just be like, ‘Yeah, welcome to my world.’ I experienced it my first time here, too.”
Most people, including Miles Luber, would agree that it is more fun to play with Tyler than against him.
“It’s really fun (to be on his team),” Luber said. “He is a pass-first type of player, so it’s probably more fun for me because he is giving me all the shots. I also know my team will actually be trying to win if we are playing together.”
Dancy, on the other hand, appreciates playing with Tyler regardless of which team he is on.
“I like to play with and against him,” Dancy said. “He is pretty competitive, and he just likes to hoop. Playing with him is pretty fun because he literally finds you every time, no matter where you are.”
The man behind it all
Tyler has been around basketball for as long as he can remember. It has been a stress reliever, a reason to stay active, a fuel for his competitive fire and a way to give back to a game that has given so much to him.
Tyler’s story is less about the man who goes to the Turner Center a lot. Rather, his journey is about the man who has dedicated his life to basketball as a relationship-building exercise.
“Our relationship now is still great,” Jones said. “I still talk to him all the time, whether on the phone, at his house or playing pickup. I don’t see him every day anymore, but our relationship is definitely still strong.”
Yes, Tyler plays basketball to win, and yes, he plays with a competitive edge every time he steps onto the court. But, above all, Tyler is a steward of the game.
“I’m using basketball as a tool to help student-athletes at (OHS) — you know, winning on the court, winning in the classroom, trying to make them even more disciplined, whether they’ll be a great husband, a great father,” Tyler said. “At the same time, that same sport helped me meet people at Ole Miss when I was a student, and I’m continuing to meet people at Ole Miss. If it’s between games and we’re sitting, or it’s just down time, my number one question now is, ‘Hey, what made you come to Ole Miss?’”
Many people who play basketball at Turner Center know and refer to him as “Coach” or even “Coach Tyler.” However, in his perfect world, everyone would know him for who he really is outside of his title.
“I’d rather not just be known as ‘Coach,’” Tyler said. “I’d rather them know me for who I am: Drew Tyler. (Coaching) is what I do from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., you know, help kids 15 through 18 years old. And then, all of a sudden, I’m playing with 18- through 22-year-olds. I wish I could connect with all of them and maybe see what they’re about — maybe they can see what I’m about. But if they just know me as ‘Coach’ and the old guy that plays, I’d rather be known by that than a lot of other things people could be known for.”
