Amidst a recent run of great basketball documentary productions, the story of a hoops maverick continues on to its third country in as many years: A production of Andrew Gallery and Cavelight Films, “My Life: Chasing the Dream” seeks to tell the story of former San Diego High baller Jeremy Tyler.
Indeed, now that Tyler has escaped the glare of American and international media, things even seem to be looking up for the lad a bit. Followers may recall that Tyler made sports history in 2008 when he decided to eschew his senior year of high school in San Diego – publicly stating he was bored and sought new challenges – to play professional basketball abroad while waiting two seasons to enter the NBA draft.
At the behest of Sonny Vaccaro, the international agent also involved in the Brandon Jennings-to-Roma deal, Tyler penned a deal with Maccabi Haifa of Israel for the 2009-10 season. Unfortunately, difficulties with everything from the culture to the coaching staff to Tyler’s own work ethic resulted in the team requesting the young man quit the team before season’s end. Tyler did so and returned to America empty-handed and with shaky future prospects.
Tyler landed with the oddly-named Tokyo Apache for the 2010-11 season and is actually apparently seeing a bit more playing time – and therefore personal success – this year. According to Asia Basket, Tyler is the team’s high scorer off the bench with 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in under 15 minutes per game; fouls appear to be the bane of Tyler’s game, with a whopping 3.6 PFs per appearance.
In fact, this weekend saw Tyler contribute his two best-ever performances as a pro. On Saturday, Tyler went for 15 points in a losing effort and turned in a monster stat line on Sunday against the Saitama Broncos: Showing no fear, Tyler went for 27 points on 13-of-23 shooting plus 11 rebounds in 26 minutes of court time. The Japan Times enthused that “a forceful presence in the paint[,] attacking the rim with a clear purpose – five slam dunks, to be precise – as Tokyo capitalized on his explosive athleticism.”
Among Tyler’s American teammates in Tokyo are starting point guard Byron Eaton, formerly of Oklahoma State University, and ex-Seattle Supersonics big man Robert Swift.
And Gallery’s production rolls on – hopefully. The Cavelight Films website is hosting a pledge drive in hopes of raising $22,000 within the next 3½ weeks or so in order to meet some budget constraints.
Reads the appeal, in part:
“The film stars Jeremy Tyler who is the first player ever to leave high school early to turn pro. Since this controversial decision he has been battling corruption and immense personal obstacles on his way to NBA stardom and to making history.
“This has been a passionate three year endeavor and the exciting story is still unfolding on a global scale! Jeremy is now in Japan playing for the Tokyo Apache. We plan on following him there and are raising money to do so.
“Documenting both his personal and professional life, My Life takes you on an intimately personal journey through the high stakes world of what it takes to be an NBA superstar. Through all of the money, scandals and corruption emerges a unique and compelling epic: the ultimate coming of age story unfolding with an intensity reserved only for real life.”
To make a contribution to the production of “My Life: Chasing a Dream,” visit the film’s official page at CavelightFilms.com.
