Josef Federman

Jeremy Tyler, middle, who made history by skipping his senior year of high school to turn pro, is struggling to find his feet with Maccabi Haifa in Israel’s top division. (AP Photo)

US Teen Basketball Superstar Struggles With Life as a Pro

Haifa, Israel. Just a few months ago, Jeremy Tyler was among the top prospects in American high school basketball, widely seen as a future first-round NBA draft pick.

These days, the 18-year-old center spends most of his time languishing on the bench — an inauspicious start for one of the most closely watched experiments in the world of professional basketball.

Tyler, a 2.11-meter, 118-kilogram phenom from San Diego, made history last summer when he became the first American player to skip his senior year of high school to turn pro. Too young to play in the NBA until 2011, Tyler looked overseas and signed a one-year, $140,000 deal with Maccabi Haifa, an up-and-coming team in Israel’s top division.

Two games into the season, Tyler is still a work in progress. He’s averaging just over seven minutes a game, has one point to his name and already is beginning to confront questions about whether he should have stayed in school.

“I only make history if I succeed. I didn’t come here to fail,” Tyler, sounding both frustrated and determined, said after playing a scoreless four and a half minutes in a Haifa victory this week.

Tyler, who had complained he was bored with high school competition, acknowledged the adjustment to his new surroundings had been difficult. No longer the big man on campus, he is just another player on a professional roster, living on his own in a foreign land. There is little socializing with his teammates — grown men, many with families, all trying to carve out professional careers of their own.

Weeks after his arrival, Tyler got a rude introduction to Israeli society when a neighbor complained that he was listening to loud music on Yom Kippur — a major faux-pas on the most solemn day of the Jewish calendar. Tyler said he didn’t mean to offend anyone, but the incident received heavy coverage on Israeli sports pages.

Since then, he has kept a low public profile. Tyler said he stays busy with a tough workout regiment and by working on his high school equivalence degree. Periodic visits by his girlfriend, parents and agent have helped with the transition. Still, he said he has no regrets about his decision.

“You got to be a man about the situation, you know. You made a decision, stick with it,” he said. “Sometimes, of course, being in a country that I’ve never been in before, that I’m not familiar with, can be extremely hard.”

As difficult as life can be off the court, Tyler is far more concerned about his performance as a player. In Israel’s pro league, which is full of former US college stars and top European talent, Tyler is playing against tougher competition than ever before.

Now, the all-star who averaged nearly 29 points a game last year for his San Diego high school is struggling to get into the game.

“He’s an 18-year-old kid playing in a men’s league,” said Simi Riger, a longtime Israeli basketball analyst who provides color commentary for the Haifa games. “All of the sudden it’s very difficult for him. He’s not the best player on the court for the first time in his life.”

In the country for only a few months, Tyler is facing expectations that few others share. His signing helped drive a 10 percent jump in season ticket sales, and his boyish face adorns team posters plastered around Haifa.

When Tyler stood to enter this week’s game, the crowd went wild, and the excitement was palpable every time he touched the ball.

On the court, Tyler showed glimpses of what has made NBA scouts salivate — explosive speed and the deft footwork of a point guard. But at times, he appeared tentative, waiting for rebounds to come his way or wandering around the perimeter.

He picked up an offensive foul just 10 seconds after entering, and missed his only shot.

For now, Tyler is saying all the right things. But he also admitted frustration over his diminished role.

Aran Smith, president of NBADraft.net, said the basketball world is closely watching Tyler’s development, particularly after a similar move by Brandon Jennings, a high-school standout who skipped college to play in Italy last year.

After struggling overseas, Jennings is off to a fast start as a rookie with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Smith said that unless Tyler suffers a complete meltdown, he should still be a first-round NBA pick in 2011, though his stock could drop from a lottery pick to the lower end of the draft.

Associated Press

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