Memoiral's Tyler Friedel looks to pass during day two of tournament play against Huntsville at the MHS senior campus gym on Friday.
GRAMMER SCHOOL
Originally published December 11, 2009 at 11:33 p.m., updated December 11, 2009 at 11:45 p.m.
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CommentInside or outside, Tyler Friedel can make you pay.
"He's a lot to deal with," said teammate Travis Edwards. "He's big so he gives us a post presence, but he can step out and hit a three. And he doesn't make a lot of mistakes."
Friedel, a 6-foot, 5-inch swingman, has lethal accuracy from behind the 3-point arc but the size and physical play of a post player, making him a nightmare for defenses. His versatility has been an asset to a Memorial Vipers team that is always looking for a little of both.
"He's such a good outside shooter that we tried playing him as a guard, but he's also so good in the post so we use him for both," said Vipers head coach John Grammer. "He provides a serious matchup problem."
And he's just a junior. On a team filled with seniors, Friedel and teammate Conner Graham are the only juniors on the squad. And Friedel is shining. Over the first two days of the 2009 Victoria Classic, he scored 34 points combined in three games, making shots from the perimeter and getting his share of layups over smaller players.
In a 20-point performance in a win against Texas City, Friedel knocked down two 3-pointers to go with shots in the low post and at the line.
Being a scorer is nothing new for him though.
"I was on varsity last year. I thought I was all right then too, I got about 10 points a game," he said. "This year we're a lot more advanced because we have so many more seniors. But it feels great because I'm young and playing well with the upper levels."
Grammer said the team thinks highly of Friedel and that he is just starting to step into his potential. But he's not the only Friedel who has excelled on the court, nor the first that Grammer has coached.
His brother Brandon played for Grammer at Memorial and now plays collegiately at Arkansas Tech. Their father also played high school basketball in Brownsville and their uncle played at Trinity College, so Friedel knows he comes from good stock.
He even tapped into some of his families' experience over the summer in an attempt to improve his game. While Brandon was on break, Tyler worked with him on the court every day to become a better shooter. He said he looks up to his brother a lot.
"He took me aside this summer and really worked with me," Tyler said. "He taught me the fundamentals of shooting and working around trying to get a good shot. If I can get open and get a good shot, that can help our team that much more."
Friedel hopes he can pursue his own collegiate career when he graduates, but for now he's focusing on being a Viper, and continuing to help them win, no matter where he's shooting.
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