Montana State made an NCAA tourney appearance last week for the 1st time in 26 years but they have had lots of great players during the past quarter-century. 1 of the best was Tyler Hall: 2016 conference Freshman of the Year, 23.1 PPG as a sophomore, 2518 career PTS (most in Big Sky history) and 431 career 3PM (tied for 10th-most in D-1 history). HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Tyler about being a great scorer/shooter and his athletic family. Today is Tyler’s 25th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
You grew up in Illinois: what made you choose Montana State? The coaching staff and the feeling I had during my visit.
In 2016 you were named conference ROY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? I put in a lot of hard work and had a great cast around me. It was pretty exciting to be in such a good situation.
In December of 2016 you scored a career-high 42 PTS/15-25 FG/0 TO in a 5-PT loss to Milwaukee: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Kind of. My teammates got me involved early and I remember getting a lot of easy buckets.
In the 2018 Big Sky tourney you scored 11 PTS in a 2-PT loss to North Dakota after your team blew a 19-PT lead in the final 12 minutes: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It was a long time ago and I took every loss hard…but that 1 was pretty tough.
You made the all-conference team during each of your 4 years on campus: how were you able to remain so consistent throughout your college career? Just my work ethic every summer and having good teammates.
You graduated with a conference record 2518 PTS: what is the key to being a great scorer, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? Being consistent in your game preparation. There are a lot of good players nowadays so I would not be shocked if somebody breaks it.
Your 85.9 FT% is best in school history and your 431 career 3PM remains top-10 in D-1 history: what is the secret to being a great shooter? Being consistent and working on the little things. You must get a lot of shots up every single day.
You currently play for the Westchester Knicks in the G League: how is it going so far, and what do you hope to do in the future? It is going really well. I feel that I am developing my game every day and hopefully I can make it back onto an NBA roster someday.
Your parents Laura/Henry Hall both played college basketball and your grandfather Henry Sr. played minor league baseball: who is the best athlete in the family? We are a very competitive family so I am sure that everyone would say themselves…but I will go with me.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? A knock-down shooter who played hard and had a passion for the game.