Michael Tyler, Southeast, charge into sectional semifinals
Bill Welt Staff Writer @billwelt
Mar 4, 2019 at 7:00 PM Mar 4, 2019 at 7:06 PM
It doesn't matter who has the ball. Southeast High School's Michael Tyler is never afraid to take a charge.
The lengthy 6-foot-8 senior center absorbed one in particular against Rochester's Cade Eddington earlier this season and caught the much smaller 5-10 guard by surprise.
"When I took it, we both got up and he was like, 'Are you serious? You really took a charge on a fast break?' I was like, 'Yes, I had to,'" Tyler recalled. "He was like, 'You never had to do that. You're 6-8, you do not need to take charges. I was like, 'It's part of the job.'"
Eddington couldn't believe it because Tyler is a consummate shot blocker as well. He most recently had four blocks in Southeast's 71-58 victory over Sacred Heart-Griffin in the Class 3A Jerseyville Regional championship game Friday. That advanced the Spartans into this week's sectional, which they host. Southeast plays Champaign Central (17-12) at Herb Scheffler Gymnasium in a 7 p.m. semifinal tonight.
While Tyler's shot blocking often takes the spotlight, Southeast coach Lawrence Thomas says taking charges separates Tyler from most other big men and makes him the best defender in the Central State Eight Conference.
"You got to be tough to take a charge," Thomas said. "Michael does whatever it takes. He'll take a charge. When a charge is not called on, he'll stand there and he'll block the shot. He's flat out the best defensive player in the conference and there's a gap between him and second. He plays that role to a hilt."
A background in football helps. He was third among the Spartans' wide receivers with 37 receptions for 476 yards and four touchdowns this past fall.
"It gave me some footwork, most definitely," Tyler said. "But more than anything, it taught me to stand my ground and don't let anybody push me back down."
His kin is all about the gridiron. Copache Tyler played nose tackle at Yale University and recently graduated while a second older brother, Kendall, was a receiver at Southeast.
That doesn't automatically translate to toughness on the hardwood, though, Thomas said.
"He plays receiver in football and I think people just see him standing outside running pass plays, but when you don't have pads on and you stand in front of a player like (SHG forward) Nick Broeker, that shows how tough you are," Thomas said. "He's just as tough without pads as he is with pads.
"We've seen plenty of football players with pads on show they're tough, but then with pads off won't take a charge whatsoever."
Tyler and fellow 6-5 senior Devin Blue-Robinson are the muscle on Southeast's stingy defense, which forces 20.5 turnovers per game.
The Spartans (28-2) gobbled up 16 turnovers in their last game against the Cyclones and will get to put it on display again in front of their home crowd tonight. It's a rare opportunity indeed to come back home during the postseason.
"I love that," Tyler said. "I think we're really blessed to have a sectional here because last year was in Decatur (Eisenhower). This is a nice way to go out."
Southeast's defense is able to wreak so much havoc because Tyler and Blue-Robinson's presence in the frontcourt allows the guards to turn up the pressure on the perimeter.
"Everybody's got their own role and I feel like defense is most definitely my role, especially around the paint area," said Tyler, who averages 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. "I just try to hold it down.
"We're really top heavy. I think that's where I come in because I'm able to erase when they get past them, so it makes it real easy to press other teams."
If Tyler doesn't get a hand on the ball, he will alter the shot at the very least.
"I call Michael 'The Eraser' because all of the mistakes that I make, he's right there," Blue-Robinson said. "All of the mistakes that I make on defense, he's right there to clean them up with all of the blocks and charges he takes.
"This is like my sixth year playing with Michael. I know how he plays and he knows how I play. We've all been playing together for a long time, so we all have chemistry and know how each other play. That's what helps us to be so successful."
Their success hinges on trust, and the Spartans certainly have trust in their last line of defense down low.
"Our coaches preach trust," said Blue-Robinson, who averages 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. "It's all about trusting one another. I know Michael is going to do his part. I know (senior starters) Terrion (Murdix), Stepheon (Sims) and Damon (Davis) are going to do their part and they also trust me to do my part. That's part of the reason why we're successful."
Blue-Robinson moved into the starting lineup after senior standout Anthony Fairlee, who was first-team all-state last year, went out for the season with a knee injury in December. Southeast then lost senior transfer and 6-4 center Herb McMath with an ankle injury in January.
Both Tyler and Blue-Robinson have primarily filled the void with their defense.
"All of my coaches were telling me at one point in time I will be a big factor to this team," Blue-Robinson said. "I just didn't know it was going to come like that. Me stepping up, I knew I was going to have to do it. I didn't know it was going to come like that, but I had to do it.
"Southeast is defense. That's what all of the coaches preach. They tell us defense is what's going to win the game. Our defense is what turns into our offense."
Everything else is icing on the cake, Thomas said.
"That's their roles," Thomas said. "They get offensive rebounds, they get assists from perimeter players. They're always ready to step in and knock down layups or make big follow-up points for us. But mostly it's just their presence on the floor."
Contact Bill Welt: 788-1545, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt