Tyler Zeller
Encyclopedia
Tyler Paul Zeller is an American college basketball
player who is currently a Senior at the University of North Carolina
. He is also the nephew of former NBA player Al Eberhard
, brother of Indiana Hoosiers
basketball player Cody Zeller
and former Notre Dame Fighting Irish
player Luke Zeller.
, Tyler Zeller grew up in Washington, Indiana
, attending Washington High School
. In his four years at Washington High, his team won four sectional titles, as well as state Class 3A championships in his freshman and senior years (2005 and 2008). In his senior year, he averaged 33.1 points
and 11.0 rebounds
per game, and also shot 69% from the field and 82% from the free throw
line. In his final high school game, the '08 Class 3A final against Fort Wayne Harding
, he scored 47 points, which broke a record for scoring by a player in an Indiana boys' state championship game that had stood since 1970. He was not only a basketball superstar, but also played on Washington High's tennis
team for three years, and finished his high school career with a 3.99 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, good for third in his graduating class. After the 2008 season, he was named "Mr. Basketball"
in Indiana, the state's highest honor for high school players, three years after his older brother Luke was honored with the same award, and was also named a McDonald's All-American
.
During the early stages of the signing period in November 2007, Zeller signed a letter of intent
to play at North Carolina. When the university announced his signing, Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams
said about Zeller, "I think he is the finest running big man in the country and he has a tremendous shooting touch to go with that ability to run the floor." Zeller notably exhibited that shooting touch at a high school all-star game during the 2008 Kentucky Derby Festival
, at which he won the event's three-point
shooting contest.
in place of the previous season's
consensus national Player of the Year, Tyler Hansbrough
, who was sidelined with a stress reaction in his right shin. In his first game, he scored 18 points in Carolina's season-opening win over Penn.
The Tar Heels' next game, on November 18, was against another equally storied team, Kentucky. The Heels scored a surprisingly easy 77–58 win over the Wildcats, but suffered another injury blow, this time involving Zeller. With 1:26 left in the game, Zeller went for a breakaway dunk off a turnover, but was fouled by Kentucky's Ramon Harris before he could score. Zeller fell to the floor awkwardly, got up, and was taken to the locker room holding his left wrist.
X-ray
s showed that Zeller had broken both of the major bones in his lower left arm (the radius
and ulna
). The day after the injury, he had surgery at UNC Hospitals to repair the broken bones. The surgeon who performed the operation declared it successful, but indicated that the typical recovery time for such an operation is 12 to 16 weeks, making it likely that Zeller will be out for the season. In early January 2009, Zeller's cast was removed.
Zeller made his return during his freshman season on February 18, 2009, in the Tar Heels' home game against North Carolina State, playing 8 minutes and scoring 2 points.
As a sophomore, Zeller averaged 9.3 points per game on 52.1% shooting and 4.6 rebounds per game in limited action off the bench.
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
player who is currently a Senior at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. He is also the nephew of former NBA player Al Eberhard
Al Eberhard
Al Eberhard is a former NBA basketball player for the Detroit Pistons. Al was drafted with the fifteenth pick in the first round of the 1974 NBA Draft. He played four seasons in the NBA averaging 6.8 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game in 220 career games...
, brother of Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball...
basketball player Cody Zeller
Cody Zeller
Cody Allen Zeller is a freshman basketball player at Indiana University. He is also the nephew of former NBA player Al Eberhard, brother of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball player Tyler Zeller, and brother of former Notre Dame Fighting Irish player Luke Zeller. Cody committed to Indiana in...
and former Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I...
player Luke Zeller.
High school
Born in Visalia, CaliforniaVisalia, California
Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...
, Tyler Zeller grew up in Washington, Indiana
Washington, Indiana
Washington is a city in Daviess County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,509 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Daviess County.-History:...
, attending Washington High School
Washington High School (Washington, Indiana)
for schools of the same nameWashington High School is a high school in Washington, Indiana. Its athletic mascot is "The Hatchets". The School's primary colors are old gold and black. WHS plays in the Big Eight Conference...
. In his four years at Washington High, his team won four sectional titles, as well as state Class 3A championships in his freshman and senior years (2005 and 2008). In his senior year, he averaged 33.1 points
Point (basketball)
Points in basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals or free throws ....
and 11.0 rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
per game, and also shot 69% from the field and 82% from the free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
line. In his final high school game, the '08 Class 3A final against Fort Wayne Harding
East Allen County Schools
The East Allen County School corporation, known as EACS for short, is an Allen County area public school district, one of the largest in area in Indiana, encompassing southeast Fort Wayne, all of Grabill, Harlan, Hoagland, Leo-Cedarville, Monroeville, New Haven, Poe, and Woodburn. It operates seven...
, he scored 47 points, which broke a record for scoring by a player in an Indiana boys' state championship game that had stood since 1970. He was not only a basketball superstar, but also played on Washington High's tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
team for three years, and finished his high school career with a 3.99 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, good for third in his graduating class. After the 2008 season, he was named "Mr. Basketball"
Indiana Mr. Basketball award
The Indiana Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top high school basketball player in the state of Indiana. The award is presented annually by The Indianapolis Star. The first Indiana Mr...
in Indiana, the state's highest honor for high school players, three years after his older brother Luke was honored with the same award, and was also named a McDonald's All-American
McDonald's All-American Team
The McDonald's All-American Game refers to each of the all-star basketball games played each year for boys' and girls' high-school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top American and Canadian players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the high-school basketball...
.
During the early stages of the signing period in November 2007, Zeller signed a letter of intent
National Letter of Intent
The National Letter of Intent is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating NCAA colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association provides...
to play at North Carolina. When the university announced his signing, Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams
Roy Williams (coach)
Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
said about Zeller, "I think he is the finest running big man in the country and he has a tremendous shooting touch to go with that ability to run the floor." Zeller notably exhibited that shooting touch at a high school all-star game during the 2008 Kentucky Derby Festival
Kentucky Derby Festival
The Kentucky Derby Festival is an annual festival held in Louisville, Kentucky during the two weeks preceding the first Saturday in May, the day of the Kentucky Derby...
, at which he won the event's three-point
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
shooting contest.
North Carolina
Zeller started the first two games of the 2008-09 season2008-09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
The 2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Head Coach was Roy Williams. The team played its home games in the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in place of the previous season's
2007-08 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
The 2007–08 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Roy Williams...
consensus national Player of the Year, Tyler Hansbrough
Tyler Hansbrough
Andrew Tyler Hansbrough is an American basketball player for the Indiana Pacers. Hansbrough completed a college basketball career with the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team in 2009, and was drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick of the 1st round of the 2009 NBA...
, who was sidelined with a stress reaction in his right shin. In his first game, he scored 18 points in Carolina's season-opening win over Penn.
The Tar Heels' next game, on November 18, was against another equally storied team, Kentucky. The Heels scored a surprisingly easy 77–58 win over the Wildcats, but suffered another injury blow, this time involving Zeller. With 1:26 left in the game, Zeller went for a breakaway dunk off a turnover, but was fouled by Kentucky's Ramon Harris before he could score. Zeller fell to the floor awkwardly, got up, and was taken to the locker room holding his left wrist.
X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
s showed that Zeller had broken both of the major bones in his lower left arm (the radius
Radius (bone)
The radius is one of the two large bones of the forearm, the other being the ulna. It extends from the lateral side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist and runs parallel to the ulna, which exceeds it in length and size. It is a long bone, prism-shaped and slightly curved longitudinally...
and ulna
Ulna
The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form and runs parallel to the radius, which is shorter and smaller. In anatomical position The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form...
). The day after the injury, he had surgery at UNC Hospitals to repair the broken bones. The surgeon who performed the operation declared it successful, but indicated that the typical recovery time for such an operation is 12 to 16 weeks, making it likely that Zeller will be out for the season. In early January 2009, Zeller's cast was removed.
Zeller made his return during his freshman season on February 18, 2009, in the Tar Heels' home game against North Carolina State, playing 8 minutes and scoring 2 points.
As a sophomore, Zeller averaged 9.3 points per game on 52.1% shooting and 4.6 rebounds per game in limited action off the bench.