This is interview has been a long time coming. I wanted to give Tyrell a chance to fully finish out his career so we can appropriately measure out his accolades. Or I've been procrastinating, whatever fits your stupid agenda.
I feel like I don't need to get too deep into an explanation here. Tyrell is a local Prince George athlete who's been making headlines since he was 14. There isn't much else to say really. I had the pleasure of playing with Ty from the years of 2016-2018. Those 2 years were more than enough for me to see what everyone was talking about. The kid is truly special, saying anything less would be an afront to everything he's accomplished up to this point. I wanted this interview to give you a glimpse of Tyrell's iron mentality more than anything, his game speaks for itself. Just in case you aren't convinced yet, here are some technical reasons for interviewing Tyrell:
Tyrell Laing Profile
UNBC's all-time leading scorer, he accomplished this earlier in the year on his senior night.
Once scored 67 points in a highschool game, as an 11th grader. Fuck off.
He was Canada West's leading scorer in the 2019-2020 season, yet wasn't given an all-star nod. Still confusing to this day, but Canada West basketball is also confusing.
A serious lover of Arizona Iced Tea. We share this love, so occasionally I'd pick some up for him whenever it was available at the grocery store.
A talented 2k Streamer, which is an incredibly tough game to be good at.
He was a Prince George City Champion in 2015 as an 11th grader.
A BC Team player from 2012-2015, played for the like of Rich Goulet and other outstanding coaches.
A fellow enthusiast of launching 30 footers, he hits more though.
Just in case you forget the format of these interviews, whatever I'm saying will be bolded. These represent more of a conversation, as I jump in to add more to the question occasionally. I'll clarify in brackets if I feel like I can add anything.
Please enjoy the first fully recorded interview with Tricky Ty, T boogie, that man Tyrell Laing.
1. Tyrell I'm gonna set the seen for you, your first ever pre-season game, you started. My best game of my career. Rhys has back issues and he's not playing, James breaks his ankle 5 minutes into the game, Saje and Neal are incredibly sick. It is me and you running the ship at that current moment, we have literally no bench. Red Deer College famously goes under all ball screens, and you hesitated to shoot it at least twice coming off a middle ball screen. Normally first years would have doubts in a situation like that, but after those first two looks, you hit maybe 4 or 5 deep 3 balls from that exact spot. I want you to take me through that first game of yours from your memory.
I remember getting ready in a classroom before the game, because Red Deer didn't have visitor change rooms. Which is honestly pretty common over your career. They had an old chalk board in that classroom, and I see my name in the starting lineup. I'm extremely nervous because I've never played a University game before, and Todd had not exactly let me know before hand that I was starting. Rhys was out, so I'm thinking I'm also going to have to play pretty well for us to pull out a win for how injured we were. So I get out there, and I'm thinking my best way to make an impact on this game is with defense, similar to my mindset on the provincial team, just bring good energy. I'm trying to pick up full most of the game, and I immediately got whaled by a full court screen that Tony is calling out and everything. I could like hear my vertebrae crack when I got hit, it was on film and everything. He was calling it out loud as hell, I just couldn't hear him. I just blocked it out. It was one of those moments where it's like "you gotta pay attention kid, or else you're going to get hurt" kinda thing. Then obviously in the midst of all that happening, James breaks his ankle like 5 minutes in. My immediate thought was ok were going to take the reigns off here, just knowing that I'd have to have a big role for the remainder of this game. I didn't feel as much pressure. You were going off as well, which made me more comfortable in accepting that secondary scoring role. Cut to me, coming off that middle ball screen, and not to pump up my statistics, but I was in the top percentile of guys on Synergy one year for points per possession in situations where defenders go under the ball screen.
So as you said before, I come off that screen about 3 times and just move the ball. I wasn't trying to step on toes as a first year, and didn't exactly know where I fit yet. The other half of me is saying ok I was just that PGSS kid used to scoring 40 points a game shooting from that exact spot. That 4th time I came off I just said "y'all have me messed up man", and I light that first shot. The weight on my shoulders just falls off. As soon as I saw that first ball go in, It almost felt like I was back in highschool, that being a shot I used to religiously take. We were just able to work that 1 and 2 scoring unit with me and you, from there on out. They had this American dude who was shooting the ball from ANYWHERE, and ex-UVIC point guard Kai Greene.
That was my other point I was about to say, an underrated part to that game was you holding Kai to like 1 for 13 shooting. We made a switch where I guarded Ian Tevis, and you started guarding Kai. It probably won us the game.
I remember he posted a picture on Instagram after with me like literally just locking him, and I said bro none of those shots you took went in. (LOL).
(I remember thinking how much I watched Tyrell take that exact shot in highschool, when he turned it down the first couple of times I was PISSED. Ty was different, I didn't sign up for a Tyrell that wasn't going to shoot. He overcame that pretty quickly, which I think is a huge representation for his career moving forward from that point.)
2. Since you talked about full court defense. You took that side of the ball super seriously in your seasons coming off of the bench. Again, not common for first year guys to do. I always thought you had the best mentality for that situation. Specifically, I wanted to talk about your second year, when we went on that trip to VIU. You had just forced like 4 turnovers in a row on their point guard. I just want to hear about your mentality coming into those situations.
Yes, my mentality is that I'm just a guy with a lot of energy. I'm going to do whatever I can to disrupt that guy, make him change directions, anything really. I want him to be thinking "just get this kid off of me". I always took it personally to be a lockdown defender. So when it comes to the VIU game, I just remember there being no more satisfying feeling than sitting down, putting that dude in a 4x4 box, and his coach having to pull him because he can't get the ball over half.
(Ty stole that mans SIN number, his credit card, pictures of his kids from his wallet. All of the above. To this day, I've never seen someone who's been hotter on defense.)
3. You were a really high level recruit, who is a local kid. But specifically what were the factors that landed you at UNBC.
I would say it was a few things. To narrow them down to just 2 or 3 reasons, number 1 was family. Family is so important to me, it just made everything so much easier. I wasn't really ready to move out on my own, I wasn't mature enough. I don't know if it would have turned out the same, when you consider academics and having to live on my own. I have no idea how I would have faired. Family really helped my decision. I also had a lot of various connections that were tarnished by my head coach coming out of high school. That was a big part of my decision, because so many potential suitors were now gone. Being the hometown kid was a role I was wanting to fill though.
(We get into that head coaching issue later.)
4. What is your favourite road trip we ever went on?
I think it's a toss up between the Montreal trip, which is an all time trip, and when I went to LA in 2019. those are like 1a and 1b for me.
5. What is your favourite moment of your UNBC basketball career?
Wow, there's a lot of them. I think it would have to be my senior night. Which might be odd because we lost, and no one played entirely that well in that game. But I got to have that moment of becoming the all-time scoring leader in UNBC history. That was just a culmination of all the years of work I put in. So it was special, we weren't going to move anywhere in the standings because of that game but it didn't matter. I loved it nonetheless.
6. Why is Stephen Curry the greatest point guard of all time? I want to hear it from your mouth, because I share a similar perspective.
First thing about Steph has to be the way he's changed basketball, that's what I like to focus on the most. His individual impact on how the game of basketball is played is basically unmatched. Steph has changed the game just as much or more than any other NBA player. That's not a championship, that's not an MVP, that's completely something different. He's just changed the game incredibly. Number 2, I would have to say he is more talented than the guys he is being compared to on an all-time list. It's so tough to compare era's. If you take him and put him in a time machine, he would obviously kill those guys. Like if I bring Bob Cousy to the future, I'm beating him in 1 on 1. Steph has things offensively that nobody in NBA history has had before, the handle, the shooting, the efficiency. One of the craziest stats I've ever heard was Stephen Curry leading the league in 3 point attempts, while simultaneously leading the NBA in 3 point percentage. It's unbelievable. The volume and the efficiency are incredible. The way offenses are now designed have taken some notes from how Stephen Curry plays the game. His improvement on the defensive end, how his body has changed as an undersized guy. Icing on the cake is the 4th ring and the 1st Finals MVP, should be second one but whatever.
(Thanks Iggy, real nice man.)
How much do you enjoy pissing people off on Facebook with your takes?
I love it man, I changed my profile picture to Mark Jackson as a troll. Now in all of my posts, I finish with the line "with all due respect", usually after saying something not respectful. I have so much fun engaging in basketball conversations. Sometimes it's a troll, sometimes it's serious. I'm just here for it all. It started off as people having like full conversations in my comments section. I would just pose a question that people could freak out about.
(I deleted my Facebook a couple years ago, but Tyrell's posts were the only reason I was hanging onto that stupid app. The way he would get so many people riled up was *chef's kiss*. Expert trolling.)
7. How much did our off-seasons in the summer help you? Just in forms of training.
Conditioning wise, I just able to be held to a high standard with you and Vova running around. I had to raise my level of game, which always helps. Skill workouts, playing the game like scenarios. Playing against people who were genuinely better than me was good for me at a young age, like Vova legit just beat me up that summer. Playing against a vet like yourself, a guy who's a bit bigger, I had different challenges with each of the guys who were training with us. You have to try and find a way to make plays, guard certain guys, and we had a wide range of different players at that time.
(Vova beat the shit out of all of us. But by the end of that summer we all had the toughest time getting by each other, the level was so high).
8. In one word, describe the city of Brandon, Manitoba.
Crucified.
9. I want to talk about you running camps for kids through junior t-wolves, you had helped me out in the past as well. I can see the way you've always connected with the young kids, it seems so effortless. What do you think that is due to?
I don't feel super removed from being a kid myself? So I just kind of understand what I would have responded too, and try to give them what I would have enjoyed. Whether that's picking them up when they're down, cracking jokes with them, hyping them up, even giving them a bit of a rough time when they're disobeying. I always try to put my own flavour on it, because I think they respond to me because of my game. My name might hold a little bit of weight to them, just being a PG kid. That makes it fun and easy.
(Famous Tyrell camp phrases: "Oh go kick some rocks pal", "Gimme a YEET", "Jump in a lake man".)
10. If you and your younger brother Cole are both in top game shape, who's getting a higher score on the beep test?
Cole. Most definitely. He was in grade 11 when he ran a 13.9. He was gifted with a set of lungs man. I can't wait to see what he does when he's getting pushed in a college situation.
I was able to raise my level being around better athletes and more strict scheduling. He legit walks around at like a 13.5 on the beep test minimum. So if he can improve on that, it would be insane. He's got that mindset to be really good full court defender.
(Cole Laing is playing for the Camosun College Chargers next season. Their head coach happens to be Geoff Pippus, an absolute sniper Tyrell and I both played against from the University of Alberta. It's a really cool coincidence that Cole gets to play for someone like Pippus, he's going to love it.)
11. Who is the toughest guy you've had to guard on a Usports level?
I can't pick just one man. I'm going to do 2 or 3 of the tougher ones. First is Lawrence Moore from Saskatchewan, I think most people would share that one with me. Second is Dejon Bourdeaux from Lethbridge. Not a tall guy, didn't shoot 3's, but he was dominating. Those two guys stick out. My honourable mention has to be a hot Phil Jalalpoor. You can't touch that man when he's hot.
(We unfortunately experienced a hot Phil Jalalpoor in our home gym in my 5th year, a real life nightmare.)
12. I wanna compare your roles on the team from your 3rd year into your 4th year. A bench player to Canada West's leading scorer. I specifically want to talk about the level of patience you had to have playing behind some older experienced dudes.
I'll give you some insight here man. I felt like I had gotten so much better from my 2nd year to my 3rd year, but my opportunity had shrunk in the 3rd year. I just didn't feel like I had gotten that opportunity to show everyone what I was about yet. It's always hard taking a step back especially when you feel like you've improved so much. I was super frustrated. That came with some tough times, I remember playing that Dalhousie tournament in Halifax my 2nd year. I was playing maybe 5 minutes a game at some points, it was just a situation I wasn't familiar with, so I didn't exactly know how to respond to it. I had played so much more in first year due to injuries. That was a dark time for me certainly. I'm so competitive and wanted it so bad. I remember making a promise to myself that whatever happened at that current moment wasn't going to happen again. I had tears in my eyes and took it super personally. Moving into my 3rd year, I felt like I was on a great level. I've never said this before but what I did in my 4th year, I felt like I was ready for in my 3rd year. Especially at about the halfway point in the season, it was a tough dynamic though with all the upper classmen and Coach trying to balance that. He was almost was forced to hold the reigns back on me at times. I was chomping at the bit to prove myself, and I had some breakout games that year where I proved my confidence in my shot. I shot 40% from 3 that year and everything. It was tough knowing that you have so much to give but you're not exactly allowed to show it yet.
It definitely made those later years a little sweeter, just to know that I earned absolutely everything. It was an accumulation of all that work to that point.
13. Which of your teammates from past or present have the worst sense of fashion? And best sense of fashion?
Ok, so Chris Ross is definitely on that list. Mango you're number one though brother, just because you didn't care. Jesse Mushiana can also definitely be on the list.
Best sense would have to be James Agyeman. That might be it honestly, really respect James' sense of fashion. There was some other guys, Sam Zhang in a suit is flawless. Jovan had some really nice outfits too.
(I genuinely didn't care, I wore sweats every single day along with being colour deficient. Try and care about outfits if you're bad at colours and come back to me.)
14. If you were to compare your game to an NBA player who would it be?
It's really hard for me because of my mid-range game. It terms of being a guy who's not blowing you away with athleticism, but will still put the ball in the hoop, I've received the Fred Van Vleet comparison a couple of times. I have some flavour though, I try to model my game after Trae Young, Steph Curry, and Kyrie Irving. Those are the blend of guys I go for.
I thought a shout would be Mike James, just because of your mid-range game. The deepest bag as well.
Saje has said the exact same thing.
15. Exactly how many times did I ask if you were Jamaican?
Am I blanking here? Did you ask me if I was Jamaican all the time?
In the span of one week at a camp, I asked you about 3-4 times because you were wearing that team Jamaica shirt.
Yes ok, I do remember that. It was a lot. You asked so many times.
(No idea what I was trying to accomplish here.)
16. I just want you to shout out some of your role models, which can be super broad.
I think basketball wise, it may be corny but of course I'm going to mention my parents. They literally did everything for me, I would be nothing without them. I'd have to also mention Riley Braich, from Abbotsford. He played for Yale and was my provincial teammate. I was cut from the provincial team my second year and was placed on the B team with Riley. That summer we killed ourselves getting better, two ball dribbling, we'd do like 45 minutes of that until we started to shoot. It was super hard on my mental getting cut, but seeing how hard that man worked just inspired me to do it myself. He is the hardest working guy I've ever met, I learned how to be skillful from him. 3rd would have to Steph Curry, which might be weird for some people. I literally wanted to be Steph, that helped me out a lot on how I viewed the game. I understood how important stretching the floor was.
17. What is the main thing that kids may not understand about playing on this level?
How hard it is to do everything. Simple things on the floor. It's much harder to beat someone off the bounce. Even though that's a blanket statement, I used need a 70% burst to get by someone in highschool. You need 100% percent to get a shoulder on a Usports player. Some kids don't train for that, your workouts have to be 100% to simulate a game. They're not used to the speed of the game. Adjusting to athleticism and how hard everything is going to be. You also need to develop a weak hand, because you're not getting by anyone at this level being one dimensional like that. You don't want to implode on the court because of your lack of speed. Anyone with a brain on our level can guard a one handed player.
18. Favourite artists, albums, current tracks?
Favourite artists have to be Drake and J Cole. I know that is cliché but that's who I am. Drake's last album sucked but It's fine. I didn't enjoy the club beats, I like when he's rapping his ass off. We all love the rapping ass Drake. Currently I'm listening to a lot of 2015-2016 type of music, that was a really great era for music.
19. What's your personal favourite Tyrell Laing hairstyle archetype?
I think my personal favourite was the full on Odell haircut. I was a real goofy kid who didn't care so I was rocking with it.
(Tyrell had a plethora of different cuts, the ODB blonde twisties were a fan favourite for sure. Honorable mention has to be the nappy dreads. Ty said the maintenance sucked, but he was on his Chief Keef bullshit and I whole-heartedly support that.)
20. I want to talk about how you were profiled out of high school by your head coach, I remember saying that we were going to find out if you really had an "attitude" after about one week of training. It was so apparent that this was a serious lie someone had made up for no real benefit? I want you take me through that experience.
It was a crazy thing man. He had a huge amount of pull and was in a position of power. The most organized way I can talk about it is that my scholarships were taken away from other suitors. I had been talking with U of Calgary and U of Alberta, my head coach also really wanted me to go to TRU. He had a relationship with Scott Clarke, the TRU head coach. We had several disagreements, and he eventually went through the process of talking to all these coaches and telling them that I wasn't cut out for it. So I was kind of like ok I can stay home and play, because Todd had believed in me and was familiar with the situation. But he was doing his best to not allow me to play at the collegiate level, telling these coaches that I wasn't fit for their program. He was at our zone championship games trying to talk to Todd about not recruiting me. I had all of those offers removed because of him, there was no winning that situation for me. I was just a kid. People didn't know how to act around me because of that, even at my first week with UNBC. They were gauging my reactions to things. I just continued to work my ass off and be myself, and that's what ultimately showed everyone that those things weren't true. I've never had any problems with any of my teammates, I always want to be coachable. All of that showed.
(Tyrell has a rare iron mentality, when combined with his work ethic, there is no choice but to respect it. He was an amazing teammate and leader, so this was a real surprise to us initially when these things were said about him. With no real base.)
21. I wanted to ask about the number one lesson you learned from Rich Goulet?
He was like a military man, he was the most strict coach I've ever played for. We used to put Biology and Math textbooks in backpacks and run around the school, we were flipping huge tires and stuff. The training was insane. I'd ever done that before, I think he just made it military-like in the preparation. He showed me toughness more than anything else. That man is full of grit and he cares. We were prepared for anything.
(Rich Goulet was a long-time Pitt Meadows highschool head coach, along with his BC team coaching duties. He's such a well respected figure in BC Basketball history.)
22. Who would you say are some of the guys who were the biggest influences for you, out of who you played with at UNBC?
Early on it was Sam Zhang, he really took me in as his rookie. We trained together before my freshman season, he was always in my ear giving me so much confidence. He was a really big influence in terms of me just improving, you get so much better just playing 1 on 1 with him. That behind the back move gets EVERYONE. Later on in my career it was Saje Gosal, he taught me how to approach the game and how to attack it as our best player. Even in leadership sort of ways, and how I should respond to our team. He has such a mind for the game. He was always super vocal about when the team needed me, he was damn near a coach by end of it. Calling subs and timeouts and shit. A really special dude.
(Playing 1 on 1 with Sam Zhang is a foolproof way to improve your defense, he's so talented in 1 on 1 positions and you have to guard EVERYTHING. Saje was a vocal leader for most of us, he thinks the game so well, and he gives you the ultimate amount confidence.)
23. On a scale of 1 to 10 how stoked were we when Pinball Clemons showed up at our athletic banquet?
10, nothing less. We were tweaking. My eyes lit up right away, my grandpa is a huge CFL fan. He would preach Pinball's gospel to me man. He knows so much about the CFL.
(Dapping up Pinball Clemons is one of the highlights of my life. No doubt.)
24. How much did Football help you in a cross training aspect? multi-sport athletes usually benefit at the higher levels.
I was able to bring a physicality to my basketball game for sure, just to be able to deal out contact and take it. All while being under control. So balance is huge in football as well, or you're gonna get lit up. I was playing Varsity football in 8th grade, so I had to learn how to avoid getting hit and how to take hit. I was a little guy so it was easy to take it to the basketball floor. The game is physical now, and I felt that I had a leg up on guys that maybe didn't have that same experience.
25. Mike or Lebron?
Micheal easily, but I'm much more open to the Lebron conversation now. I don't get heated at the people who choose Lebron now. It's like a style of play thing, I have my preference. It's also about what you value, like longevity and consistent dominance. Or the run Mike had in the 90's. So it's all about the value you gain from certain aspects. The 5 major advanced stats metrics lean to Micheal just by a hair. But Lebron has more length of time being on top. It's closer than people think.
26. Briefly describe lunchtime basketball Friday's at the YMCA when our gym was closed for the Summer.
That's how I grew up man, so there was a huge familiarity there. I always played against older dudes, playing against guys way stronger than me. They all hand-checking the shit out of me. So I learned a lot in those ways. When we got older it was more of a run to work on some things in a game scenario. So that would make it competitive and fun. Just about staying in a good rhythm. Maybe you shouldn't be doing some of it in a Usports game, but it was good for the confidence.
(Our gym was closed due to the 100 Mile House forest fire evacuees staying in the Northern Sport Centre. We spent much more time playing with Tyrell's Dad and his homies at the YMCA, such a fun Summer.)
27. Describe how hard it is to find a barber in PG if you're Jamaican?
It's crazy, when I was younger I remember my mom and I couldn't find anyone to cut my hair. We used to get a "no" from multiple barbers. Straight up. I used to have my boy Robert cut my hair for a bit, but then I started going to Westend Barbers in College Heights. They do a great job. I even had Jovan cut my hair a couple of times when we were playing together. It's so tough to find a barber that has that skillset.
28. Best place to eat in Prince George?
Man I have to go with the Sho Gun. Get the Sho Gun combo and you're done bro. Trust.
Thank you so much to Tyrell for sharing all of this with me, and everyone who reads this. To say I'm proud of the kid is an understatement. We all knew what he was capable of from the start, to see him push through and get the respect he deserves is the best feeling of justice. Hope y'all enjoyed.
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