WS Chronicle

Young Tyler Bailey is only in the seventh grade, but he is already dazzling the crowds on the basketball court.  His play has been so stellar he is playing with the eighth grade team at Southeast Middle School because his talents are far beyond most kids his age.

In his first game this season, Bailey dropped 26 points, four assists and three rebounds.  He is also a member of the CP3 All-Stars AAU (Amateur Athletics Union) team that is one of the best in the nation.  They recently won the MLK Junior Phenom tournament in Richmond, Virginia, by defeating Team New World, which features the Number Two seventh-grade player in the nation.

Basketball is not just a hobby for Bailey as he has been into the game since the age of  2.

According to his father, Aaron Bailey, he would sleep with a basketball as a pillow growing up.  Tyler is aware of where the game of basketball can take him and gives the game his all.

“I really started liking the game and taking it seriously when I was in the third grade,” Tyler said.  “Throughout the years I have gotten a lot quicker, faster and stronger.  I’m starting to learn the game a lot more.”

Tyler says he does not want to be just a one-dimensional player but prefers to excel in all facets of the game.  He feels even though he is skilled as a player now there is room to get better as he transitions to the high school level in a couple years.

“I want to focus on everything because I like playing hard,” he continued.  “I like to have that tenacity when I play the game.”

Not only does Tyler hone his skills on the court by practicing with his middle school team, he also has outside trainers to help progress his talents.  He says his trainers are more like family because of the way they have his best interest in mind.  He feels they give him that extra edge on the court.

He says his teammates on his CP3 team have helped his game as well.  He says they push each other in practice to make sure everyone reaches their full potential.

Off the court, Tyler excels in the classroom similar to the way he does on the court.  He says he realizes that education will take him further than the game of basketball.  His favorite subject in school is math and given his choice he would love to play for Coach K at Duke.

On the professional level, Tyler says his favorite player is Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder.  As a combo guard he says he patterns his game after University of Alabama guard Collin Sexton. 

“I like Collin Sexton because we play the same position and I think we do a lot of similar things on the court, like we are both tenacious, we go to the basket and we can shoot the three-ball,” said Tyler.

The elder Bailey says he first saw the potential in Tyler when he was very young due to him always being around the game.  Bailey, who played college basketball at St. Paul College, thinks his son has a bright future ahead of him especially because Tyler is hungry to get better.

“He has always had an interest and I gave him a little push because I know what it takes to get to that level,” said Aaron Bailey.  “He has never bucked the push I gave him and lately I have seen an increase in him being more vocal about wanting to go workout without me having to say a word.”

“With God on his side, the sky is the limit,” he continued.  “He is long and can shoot the three.  He attacks the basket pretty well, but there is always room to get better.”

Even though Tyler has superior talent over most of his opponents on the middle school level, he says he does not take that for granted.  He says he approaches every opponent with the respect they deserve.

The humble young man is approaching 6 feet tall and still growing.  Even with a substantial growth spurt, the guard skills he is learning now will serve him well as continues to grow.  In a few years this young man could be a household name around the city of Winston-Salem.