The Eastern men’s basketball team has struggled to a 4-20 record this season, but a promising freshman has designs on big things in his college career. Tyler Laser, a 6-1 guard, was a record-setting high school scorer in Hillsdale, Mich., averaging 29.6 points per game as a senior. While he has gone through the typical ups and downs of a freshman season and has battled shoulder and hand injuries, he has shown flashes of scoring ability, including a 27-point effort in an overtime win against Murray State on Jan. 3. Laser recently sat down with Staff Reporter Mike Mears and talked about the frustrations of a tough first year of college basketball, his goals of helping Eastern return to basketball prominence and his artistic ability.

Why did you miss the first four games?

I popped my shoulder out of the socket in practice. The coaches didn’t want me to play. I couldn’t even raise my arm. If the doctors would’ve let me, I would’ve played. But it’s kind of hard to shoot when you can’t raise your arm.

Are you comfortable with the sixth man role you’ve taken on?

I’m just willing to do whatever (head coach Mike Miller) wants me to. I’ve never come off the bench in my life, but I’m a freshman and this has really been a learning year for me. If that’s what coach wants me to do, that’s what I’m going to do.

What was clicking doing your offensive outburst early in January?

It was kind of funny that I was shooting good because I tore some ligaments in my hand. I couldn’t even touch the ball to my left hand, so when I’d shoot it, it was mostly all right-handed. I’ve just been trying to get my confidence back, play like the old Tyler and just have no doubt in my mind when I’m trying to do something on the court. I think that’s helped me out a lot.

How did you cope with your poor shooting stretches?

The coaches kept saying don’t think about your shot, don’t think about your shot. And I’m like, I’m not thinking about my shot. You guys just keep reminding me about it. It’s just really frustrating when you’re losing, and I didn’t feel like I was contributing at all. It’s just one of those things where you get in a little funk, and the only way you can get out is to keep shooting. I’m hoping I’m out of it now.

Do you see yourself more as a point guard or a shooting guard?

Well, my whole life I’ve played point guard, but I’ve scored. Right now, my role is to play on the wing because Julio (Anthony) is running the (point), but I consider myself a point guard that can shoot.

So you see yourself developing as a scorer at Eastern?

Yeah, I see myself as a scoring point (guard). I think being able to score opens up everyone else a little bit because guys will have to collapse on me, stop me from getting a look at the basket, so that will get my assists up too.

Has it been hard adjusting to more of a role player?

I knew coming in I wasn’t going to average 30 (points) a game, but it hasn’t been the freshman season I thought I was going to have. I never thought I would go through games where I had zero points. It’s really just trying to find your way on the team; trying to find your role and what you can do to contribute to the team to get wins. I felt like what I was doing early in the season wasn’t why the coaches brought me here. Apparently they liked the way Tyler Laser played at Hillsdale. That’s the player they want, so I felt like I needed to step up and play like that player.

Do you see yourself developing into a featured scorer at Eastern?

I just see myself being able to score. It’s all about learning different tricks, and you learn that by experiencing it in a game.

What kind of tricks?

A lot of it is the way I dribble the ball; keeping it more on my side than in front of me. More north-south movement than east-west. In high school I used to do a lot of crossover and shake-and-bake moves. Here, you can’t get away with that. I’ve learned to lower my shoulder and explode where I want to go.

What was it like to score 53 points in a game your senior year?

The team we were playing against was saying they were going to beat our four-year home winning streak. I was goofing around with some of my friends, and I made a bet with them that I’d score at least 45 points, and I bet them all Gatorades. I went out there and had 33 the first half and had 53 at the end of the third (quarter) and sat out the whole fourth quarter. I set the school record with eight threes in that game and went 15-for-15 from the free-throw line. The next day at school I had a bunch of Gatorades.

What’s been the hardest adjustment to the college game?

Defense. In high school you could stand up and take breaks. I was a lot more athletic than anyone I was playing against, so I didn’t have to try as hard. Here, you have to buckle down and make a real effort to play defense.

What’s the attitude like in the locker room right now?

It’s a lot of frustration. Nobody likes to lose. I just don’t want to get used to losing at all. I lost nine games my whole middle school and high school career combined, and we’ve lost double that in my first year of college basketball. You try and stay positive, but you also get on each other to make sure you work hard; to make sure you get things done.

Has this season been a learning experience?

I don’t know how everyone else really feels, but for me it’s just been really frustrating. I take losing really hard. Winning and losing kind of affects the way I am around campus. I’ll go days without talking to people just being frustrated over a loss. I just really don’t like that feeling.

Who’s the best player you’ve played against?

I’ve played against (Kansas State freshman Michael) Beasley, Nolan Smith at Duke, Jonny Flynn at Syracuse, (Michigan State freshman guard) Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers at Michigan State and Manny Harris at Michigan. With the AAU circuit you play a ton of people.

As a Michigan native, are you a Michigan or Michigan State fan?

Actually, I hated Michigan State growing up and loved Michigan. One of my friends, Drew Neitzel, ended up going to Michigan State when I was a freshman in high school. I turned into a Michigan State fan just to watch him play. A couple more of my friends, Durrell and Kalin, went to Michigan State. I’m still a Michigan fan at heart, though.

Who wins in one-on-one between you and your brother, Luke, who played at Saginaw Valley State?

Every time I get up on him, he just backs me down because he’s 6-foot-5 and turns around and dunks on me. I try to make rules that you’re not allowed to back people down. I’ll win one, but he always ends up winning the series.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I actually can draw pretty well. We have study tables on the road and I was doing some homework for art class. My teammates saw some of my drawings, and they were like, I didn’t know you could draw. I just like to draw goofy things. I’m really into colored pencils because I like to put a lot of color into my drawings. I just draw whatever pretty much.

What do you hope to accomplish on the court in your last three years at Eastern?

I want two Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) championships and at least two NCAA tournament appearances. I never, ever, want to have a losing record again. I want, by my senior year, to squeak into the Top 25. You know, I want to win. I want to do big things. When I leave this school, I want a legacy. I want people to know about Tyler Laser and the team that he played with.

Mike Mears can be reached at 581-7944 or at mlmears@eiu.edu.

Freshman guard Tyler Laser said the biggest adjustment to college basketball was playing defense. (Bryce Peake/The Daily Eastern News)

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