By the end of Hunter Tyson’s freshman season, it was clear that he could be given a hard time and not take it personally. Clemson coach Brad Brownell admired how coachable the teenager was in a peripheral role at the time.
So during a practice early in Tyson’s career, after he had chucked some ill-advised shots, Brownell teased him in front of the team.
“Hey man, you’re not Larry Bird,” Brownell remembers saying. “Pass the ball.”
Tyson was sufficiently ribbed by his teammates after practice. But it wasn’t until years later that he earned back the comparison in earnest.