FAYETTEVILLE — Tyler McCullough stood 6-foot-5 in the eighth grade, and he’s grown nearly five inches over the past two years.
He wears size-18 athletic shoes, but acknowledges that he’ll likely have to get a bigger pair following the season. His toes are pressing against the front of his shoes.
Being undersized has never been an issue for the 16-year-old Fayetteville sophomore. In fact, McCullough had screws inserted into his knees a few years ago because he grew too fast, causing him pain when he ran.
“I’ve always been tall,” McCullough said.
McCullough is the Purple Bulldogs’ newest big man, but he’s not as large as he was a few months ago when he weighed almost 280 pounds. He’s dropped 42 pounds since August, becoming a more agile post player at a svelte 6-foot-9, 235 pounds.
“It’s easier to run, easier to jump,” McCullough said. “You’re just a lot lighter on your feet, but it also takes a lot to get used to because it feels like I can’t bully people over as much anymore.”
At first, McCullough wasn’t sure how significant of a role he’d have in his first year with the Bulldogs (14-12, 7-6 7A-West Conference). But he has emerged as a focal point of the offense this season, and he has shown signs over the past month that he could develop into one of the next dominant big men in Arkansas.
Heading into this week, McCullough led Fayetteville in both rebounding (5.5 rebounds per game) and blocked shots (1.4 blocks per game). He ranks third on the team in scoring (7.1 points per game), and he’s learning to be more aggressive in the paint instead of relying solely on his size.
“He’s turning more into a power player, which is what I like,” said Kyle Adams, Fayetteville’s first-year boys basketball coach. “I think in the past he’s just been so much bigger than everybody else that he didn’t have to be a power player. He could kind of finesse it around.
“I’ve loved the development he’s made over the last three or four weeks as far as attacking the rim with it.”
McCullough said he got up to around 280 pounds after he underwent surgery in the summer to have metal screws removed from the inside of his knees. He said the screws were inserted before the start of his eighth-grade season because he grew too quickly, causing him to be “knock-kneed.”
With his knees improved, McCullough said his AAU coaches with the Arkansas Wings suggested he slim down, so he could become a more mobile big man.
“Tyler has worked extremely hard this year,” Adams said. “He’s gotten himself in really good shape, probably the best he’s been in since he got the plates out of his legs. Over the last three weeks, he’s really started to improve and play bigger and wider.”
Not surprisingly, NCAA Division I coaches are already paying attention to McCullough. He has been on Adams’ radar for awhile now, since he was dominating smaller post players at Fayetteville Woodland.
Said Adams: “I can see him being a force by the time he’s a senior.”
Profile
Tyler McCullough
SCHOOL: Fayetteville
HEIGHT: 6-foot-9
WEIGHT: 235
NOTABLE: McCullough has made an immediate impact since coming over from Fayetteville Woodland. He leads the Bulldogs in rebounding (5.5 rebounds per game) and blocked shots (1.4 blocks per game), and he’s third on the team at 7.1 points per game. … He was shooting a team-high 55.3 percent from the floor heading into the week.