Alexander Trent Tyus (born January 8, 1988) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League in which he was the 2018 Finals MVP. Having been naturalized as an Israeli citizen, he also represented the senior Israeli national basketball team. Standing at 2.03 meters (6' 8") tall, he is an athletic frontcourt player and good rebounder.[1]
 Tyus with Maccabi Tel Aviv in March 2018 | |
| No. 9 – Hapoel Jerusalem | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center / power forward |
| League | VTB United League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 8, 1988 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Israeli |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | Florida (2007–2011) |
| NBA draft | 2011: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2011–present |
| Career history | |
| 2011–2012 | Maccabi Ashdod |
| 2012–2013 | Mapooro Cantù |
| 2013–2015 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2015–2016 | Anadolu Efes |
| 2016–2017 | Galatasaray |
| 2017–2019 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2019–2020 | UNICS Kazan |
| 2020 | Galatasaray |
| 2020–2021 | Real Madrid |
| 2021–2022 | Pınar Karşıyaka |
| 2022–2023 | ASVEL |
| 2023–2024 | Runa Basket Moscow |
| 2024–present | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
Tyus played for his first two years of high school for Hazelwood Central High School in St. Louis.[2] He then played for two years for Harmony Prep, leading it to the prep school national championship game in 2006.[2][3]
College career
Tyus attended the University of Florida, where he played college basketball under head coach Billy Donovan with the Florida Gators from 2007 to 2011, and was a member of two NCAA Tournament teams. He played a key role in the 2010–11 Gators' run to the Elite Eight with a 19-point, 17-rebound effort in the 83–74 overtime win over the BYU Cougars in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. As of 2012, his 1,333 career points were 22nd-best in school history.[2]
Professional career
Maccabi Ashdod (2011–2012)
On June 28, 2011, Tyus started his professional career with the Israeli team Maccabi Ashdod after finishing four years at Florida.[4][5]
Pallacanestro Cantù (2012–2013)
On July 12, 2012, Tyus signed a contract with the Italian team Pallacanestro Cantù where he played his first EuroLeague season.[6]
Maccabi Tel Aviv (2013–2015)
On July 1, 2013, Tyus signed a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv.[7] He was named the MVP of the 2013-14 EuroLeague for the month of April.[8] He was one of the key players to help Maccabi advance to the EuroLeague Final Four. Eventually, Maccabi won the EuroLeague championship.
Anadolu Efes (2015–2016)
On July 21, 2015, Tyus signed a one-year contract with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes.[9] In 24 EuroLeague games with Anadolu Efes, he averaged 5.9 points and 3 rebounds.
Galatasaray (2016–2017)
On July 12, 2016, Tyus signed a one-year deal with Galatasaray.[10]
Return to Maccabi (2017–2019)
On June 22, 2017, Tyus returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv for a second stint, signing a two-year contract.[11]
On May 27, 2018, Tyus recorded a season-high 20 points, shooting 10-of-12 from the field, along with five rebounds and two blocks in a 97-85 win over Bnei Herzliya.[12] On June 8, 2018, Tyus earned a spot in the All-Israeli League Second Team.[13] On June 14, 2018, Tyus led Maccabi Tel Aviv to win the 2018 Israeli League Championship after a 95–75 victory over Hapoel Holon. He was subsequently named Finals MVP.[14]
On July 25, 2018, Tyus signed a one-year contract extension with Maccabi.[15] On January 28, 2019, Tyus was named EuroLeague MVP of the Month after averaging 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks for 14.6 PIR per game, shooting 84 percent from the field in five games played in January.[16] On March 28, 2019, Tyus recorded a EuroLeague career-high 20 points, shooting 9-of-11 from the field, along with six rebounds in a 90–55 win over Gran Canaria.[17] Tyus helped Maccabi win the 2019 Israeli League Championship, winning his second straight Israeli League title in the process.
UNICS Kazan (2019–2020)
On July 13, 2019, Tyus signed a 1+1 contract with UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League.[18] He averaged 10.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.[19]
Galatasaray (2020)
On November 4, 2020, Tyus signed with Galatasaray.[19]
Real Madrid (2020–2021)
On December 29, 2020, he signed with Real Madrid of the Liga ACB.[20] On July 1, 2021, Tyus officially parted ways with the Spanish club.
Pınar Karşıyaka (2021–2022)
On November 8, 2021, he has signed with Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and Basketball Champions League (BCL).[21] He played 33 games for the team, 23 starts, and averaged 5.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.[22]
ASVEL (2022–2023)
On October 27, 2022, he signed with ASVEL Basket of the LNB Pro A.[23] He played 61 games for the team, 14 starts, and averaged 5.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.[22]
Runa Moscow (2023–2024)
In summer 2023, he signed with Runa Moscow of the VTB United League.[24] He played 36 games for the team, seven starts, and averaged 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.[22]
Hapoel Jerusalem (2024–present)
On April 25, 2024, he signed with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[22]
National team career
Tyus was a member of the senior Israeli national basketball team at the 2013 EuroBasket tournament.[25]
Personal life
During his college years he was introduced to Judaism by his roommate, and in 2011 Tyus and his then wife, Alli Cecchini (volleyball player of Florida Gators) who has Jewish roots,[26] converted to Judaism together.[27]
On June 10, 2012, Tyus received an Israeli passport.[28]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
EuroLeague
| † | Denotes season in which Tyus won the EuroLeague |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Cantù | 10 | 0 | 19.8 | .576 | .000 | .481 | 3.7 | .4 | .2 | 1.0 | 8.1 | 9.0 |
| 2013–14† | Maccabi | 27 | 2 | 18.1 | .718* | .000 | .526 | 5.0 | .3 | .3 | 1.0 | 7.7 | 10.9 |
| 2014–15 | 25 | 5 | 21.1 | .611 | — | .529 | 5.2 | .4 | .4 | 1.4 | 7.2 | 10.5 | |
| 2015–16 | Anadolu Efes | 24 | 8 | 12.6 | .537 | .000 | .446 | 3.0 | .3 | .3 | .3 | 5.9 | 6.3 |
| 2016–17 | Galatasaray | 30 | 10 | 19.6 | .683 | .000 | .553 | 5.2 | .4 | .6 | 1.1 | 10.0 | 14.3 |
| 2017–18 | Maccabi | 30 | 2 | 19.9 | .617 | — | .491 | 5.0 | .2 | .5 | 1.0 | 8.3 | 10.9 |
| 2018–19 | 30 | 5 | 18.3 | .664 | — | .625 | 4.1 | .3 | .5 | 1.1 | 7.3 | 10.0 | |
| 2020–21 | Real Madrid | 20 | 7 | 12.0 | .500 | — | .750 | 2.6 | .5 | .4 | .4 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
| 2022–23 | ASVEL | 25 | 6 | 17.8 | .689 | .000 | .621 | 4.3 | .4 | .5 | .8 | 5.7 | 8.1 |
| Career | 221 | 45 | 17.8 | .636 | .000 | .534 | 4.4 | .3 | .4 | 1.1 | 7.2 | 9.6 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Florida | 36 | 0 | 12.7 | .540 | .000 | .543 | 2.6 | .3 | .1 | .6 | 4.3 |
| 2008–09 | Florida | 36 | 36 | 26.2 | .591 | .000 | .685 | 6.2 | .7 | .5 | .8 | 12.5 |
| 2009–10 | Florida | 34 | 34 | 28.4 | .503 | .400 | .683 | 6.9 | .4 | .5 | 1.0 | 11.8 |
| 2010–11 | Florida | 36 | 36 | 25.1 | .500 | .333 | .630 | 6.2 | .8 | .4 | .8 | 9.1 |
| Career | 152 | 106 | 23.0 | .534 | .375 | .652 | 5.4 | .6 | .4 | .8 | 9.4 | |