Tyler Gustafson back in the game at IVCC

Tyler Gustafson thought he was done with competitive basketball when he hung up his uniform after a strong senior season in 2018-19 at Bureau Valley, playing a big role on the Storm’s Elite Eight run.

He went off to school at ISU, played some intramural basketball with former Storm teammate Kale Barnett and some other Bureau County products, and even got to practice against the ISU women’s team.

Playing every day, he said, made him realize he wasn’t ready to give it up.

When the pandemic struck, he attended classes virtually at ISU, but decided he wanted something different, namely basketball.

He returned home to Wyanet and then turned his attention to playing basketball again.

IVCC coach Chris Herman happened to have one spot open and invited Gustafson to a couple of shoot-arounds and liked what he saw.

Gustafson, who averaged 12.9 points as an All-BCR First Team player in 2018-19, was unable to play the first semester, needing to get more credits to become eligible. But he practiced with the Eagles and hit the floor running in January.

“It was something that kind of got taken away from me, and once I saw the opportunity to have it back, I jumped on it. I’m glad I’m doing this rather than just going back to school,” he said.

“It’s good to be back, especially something that’s been such a big part of my life for so long and kind of ended suddenly in high school. I went to college and missed it and did what I can to get back playing, and here we are.”

While he didn’t score his first game, Gustafson soon broke out in a big way, knocking down 7 of 12 3-point attempts for a team-high 23 points at Carl Sandburg College, finding his shot that produced an area-best 69 3s his senior year at Bureau Valley.

He also had 13 points in a 70-63 win at Kishwaukee.

On the year, he is averaging 7.3 points a game in 15.8 minutes a game, making eight starts in 11 games.

“I kind of got back in the grove pretty quickly. It was kind of like riding a bike. After you do it for so long [you don’t forget],” he said. “I kind of weaseled my way into the starting lineup by just practicing hard what coach Marquis and my AAU coaches taught me.”

Gustafson made a fast impression on Herman.

“I tell you what, he’s been here for every practice. He works hard. He’s had a great attitude and is very respectful,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard when you’re not getting to play to have that great attitude and bring the energy. He’s a great teammate. He’s gotten close to several of our leaders. He’s very coachable. Got a good IQ.

“I inserted him in the lineup when we got back from Christmas and he did real well. Early on, he shot it real well. He’s had a good attitude. He was a high school quarterback, and I think he brings some of that toughness.”

The Eagles’ coach added that Gustafson is “a good defender, has a good grasp of our dribble-drive offense and doesn’t turn it over very much.”

While Gustafson has been in a little bit of a shooting funk lately, Herman said opposing coaches around the league have him scouted pretty well.

“There’s no secrets. Once a guy has a couple of good games, everybody knows about him,” he said. “They know he can shoot it a little bit.”

Marquis is excited to see the old Storm shooter back in the game because he knows he loves it so much.

“Gus is one of the smartest players I’ve ever got to coach,” Marquis said. “He understands the game well. I think I’ve grown in appreciation for how well he found open areas on the floor to get his shot off.

“The other thing that stands out about Gus, [his] dad working with him on the driveway and having good form, and then Gus really putting the time in and when he got old enough to drive himself to places he continued to invest. He’s a good athlete. He’s a great shooter. His great shooting largely comes from a lot of time and effort. You watch him now, you think, ‘Wow, that’s a great shot.’ ”

Being close to home makes it easy for his family to see him play. Gustafson joked that his dad was just as happy to see that he was back playing.

“He missed it just as much as I did,” Gustafson said.

Just a freshmen eligibility wise, Gustafson will get to play again next year, too, at IVCC. It’s proving to be his happy place.

Kevin Hieronymus is the BCR Sports Editor. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com