Basketball: Tutt Stepping Up For Springdale

SPRINGDALE -- Tyler Tutt was a little shocked when the Fayetteville student section started chanting his girlfriend's name during the second quarter of a key 7A-West showdown in mid-January.

They were trying to provoke a response from Springdale High's senior shooting guard. And they did, just not one they wanted.

Tutt answered by scoring 10 of his 14 points in the second half, including hitting a pair of timely 3-pointers, to help lead Springdale to a 50-48 road win over its rival.

"It kind of made me mad," Tutt said. "Them talking trash just made me want to play better."

But chanting or no chanting, Tutt has made a habit of hitting big shots this year.

He is averaging 9.6 points per game and has 10 double-digit scoring efforts for the Bulldogs after scoring in double figures seven times the last two years. His increased productivity is a large part of the reason Springdale has had a chance to win in the final four minutes of every 7A-West game this year.

"I knew for us coming into this year, the key for us to have any chance, he had to be a guy that was steady," Springdale coach Brad Stamps said. "And he's been that."

Tutt is in the midst of a strong senior season after what has been an up-and-down career at times.

He started 25 games and averaged 5.8 points as a sophomore, playing a key role as a knockdown shooter for a Springdale team that earned a first-round bye in the 7A playoffs. But his role changed in a big way last year as standout guard D.J. Evans re-joined the team and Chris Owens enjoyed a breakout year.

Tutt started the season opener and then came off the bench for the final 27 games. He still had his share of big moments for a state runner-up team, scoring 10 points in an impressive win over Fort Smith Northside, and hitting a halfcourt shot as part of a 13-point effort at Fayetteville.

But he also had to deal with frequent questions from classmates and adults about his changed role.

"I just had to answer it in an honest way," Tutt said. "Because I understand. We had better players. We had a loaded team. I'm not the one who's going to complain about playing time. I'm going to earn it."

And he was ready to take on a bigger role this season when three key seniors graduated, Tereke Eckwood transferred to Springdale Har-Ber and Drake Wymer moved to Fayetteville over the summer.

His game has grown as the Bulldogs have managed to stay in the 7A-West hunt despite the attrition.

"It all boils down to confidence with him," Stamps said. "When he plays that game with that confidence, he's a totally different player. And I see it this year. If you look at our basketball team from day one until now, you'd have a hard time finding anyone that's been more consistent from game to game than Tyler Tutt."

His shooting has always been his best skill, but he's improved it too this year. He's already made more 3-pointers this season (32) than he did his sophomore and junior seasons combined (31).

And opposing defenses are starting to take notice. Against Northside, Tutt scored 11 quick points in the second quarter to give Springdale the lead. So Grizzlies' defensive sparkplug Tevin Brewer shadowed him in the second half, even guarding him from inches away while Tutt stood near midcourt without the ball.

"Tevin said, 'You're not touching the ball the rest of the game,'" Tutt said.

A Fayetteville guard had a similar reaction after Tutt knocked down a second key 3-pointer to quiet the opposing student section in the second half of the teams' first meeting.

"I'm not helping off him anymore," he said to the Fayetteville bench.

It's becoming a theme around the 7A-West.

Jimmy Carter can be reached at jcarter@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWAJimmy.

Sports on 01/30/2015