Eyeing a million, Tyshawn Taylor rescued JHX in TBT. They’re back at it Wednesday
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tyshawn Taylor subbed in and led JHX on a 17-5 run to beat K-State 59-57.
- JHX advances to Sweet 16 to face top-seeded Heartfire Wednesday at 6 p.m.
- Heartfire enters game after 89-70 win, shooting 48% from three-point range.
The Kansas Jayhawks alumni team trailed Kansas State by eight points — and looked as if it might be ousted from the 2025 TBT by its Sunflower State rival on Monday.
That’s when Tyshawn Taylor, the 35-year-old general manager and assistant coach for JHX Hoops — KU’s entry into The Basketball Tournament — decided to sub himself into the game at Municipal Auditorium.
It turned out to be a smart move, and one that was applauded by some familiar faces in the crowd — on hand were Jayhawks head coach Bill Self and assistants/staffers Kurtis Townsend, Jacque Vaughn and Doc Sadler, as well as past stars Greg Gurley, Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, Mitch Lightfoot and Chris Teahan.
With Taylor running the show at point guard, JHX Hoops went on a 17-5 run to grab a 44-40 advantage in the fourth quarter of KU’s 59-57 Round of 32 victory in the 64-team, $1 million winner-take-all tournament.
Taylor finished with nine points, three assists, three rebounds, a steal and no turnovers while playing 16 minutes against Purple Reign, the K-State TBT team.
The win in the single-elimination tourney propelled JHX into a Wednesday Sweet 16 game against Heartfire, which won the TBT in 2023 and placed second two other times. Tipoff is 6 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium.
“I was like, ‘You know what, if I see something in the game where I feel like I can actually help us, I’ll throw myself out there,’” Taylor said after KU’s second win over KSU in five days.
The Jayhawks had also beaten Purple Reign in an exhibition game Thursday at UMKC’s Swinney Center.
“When I decided to sub myself in,” Taylor said, “I realized that we were just kind of stagnant offensively.”
Taylor had been “joking around” with his JHX teammates and head coach Sherron Collins before the game, stating, ‘”I’ve got 10 minutes for you guys if you need me.’’’
Taylor’s heroics were needed — JHX was fortunate to prevail and advance. Lagerald Vick grabbed a steal and hit a layup that gave KU its target score in the Elam Ending, and David McCormack contributed nine points and 10 rebounds.
With K-State’s team needing just one point to win, Dominique Sutton missed a shot in the paint. Next, Shaun Williams missed a layup.
After a KU turnover, Williams was fouled ... and missed two free throws. One make at the line would have given Purple Reign the win.
“They gave us a freaking gift,” Taylor said.
“Thank you,” added Collins.
Collins, KU’s coach and a former Jayhawks star, noted that the Wildcats were not at full strength. Standout guard Jacob Pullen was on the bench but did not dress for the game because of a thigh bruise.
“It’s a pride thing between us,” Collins said of games against K-State. “We don’t want to lose and I think it’s definitely a pride thing with them, because we beat them most of the time in college. And they go get better and then it is their chance to get back, and it’s the same thing. But we go get better, too. So it’s going to be a dogfight every time we see them, and we knew it just from the (Thursday) scrimmage.
“You can tell how they came out in the scrimmage. They gave us the game plan during the scrimmage because we knew how they would come out and play.”
Now KU faces Heartfire, the No. 1 regional seed (KU is No. 2) that received a bye in the first round because there is no 8-seed in the Kansas City regional.
Sponsored by Arizona Community Church, Heartfire defeated the No. 4-seeded Sheffield Sharks 89-70 on Monday night. Tevin Mack, a 6-foot-7 small forward who played at Clemson, had 20 points and eight rebounds for Heartfire.
Eric Griffin, a 6-9 former Garden City Community College and Campbell University forward, had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Former Colorado point guard Marcus Hall (6-2) had 11 points and four rebounds, while Eric Washington, a 6-0 former Miami point guard, and D.J. Kennedy, a 6-6 former St. John’s small forward, had 10 points apiece.
Heartfire hit 14 of 29 3-pointers on Monday while KU was 2-of-15 from 3-point range versus Purple Reign.
If JHX defeats Heartfire, the KU team will play Wichita State at 8 p.m. Sunday in Wichita. That game will be shown on FS1.
