Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Transfer Profile: Tyler Tejada

Last season, the Cincinnati Bearcats finished the season ranked No. 257 in the nation in points from two-pointers, finishing with just 34.1 points inside the arc per game.

6-foot-9 transfer power forward Tyler Tejada is a player brought in by first-year coach Jerrod Calhoun to change that.

Tejada’s Path To The Big 12

Nov 12, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Nick Pringle (5) and Towson Tigers guard Tyler Tejada (15) battle for a loose ball at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Tejada spent his first three years inside the Colonial Athletic Association with the Towson Tigers. Tejada was an unranked prospect in the 2023 class, but he quickly made his mark, averaging 10.1 points per game, along with 3.3 rebounds in 23 minutes per game, winning the CAA Rookie of the Year.

His sophomore season saw a strong jump, measuring out to 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds with a strong 49.4% two-point field goal rate, adding a CAA Player of the Year Award to his resume.

Tejada’s junior season wrought by far the most development in his game. The New Jersey native finished with 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists on a 43.2% field goal rate, as the Tigers finished with a 19-15 record, in a season that ended in a CAA Tournament semifinal 68-65 overtime loss to Hofstra.

Tejada finished the season with a high of 35 points in Towson’s conference-tournament-opening win over No. 10 seed Hampton.

According to John Hollinger’s Game Score metric, Tejada finished with an average score of 12.6. For reference, an average is 10 and what Hollinger labeled as an “outstanding” performance is rated as a 40.

What Tejada Offers The Bearcats

Last week, Calhoun introduced Tejada to the Bearcat faithful, saying, “When you think about Tyler, you think about versatility and a guy who can play multiple positions,” Calhoun said. “Tyler played for a really good defensive-minded coach in Pat Skerry so there’s a toughness level that he will bring. But I love his versatility to play a lot of different positions.”

Tejada shows an intelligent player boosted in a big body. Last season he often used a persuasive pump fake to step inside and create a strong pull-up. Tejada also has a quick-twitch inside the paint that can catch defenders sleeping.

The biggest weakness in Tejada is his three-point shooting. Throughout his career, he has never been a great shooter averaging three-point splits of 35.2%, 33.1% and 29.1%, which came last season, and measures out to an overall 32.1% three-point rate.

If Calhoun can either figure out his three-point slump or kick the habit of long-range attempts out of his game, then the four-star transfer could easily turn into a habitual scorer in need of a presence down low.

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