The Cincinnati Bearcats’ biggest swing piece this season may not be one of the guards drawing most of the attention. It could be Tyler Tejada, the Towson transfer who suddenly finds himself in a much bigger role for Jerrod Calhoun’s new-look roster.
Cincinnati enters the season with plenty of options in the backcourt, with Tylen Riley, Miles Colvin, MJ Collins, Trevian Carson, and Akai Fleming giving the Bearcats real depth at guard. That kind of crowd usually pushes the pressure elsewhere, and in this case the concern lands at power forward, or the “bigger wing” spot. The youth of Adlan Elamin and Eric Mahaffey, along with their weight, leaves Tejada as a major piece in that area.
What makes Tejada so intriguing is the scoring punch he already showed at Towson. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists across 32 games last season, which is exactly the kind of production Cincinnati needs from someone outside the guard rotation.
But the efficiency numbers tell the real story. Tejada shot 43.2% from the field, 29.1% from three, and 88.2% at the free-throw line.
That’s where the X-factor comes in. Moving from the CAA to the Big 12 means the level of competition is going up, and his efficiency figures would naturally be expected to dip.
Still, the situation around him could help. At Towson, Tejada carried a heavier offensive burden.
At Cincinnati, he won’t have to do nearly as much on his own, and that should lead to cleaner looks and better shot quality.
Calhoun’s teams have traditionally leaned on guards to drive the scoring, but the Bearcats will need more than that when defenses tighten up or the shots stop falling. If Tejada can give Cincinnati steady production from that forward spot, it changes the shape of the offense. And it could make the Bearcats a lot more dangerous next season.
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