Tyleer Wrenn tips off against a Nottingham player during a game at Nottingham on Dec. 28, 2013. West won 58-55.
One of the most improved boys’ basketball teams in the Colonial Valley Conference over the first month of the season was Hamilton High West.
And smack dab in the middle of that improvement was a guy who suffered through rough freshman and sophomore seasons.
Junior guard Tyleer Wrenn, who has been a starter since his freshman year, led the Hornets in scoring with a 13.7 points per game through 11 games. Hamilton started 9-2 after records of 8-13 and 4-20 the last two years.
Wrenn was also averaging 2.5 steals, 3.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds.
“He is the key,” head coach Jason Malloy said. “He’s been starting for three years now, basically since day one, and we go as he goes. Whether it’s him playing defense and getting steals or making a score in transition or scoring himself, he has a big role in what is going on in our game.”
Wrenn feels he lives up to Malloy’s expectations.
“I’m just trying to stay aggressive and play hard,” he said. “The whole team is doing well, we’re all getting everyone involved and playing hard.”
One of Wrenn’s best games came on Jan. 11, when he scored 22 points and took the game over in the second half as Hamilton scored a huge win over defending Central Jersey Group III champion Lawrence. After that game, Wrenn said he wanted to prove he was one of the best players in the CVC.
“I want to prove something this year,” Wrenn said. “I want to prove I’m the best and I want to play hard and try to put up 20 every night. But, I try to get everybody involved before I try and get my points.”
Malloy, who took over as head coach when Wrenn was a freshman, feels he has reached his goal.
“I think so,” said the coach when asked if Wrenn was one of the CVC’s top players. “As a three-year starter, he is realizing he can lead this team to a good season where as last year we all struggled.
“He’s the catalyst, he’s the leader. He wants to prove when people focus on him he can score his points or help the team any way, whether it’s rebounding or defense or what not. He’s got that confidence, now he wants to prove it to everyone else.”
Wrenn began playing organized ball for the Hamilton PAL. He also played AAU ball from sixth to eighth grade. He gave up AAU when he got to West, knowing he had to focus on football as well as basketball.
He made the varsity football team as a sophomore but was a varsity basketball starter immediately.
“I just came to West thinking I would play freshman basketball,” Wrenn said. “But Malloy had faith I could start varsity basketball and I came out and played every game hard.”
Wrenn averaged 7.4 points per game as a freshman.
“I thought it was a pretty good year,” he said. “Everybody was cheering me on because I was only a freshman. Everybody backed me up. There weren’t a lot of people on the other team worrying about me.”
Malloy felt he showed nice poise that first season.
“I didn’t have to do too much with Tyleer,” he said. “He picked up everything real well. His IQ of the game is pretty good. Having Bret (Stroman) and Lenwood (Squire) back then, they were able to help him get through rough spots. But Tyleer plays hard and he has that confidence that he can do whatever he needs during the game.”
He remained confident last year, but it was a rough one as Hamilton was loaded with young players – most who are back this season.
Asked how he handled the 4-20 campaign, Wrenn said “I really don’t even know. I just come out and play basketball. It’s the game I love, that’s why I come out and play hard.”
You wouldn’t know if the losing would bother him or not, as Wrenn’s expression barely changes on the court.
“He’s very mild mannered , sometimes you can’t tell if he’s fired up or he’s down on himself,” Malloy said. “But he always goes hard and he gets it done when he has to.”
“I try and stay composed on the court,” Wrenn said. “I just let my game do the talking. I don’t have to show my emotions.”
This year, Wrenn and senior Dan Garcia have become one of the more dangerous scoring backcourts in the CVC. The two play off each other well and feed whoever is hot.
“He helps me make shots, and I help him make shots,” Wrenn said.
“I think it’s helped both of them tremendously,” Malloy said. “Guards are important in high school and to have those two with all the experience they have, it’s great. They realize if one is having an off night they can give the ball to the other one, or if they’re both having a rough stretch they can find Malik (Snead), Kevin (Smiegocki) or Freddie (Simmons).”
While Wrenn feels he has lifted his entire game this year, one of the biggest improvements has been in his jump shot.
“He didn’t have a great jumper,” Malloy said. “Over the summer he worked with Lenwood to get more arc on his jumper and become more consistent with that. Now if they take away his drive to the basket he has the jumper to fall back on.”
Wrenn said he used to shoot line drives but was able to put an arc on the ball by shooting with a higher release.
“It’s helped me a lot with my offensive game.,” he said. “The only thing I gotta do is pump fake and go right past a person and make a lay-up.”
The rise of Wrenn and the Hornets has made things a lot more fun for the players in the hallways of West this year.
“It’s a lot better,” Wrenn said. “People weren’t supporting us last year, now everybody is on our bandwagon. They’re all coming out and watching us play.”
And they are seeing Tyleer Wrenn playing better than he ever has before.
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