Tyler Bunnell didn’t plan on it, but due to an unfortunate mishap he became the most important Tyler on the Robbinsville High basketball team this season.
Fortunately for the Ravens, he was ready for the challenge.
When senior Tyler Handy went down with a knee injury in early January, Robbinsville lost one of the area’s top point guards. Bunnell is not a floor general, but he, along with everyone else, needed to up their game.
The sophomore center has done just that, and through the Ravens 8-5 start he was second on the team to his brother Evan in scoring (13.5 points per game), rebounding (4.9) and steals (12) and second to Matt Boss in blocked shots (10). He also had 24 assists, which was third behind Handy and Jack Miller.
The fact he has two years remaining after this one is not a pleasant thought for CVC coaches.
“I’m gonna be glad to see Evan graduate but I’ve gotta deal with Tyler for the next two years,” Hightstown coach Don DeLeo said. “I’m gonna start game-planning for the next two years right now.”
Bunnell has taken his game up a few hundred notches since last year, when he had the difficult task of starting in the post as a ninth-grader.
“It’s no easy task to start as a freshman at center which he did the majority of the season,” Ravens coach Conor Hayes said. “It’s a long season for a freshman, it’s mentally draining, it’s physically draining going up against some of the bigs. Last year was one of the best years; there were a lot of good bigs in the CVC to get experience against as a freshman.
“I think that gave him a lot of confidence coming into this season. If it didn’t give him confidence I don’t really know what else will, because he was thrown right in the fire and he held his own more or less.”
Bunnell averaged a modest three points and three rebounds per game, but he did what was necessary both offensively and defensively to let other scorers like the Handy, his brother and the graduated Luke Billings do their thing. Like Billings, he is also a standout baseball player and just missed setting the school record for ERA in a season last spring (his was 1.42).
But basketball was on Bunnell’s mind in the summer after some growing pains last year.
“Going for rebounds there were like four guys who were solid guys,” he said. “I wasn’t bigger and stronger like I was in middle school. It was a big change, and that’s what motivated me over this summer to work.
“I played AAU (for the South Jersey Titans) and I was in the gym every day playing basketball, and working out every night. Playing in the Jersey City league was great. It’s very competitive, it’s playing two games a night against school teams that are very athletic, very strong. We also played in a fall league in Neptune against a bunch of other high school teams so that helped. We built a lot more team chemistry.”
Bunnell seemed to blossom in Jersey City’s Hamilton Park Summer League. While going against a tandem of 6-9 players from the Patrick School, Hayes felt that Tyler enforced his will to the point where the Raven coaches were looking at each other in amazement.
“We were like ‘Where’s this coming from? Is he like an 18-point a game guy as a sophomore?” Hayes said. “We knew he always had good inside moves, a good touch. He was very athletic, really strong. But he really impressed us up there.”
Bunnell used the time in Jersey City to expand his game.
“I was looking to shoot more, post-up more, take the ball inside more,” he said. “Last year I was playing more passive and just trying to play my role. This year I’m definitely looking to score more because that’s what we need.”
Bunnell began playing at a young age, following Evan into the game and forming an instant sibling rivalry.
“Ever since I was born we’ve been competing, not only in basketball but in everything,” Tyler said. “Playing against him has taught me everything I know.”
It was suggested they could sell tickets to the neighbors to watch their one-on-one battles in the backyard.
“Yup, they probably watch through the window,” Bunnell said with a laugh. “But that always motivated me. He was two years older, he was just stronger, bigger. He would always score on me and everything else. That would motivate me to stand my ground.”
Once Tyler got to Pond Road he was asked to play most positions saying “I played every role, but in high school I had to play my certain role. That was a lot different.”
He went from 6-3 to 6-4 after his freshman year but the biggest change in his physique was with his strength after a summer of lifting.
“I knew I had to get stronger to be the best player I could be,” he said.
Bunnell wasted little time showing his improvement. After scoring 14 points but getting just one rebound in the season-opener against West Windsor-Plainsboro South, Tyler had games of 17-9, 15-8, and 20-5 in wins over WW-P North, Lawrence and Bordentown.
“He started this season really on a mission,” Hayes said. “He had some huge dunks against North, right out of the post running transition. Most of them are just dump offs, catch, go up and dunk strong.
“He just needs to stay within himself. We try not to ask anybody to do things outside of their strengths. Obviously with Tyler Handy that was a lot easier to do. We look to feed him the ball inside and get him in good spots to hurt people down low.”
He can also hit from the outside, but hasn’t done it as much as Hayes would like.
“He’s always a dump off option, but he’s been crushing it on the shooting machine,” the coach said. “I keep trying to get him to shoot more outside shots for us. He’s got touch from outside as well, just like Evan. It’s just a matter of continuing to build that confidence.”
Actually, playing with Evan helps with that confidence. The two may be rivals at home, but as teammates they help each other blossom.
“Being with him has helped both of us a lot,” Tyler said. “We’ve been playing forever. It’s like that with the whole team. We know how each other plays and we can adapt to each other’s style.”
Hayes looks at the Bunnell brothers as “an interesting duo. They definitely push each other to be better. I think Tyler growing up with Evan as an older brother and Evan’s friends being so focused on sports and being driven to work hard, helped push Tyler to where he is at his age.”
The coach added that Evan is not constantly looking out for his little brother. Tyler does just fine on his own, except for one area – public speaking.
“The guys get on him for not being more vocal,” Hayes said. “That’s something we’re working on.”
He noted that the team has a new tradition where it hands out a little foam ball to the Player of the Game, who then autographs it. Handy got the first ball and made a speech, which enhanced the tradition. Bunnell earned the award after making the game-winning bucket in a two-point win over Lawrence.
“Everyone was yelling ‘Speech! Speech!’” Hayes said with a laugh. “I don’t even know what he said, but it was brief. We had to remind him ‘Hey, the player of the game has to bring it! Becoming more vocal is definitely gonna be big for him.”
Aside from that, his talent is deafening on the court and Hayes sees it only getting better.
“He’s gonna be a leader in this program, someone we’re talking about to be in the running for Player of the Year for his next two years. I really think he’s that talented.”
Not exactly the forecast Don DeLeo wants to hear.
