After a 12 day break, the No. 11 ranked Augusta Jaguars (10-1) will return to action on New Year’s Eve for a 12:00 p.m. home game against Emmanuel College (7-5), the final non-conference game of the season for the Jaguars. Nineteen-year Head Coach Dip Metress begins this week’s show by detailing the challenge that K.J. Jones, the nation’s leading scorer at 26.9 points per game, will bring his team when the Lions visit Augusta Saturday.
For the first time since the second game of the season, Augusta will benefit from what should be a fully healthy Ja’Queze Kirby, the team’s high flying sophomore who this week’s guest, fifth year senior point guard Tyree Myers, agrees had been playing better than any Jaguar before he sprained his ankle in practice right before the third game of the season.
Myers has been the team’s undisputed leader since he stepped on campus in 2018 and assumed the role of the team’s starting point guard. He became the school’s all time leader in assists during the end of Augusta’s historic season last year when the Jaguars earned Peach Belt Conference and Southeast Region championships before finishing as the runner up in the NCAA Division II Tournament in Evansville, Indiana.
Tyree will likely become the Peach Belt Conference’s all time assist leader before the end of this season, an accomplishment that will go nicely with the Masters in Business Administration that he plans to obtain in July. Soon after last season finished he graduated with a bachelors in accounting.
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During the show, we discuss Tyree’s track record as the team’s “closer,” a nickname he picked up from his teammates who quickly came to trust him unconditionally. We review some of the moments that have earned him the admiration and respect of his teammates, coaches, opponents and fans.
We also discuss the on the court relationship between Myers and fellow one thousand points scorer Miguel Arnold, Tyree’s starting backcourt mate since the two were freshman. Like Myers and his assist records, Miguel became Augusta’s all time leader in three pointers last season, and he will likely set the Peach Belt Conference record in the coming months.
Myers has experienced a fair dose of hardship on the court during his years in Augusta. He had knee surgery following his freshman and sophomore seasons, and he describes playing despite being injured. I note during the conversation that Tyree’s the most competitive and the toughest player I’ve watched play during the last thirty years.
He’s also the only Augusta player during the last thirty-five years to consistently work in a field related to his area of study while playing for the team. Myers works for a local accounting firm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. He describes waking up early in the morning to work out before 8 a.m. before working from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., then practicing with the team, and then finally attending class at night.
Tyree will leave an unfillable hole when he finishes up this March. So don’t miss the chance to watch him and the No. 11 ranked Jaguars this Saturday at noon when Emmanuel comes to town. Or on Wednesday, January 11 when Augusta hosts Lander in Peach Belt Conference action at 7:30 p.m..
Here’s a guide to this week’s show, which you can subscribe to on YouTube at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/@dipmetressshow
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0:00 to 2:11 – Introduction
2:12 to 3:51 – Introducing Special Guest Tyree Myers
3:52 to 4:40 – The State of the Jaguars
4:41 to 7:23 – “The Closer”
7:24 to 10:52 – Tyree’s steal and assist vs. Queens
10:53 to 15:21 – Tyree and Miguel, all time leaders in assists and threes
15:22 to 16:37 – Rare footage of Tyree’s lob to Ja’Queze Kirby
16:38 to 22:38 – A day in the life of an elite athlete pursuing an MBA and beginning a career
22:39 to End – Closing
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook, and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports
