Tyler Hurley Profile

Tyler Hurley: Rooted in Montana Tradition

Like many Montana athletes who've played for the Montana Grizzlies, Tyler Hurley is firmly rooted in tradition.

Hurley's father, Scott Hurley, went to Montana State before transferring to Wayne State in Nebraska. And Tyler's uncle, Rob Hurley, was a heralded small forward for the Montana Grizzlies who played from 1980-84.

Hurley’s prep coach, Allen Green, played football for Montana in the mid-1970s.

It was no surprise then – that after a successful Montana-prep career as an all-state forward at Anaconda, H. S. – Hurley chose the Grizzlies. He's currently in the thick of daily practice action in a developing role as a walk-on combo wing-guard and, he says, challenged by the experience.

"Montana is where I've wanted to play," said Hurley. "Of course, my uncle Rob played here. It's close to home. There's a great tradition here. And I've known Wayne (Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle) since I've been really young, so obviously that played a big part."

If Hurley succeeds with his transition to college ball and is invited back to the team next fall, yet another first in Montana sports traditions may be established: Tyler and his younger sister, Ali Hurley, may have a chance to become the first sister-brother athletes to play for the Montana Grizzlies and the Montana Lady Griz.

Ali – an impressive Montana prep star in her own right – is currently a senior at Anaconda High School, made an early commitment to the Lady Griz last spring and plans to enroll at UM next August, said Tyler. Ali is currently 19 points shy of breaking the all-time scoring record for Anaconda High set by Ed Kalafat in 1950. She has already surpassed the scoring averages set by her father, her uncle Rob and by the great Wayne Estes.

When it came time for each to decide where to attend school, Hurley said he and Ali  discussed their Montana options at length.

"My younger sister has influenced me a lot," said Hurley. "because we've always been able to talk about basketball a lot both on and off of the court."

For Tyler, the decision ended up being pretty easy.

“I was really tough when I was younger because my dad was a Bobcat and my uncle was a Griz. But over time it hasn’t been so tough. Over time it’s been all Grizzlies for me,” said Hurley.

As a prep player, Hurley rose quickly through the Montana Class A ranks, earning all conference Southwestern A honors over three years and all-state honors as a senior in 2007, when he averaged 23 points and eight rebounds per game.

Today, at 6'-6," but still lacking the bulk of a college forward, Hurley expressed confidence that he's making a solid transition to the college game.

"There are definitely rough parts every now and then," said Hurley. "But for the most part I think I'm developing well into a better player. Hopefully, within the next few years I can do something good for this program."

PHOTO: Tyler Hurley (#10) passes over Griz post Andrew Strait during the Montana preseason scrimmage.

One challenge, he said, is to develop better guard skills. Though he's got the height of a wing player, Hurley said he's working to develop more guard-reflexive skills, particularly on offense.

"Right now, I'm working on getting a quicker shot off," said Hurley. "The biggest thing about my shooting is to work on my footwork, to try to be in the right position to get off a good shot and  I’m confident that will develop over time.

"You know, I've always liked to play on the wing," said Hurley. "But I also really like to play against other guards, especially if I go up against a smaller guard. Then I like to work to post up on him."

From Griz practices, Hurley also recognizes the need for daily improvement on defense.

"You can't ever take a possession off like I did in high school where you're not playing against as many good players," said Hurley. "With every practice, I'm trying to improve on defense as much as I can."

Because of his redshirt role, Hurley daily assumes the role of Montana's upcoming opponents. What he has observed is a Montana team just now starting to jell.

"Were' really starting to build together," said Hurley. When it comes right down to it, I think we're going to be really tough to beat. We've been in every single game, so now we're working on what comes down with those final few minutes."

For the young man from Anaconda with Montana in his blood, the next step will be to see if he can build upon the traditions established by his father and his uncle.

Perhaps Tyler Hurley will start some traditions of his own.

TYLER HURLEY BIOGRAPHY

Parents: Scott Hurley and Tammy Hurley
Sister: Ali Hurley
High School: Anaconda High School, 2007
All-Conference Central A: 2005-2007
Montana Class A All-State: 2007
High School Coach: Allen Green (Montana,1976-79)

Additional Quotes:

“My dad certainly taught me the most about basketball, he went overtime working to help me and then encouraged me to try to figure stuff out for myself. And then, since I’ve come to Montana I’ve learned a a lot much more about the game.” -- Tyler Hurley

“Basketball has pretty much been in my whole family for my whole life. But when I was younger and growing up, they really didn’t want me playing basketball that much just because they really wanted me to find my own thing and  go from there. But ever since I’ve been young it’s always something I’ve wanted to do. It really is something that I’ve loved my whole life.” -- Tyler Hurley

“I like to play video games a lot. But being out in the mountains is my main love. It’s my main thing to do other than basketball of course. Hunting is my favorite activity.... along with a little bit of fishing.” -- Tyler Hurley