Nevada Basketball MVP goes from underdog to unstoppable

Wolf Pack Basketball fans arose in an uproar of disbelief at Lawlor stadium as the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) championship was forced into overtime. With an intense 16 seconds left against the Morehead State Eagles, Tyron Criswell converted a layup and racked up the needed points to get ahead of their rivals. “A lot can happen in the last 16 seconds,” Criswell thought as he scored. The Wolfpack stayed focused and eventually tallied their needed free throws until the final countdown. Nevada has earned their championship title.

Tyron Criswell, 22, was the Wolfpack CBI Tournament MVP of this past season. A University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) graduate and Exline Scholar, this player has a rich background of triumph and motivation. Here’s his story and advice to students on how to power through struggles and end up on top of the game.

Criswell felt “overlooked” throughout his early basketball career. In high school, he was on the the basketball team, but had little to no playing time. “I didn’t play at all. I was a lot less athletic than I am now… The coaches called me a late bloomer,” Criswell said. His dream was to go to a Division one ( DI) university, but when college scouts came around he only got looks from junior colleges and Division two (DII) schools. He decided to attend Central Community College in his home state of Nebraska and after two successful seasons, he got calls from DI schools all over the country. “I chose Nevada, because I knew I only had two years to play somewhere and make a difference,” Criswell said.

Tyron wasn’t always a big basketball star. His father loved football, and his mother was all about basketball. As a kid he played peewee football, and continued to play football alongside basketball from sophomore to senior year of high school. After getting injured too frequently, his mother insisted he play basketball instead. This was undoubtedly the right choice for Criswell, and his love for the game shows in his choice to pursue basketball in college. “I had offers college wise for football as well, but I guess it wasn’t there. I’m more passionate about basketball,” Criswell said.

When Criswell was just a junior in high school, he lost his number one fan and his biggest motivator — his father. While his mother found it difficult to make it out of the house, Tyron took it in his power to uplift and protect his family from this point on.

“Honestly, it took the pain that I saw my mom go through… I just told her she needed to get out of the house, and that he was in a better place now, that’s all we can say. It really helped me swallow that what happened had happened,” Criswell said. “The passing of my father really motivated me, and this basketball aggression really came out. I feel like that made me play so much better. Now I feel stronger, and like nothing in the future can ever hurt me as bad.”

The fire ignited in Criswell after his father’s passing. He was more motivated than ever to be successful and make a difference in his basketball career. During his first year at Nevada he struggled to keep up in school. However, the chip on his shoulder kept pushing him to be better and to do better.

Criswell’s senior year was by far “his most successful season” on and off the court. He was awarded the Exline Scholar Award, which signifies a student that has struggled, worked hard, and excelled academically. Criswell thanks his mentors and tutors for pushing him to his success. His fan base has also multiplied in response to his incredible triumph. “You can definitely see the hard work and determination when he’s on the court. He doesn’t give up, for an example at the CBI Championship there were 12 seconds left and he went for a shot. He just seems like he’s real dedicated to make something of himself,” Fan Harjyot Dhanjal said.

To Criswell, his team was “family.” Criswell is admired by his teammates, who see him as a leader. “TC was a great teammate. He is one of my best friends and he is not a person that just cares on the court, he is a great person off the court and makes sure other players are taken care of, just like a senior is supposed to,” Freshman teammate Cameron Oliver said. Criswell’s most memorable accomplishment is winning CBI as a team.

Today, Criswell is officially signed to Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, and is still deciding on where he will go next. He hopes to play internationally, and eventually get drafted into the NBA. Criswell has left a legacy at UNR, and his hopes for his future are ambitious.

“No matter what bad advice you get, believe what you want to believe… My senior year, [of high school] I told one of my coaches that my goal was to go division one, and he laughed in my face… So just believe you can do it and you will achieve it.”

-Tyron Criswell