To understand Ty Becker’s attitude on the basketball court, it’s best to observe his actions off it.
The Hopewell Valley Central High senior belongs to the school’s Unified and Turn Two clubs and is a Fellowship of Christian Athletes member. For the Unified Club he helps with special needs children and his Turn Two Club drives around town collecting used sports equipment (mainly baseball) to ship to underprivileged kids in Cuba.
“It’s nice to see people happy,” Becker said. “And it feels good knowing you give back to the community.”
Becker brings that helpful attitude into the Bulldogs basketball wars, and it has made a big difference for a team that was considered “rebuilding” this year.
Hopewell was entering its toughest stretch of the season Jan. 21 with upcoming games against Robbinsville, Lawrence, Trenton and Ewing. Up to that point, the ‘Dogs had taken care of business with a 9-2 record.
It was a big enough challenge entering the season with nearly an entire new starting lineup after losing three of the team’s top four scorers. It got tougher when the fourth guy in that group — point guard Jude Berman — went down with an ankle injury Jan. 6 against Princeton Day School.
That left it up to Becker — a career two guard — to run the point.
Being a guy who loves to aid others, Becker hardly flinched in having to now help his teammates get the ball in positions where they could score. He took over the sport’s most important position and, with Becker facilitating, the Bulldogs won five straight games heading into their Robbinsville contest.
“Ty does what the team needs,” Bulldogs coach Matt Stein said. “He’s one of those guys you want on your team. Whether it’s point guard, get open for a shot, play tough defense, grab a loose ball — you say it and he’ll do it.”
Standing under six feet, Becker has always been a guard. He began playing Hopewell rec in third grade before moving on to AAU ball with YSU Elite and Elevation. Entering high school, he knew exactly what needed to be improved.
“I made it a point to get a better jump shot and get better with my left hand,” he recalled. “I knew I had to be better with my left hand because I knew I had to be able to dribble with both hands. And I always had to remind myself to stay calm in the game and not get rushed by the other team.”
He has mastered the calm part, appearing unflappable in the heat of action.
Stein saw that kind of important intangible, among others, when Becker entered the program as a freshman.
“He was a tough kid,” the coach said. “He just always wants to work hard. His freshman year he was more on the quiet side but he’s a competitor. He always wants to try to win or shoot better than before. He always has that drive that he wants to do better.”
Stein played in four varsity games as a sophomore and his stat line included just one rebound. Last year, he was in the Bulldogs rotation as a seventh man and was able to provide depth on a talented team that finished 21-7.
But four games into the season, disaster struck during a practice.
“It was right before Christmas break,” Becker said. “We were getting pressed, I was on the scout team, I got hit and that was it. I had the ball. Two people went it slap my hand and I broke my hand.”
Becker missed nearly the entire season, returning in February to play sparingly in three games. His presence, however, was still felt.
“It sucked but you gotta stay with the team,” he said. “It’s a team sport.”
He did just that.
“He stayed with us the whole time helping lead the team and giving encouragement,” Stein said. “He stayed with us and he was ready to go this year.”
Becker wasn’t about to feel sorry for himself.
“I just put my head down, put the work in and this year I got the opportunity to play,” he said.
Becker started thinking about this season right after last season ended, and helped make sure the new cast of returnees would be ready to step up.
“I’m very proud of what he was doing for the team in the off-season,” Stein said. “He was getting the guys together, getting them working out. His leadership on the court or off the court is big.
“He didn’t have much experience last year but obviously he’s very hungry for this year and stepped into an even bigger role with Jude going down. Not only did he have to step up big regardless, but then he had to take the point guard position and lead the team.”
Through Hopewell’s first seven games Becker was the team’s leading scorer with an 11.2 average. He scored 16 against PDS when Berman went down, but things then changed.
In his next three games he scored 20 points but — as was his duty — dished out 15 assists, including seven in a huge win at Nottingham in his first full game running the show.
“I’ve always been a two guard but I have run the point a lot so I’m comfortable with the ball,” he said. “My teammates give me the ball when I’m open. With Jude out it’s been a lot harder to get open shots but sometimes you just have your role.”
Becker sports a 3.8 grade point average and applies that intelligence to directing the offense. He is able to see the floor, which is a talent he honed from playing his other sport.
“I think it’s always been natural, especially from playing lacrosse because you always have to have your head up,” he said. “And I think (the court vision) got better as I played more.”
In watching Becker play, what jumps out is his ball handling and his thought process. He rarely turns the ball over and never forces a shot. But if he has an open jumper, he’ll take it. And If the lane opens up, he will head for the rack.
“I wasn’t really a good shooter before this year,” he said. “I’ve always had to penetrate to get my shots so it kind of comes natural to me.”
Stein likes seeing that ability.
“He doesn’t just settle for the three (pointer),” the coach said. “He’s a dual threat. He can drive; he can knock down the jump shot. It’s very impressive. He likes to get in there for sure, but also tries to find his teammates. He’s had some big assists throughout the season.”
Becker watches a lot of NBA games and was a big Dwyane Wade fan as a youngster. He said nowadays that “obviously I’m not the same height but I look at Chris Paul when I want to study film.”
The studying has paid off as Becker has been able to fill Berman’s important role after the floor general went down. He has kept the team’s cohesion solid, but feels most of it was already intact.
“We have a lot of seniors and we’ve all played with each other for, I don’t know how many years now. A long time,” Becker said. “Whether out in the park in pick-up games or with AAU teams. We knew people weren’t thinking much of us but we had enough talent and enough chemistry to be good.”
It has been a true team effort with everyone contributing; and Becker has felt right at home lending his usual helpful hand.
Ty Becker has stepped into the point guard role for HoVal basketball this season. (Photo by Rich Fisher.),
