Lakota West guard Joshua Tyson has trimmed his list to six, and Cincinnati is right in the middle of it.
Tyson, a local four-star prospect, included the Bearcats with Xavier, Ohio State, Michigan State, Clemson, and Virginia Tech. He also passed on offers from Penn State, Arizona State, West Virginia, and Dayton.
The Bearcats’ involvement with Tyson goes back before the current staff took over. He had an offer from Wes Miller and staff before his firing, and then picked up another one from Calhoun when he was on campus for a visit in mid-May.
At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Tyson brings the kind of profile that can translate at the power four level. He’s ranked No. 55 in the class of 2027, No. 10 among combo guards nationally, and No. 5 in Ohio.
Last season, he averaged 16.3 points per game for Lakota West while shooting 34% from three-point range. Lakota West reached the regional final against Pickerington Central before falling 55-35.
Cincinnati’s push in the local recruiting lane doesn’t stop with Tyson. The Bearcats also have Princeton High School commit Kam Mercer, who reclassified from 2028 to 2027, along with Isaiah Mack-Russell from Winton Woods High School. Jerrod Calhoun has made it clear from day one that he wants local prospects to stay in Cincinnati, and Tyson and Mercer are reportedly very good friends.
Tyson has said he values fit over simply staying close to home, but Cincinnati may be able to offer both.
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Bearcats Just Got A Massive Chance In Key Guard Battle
Cincinnatis backcourt recruiting picture got a lot more interesting with Josh Tyson trimming his list, and the Bearcats are still right in the thick of it for one of the nations more coveted 2027 guards. Tyson, a La Lumiere School standout who spent time at Lakota West before heading to Indiana, has become a name to watch for programs that want a versatile perimeter piece, and Cincinnati is now among the schools still standing as the process moves toward a smaller group of finalists.
For the Bearcats, the timing matters because this is the kind of recruitment that can shape the roster well beyond the immediate season. Tysons list now includes several high-major rivals, so Cincinnati will have to keep pressing to stay in the conversation, even as the program also works through another guard situation in MJ Collins, who is practicing with the team while waiting on NCAA clearance. It leaves Cincinnati with a real opportunity in the backcourt, but also a stretch where every update seems to carry extra weight. [Read more 🡒]