Tyler Honeycutt, SF

Coming out of Sylmar High School, Honeycutt was a highly regarded recruit rated as one of the top 10 small forwards in the country by all of the major recruiting services.

He appeared in 59 games during his two-year career at UCLA, where he registered 608 points (10.3 points per game) and pulled down 407 rebounds (6.9 rebounds per game). His long reach and excellent leaping ability allowed him to block 98 shots, as he also had 68 steals and 163 assists, despite playing in the front court.

During his time at Sylmar High, the three-year hard court performer honed those leaping skills while competing for the school's volleyball team. He was one of the most versatile performers on the team, playing all five positions on the way to earning Parade All-American basketball honors as a senior. The Valley Mission League MVP averaged 19.8 points, 15.0 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game as a senior.

Honeycutt guided his Sylmar volleyball team to a 33-2 record in 2009 and a spot in the finals of the L.A. City section championship. He was named a first team All-City performer in volleyball and recorded 32 kills, 16 digs and six blocks in a Valley Mission League victory over Reseda High.

Injuries at UCLA delayed Honeycutt's collegiate debut. He missed the first six games of the 2009-10 campaign with a stress fracture in his right leg, but started 18-of-26 games at the end of the schedule at small forward. He became the third freshman in the school's last five seasons to lead the team in rebounds (169 total, 6.5 rebounds per game) and scored 187 points (7.2 points per game). He also contributed with 70 assists and 39 steals, adding 31 blocked shots, as he led all the Pac-10 Conference's freshmen with four double-double performances.

As a sophomore, Honeycutt had a banner campaign, as the All-Pac 10 Conference first-team pick shared Coach John Wooden Award honors, which is given to the Bruins' Most Valuable Player. He started all 33 games he played in, finishing third on the team with an average of 12.76 points per game. He made 40.6 percent of his field goals and 73.6 percent of his chances from the charity stripe. His 238 rebounds ranked second on the team and he led the Bruins with 68 blocked shots.

In late March, 2011, UCLA head coach Ben Howland announced that Honeycutt and guard Malcolm Lee were leaving the university and had joined the 2011 NBA Draft class. The departure of Honeycutt, the Bruins' third-leading scorer in 2010-11, was not entirely unexpected but could cost UCLA a potential top-10 national ranking to start next season.

Positives: Good mid-range shooter … Very unselfish passer but could create shots for himself more often rather than defer scoring opportunities to others … Played in a system that required athletes to sacrifice their individual production, but when given freedom to operate, he is very good at breaking down an opponent and finding scoring chances … Has good size if utilized at the two-guard position, but a lack of great court speed will be a defensive hindrance guarding the quicker shooting guards at the perimeter … Won't bang the boards well vs. bigger men, but has good angling concept and second jump skills to go in for the rebound … Will elude his man more often than attack the basket, but when he sets his feet and gets good elevation, his trajectory and long reach lets him get the ball up and over the opponent's out-stretched arms … Has very good confidence in his jumper, thanks to a soft, fluid touch and above average elevation … Takes too many high risk passing attempts, especially when pressured, but if given room, he keeps the ball low and fires the ball accurately to set a teammate up for an easy score (has 163 assists in 59 games) … Has a lean, angular frame with the size of a small forward, but due to a lack of bulk, along with his good quickness, he might be a better fit at shooting guard earlier in his career as his body continues to mature … Efficient mid-range shooter with a good face-to-the-basket game … Quick up and down the court, doing a nice job of pulling up, setting his feet and unleashing his jumper … Gets good elevation to go up and over his defender on the jam … Works well with his guards on cutters and shows the arc in his release and good balance on the fade away to make his shot difficult for the defender to block … Despite his tall frame, he is agile enough to slip under his opponent after baiting them out to the perimeter, only to execute a pump fake or hesitation move that surprises the defender as he then slashes his way to the basket … Has the long reach to alter the opponent's shots (67 blocks as a sophomore) … Gets good elevation in his leaps and if not blocked, he simply glides to the basket, showing the ability to put the ball in with either hand … Gets most of his rebounds due to his long wingspan … When he gets into a good rhythm, you can see a smooth, effortless stroke and quick release behind his shots … When matched against slower defenders, he leaves them grasping for air, as he is quick to gain separation, get to the low post and put up a soft turn-around jumper … His height and vertical leap allow him to consistency release the ball high, and he also shows nice balance making the fade away shots.

Negatives … While relatively healthy as a sophomore, there are durability concerns, as Honeycutt had a spinal stress fracture and a stress reaction in his right tibia as a freshman and you can see from his rail-thin frame that he might not be able to withstand the rigors of NBA life, unless he bulks up and adds much needed strength … Even as a sophomore, while he only missed one game, his shooting was affected by a right shoulder sprain and an elbow strain that led to an alarming reduction in his scoring consistency, as his field goal success rate fell from 49.6% as a freshman to 40.6% as a sophomore … His perimeter shooting also suffered, as he hit at a 38.46% clip in the eleven games before getting hurt and was 35.0% thereafter … He also was hampered working around the boards, as he was averaging 8.0 rebounds before getting hurt in 2010, but that averaged dipped to 6.8 upon his return … Lacks good lateral agility and while he can beat slower power forwards with his initial step, his 188-pound frame will often see him stymied if he tries to attack the basket (has a poor inside game) … Has to get tougher on his drives to the basket in attempts to draw contact, as he will back off when challenged and settle for jumpers or shots from the perimeter … Has decent basketball IQ, but he needs to be more alert to defensive rotations, as he's had turnover issues, leading the team in that category as a sophomore after ranking second on the squad as a freshman (has 131 turnovers in 59 games) … If he can improve his strength, he might not shy away from contact so much, as his average of drawing just 2.9 chances per game from the charity stripe is one of the worst in college … When the defense rotates or an opponent applies pressure, he simply tries to pass the ball out, doing so without looking for the right open outlet … Courage questions arise, as he appears hesitant to make things happen when he has the sphere (has suspect ability to create his shot), as he would almost immediately look to be unselfish with the ball and pass it off rather than drive to the basket (if basketball was likened to a war game, he'd be the most passive "dove" on the battle field).

Compares To: JOSH CHILDRESS, Phoenix Suns -- Like Childress, Honeycutt is a small forward trapped in a shooting guard's body, but he lacks the brute strength to handle bigger men attacking him when he has the ball in his hands, leading to 131 turnovers in 59 games. Injuries have affected his accuracy as a shooter, but when healthy, he has the stroke and range to be successful as a perimeter shooter. He is woefully lacking in upper body strength and also needs to improve his lower frame power in order to play the front court at the next level. He does get into a rut as a scorer, as he elevates quite a bit, leading to tired legs and poor accuracy later in games. He's worth a look in the late first round, but a team might want to put him on a nutritional program to improve his strength and bulk.

--Dave Te' Thomas

All-Pac 10 Conference first-team selection … Named to the John R. Wooden Award Pre-season Top 50 list, announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club in October … Was also the co-recipient of the Bruins' Wooden Award, given to the team's Most Valuable Player … Was the team's starting small forward in the 33 games he played in, finishing third on the team in scoring with 421 points (12.758 points per game) … Connected on 144-of-355 field goals (40.6 percent), including 55-of-152 from three-point range (36.2 percent) … Also had 78-of-106 successful chances from the charity stripe (73.6 percent) … Finished fourth on the team with 93 assists (2.818assists per game), as he also recorded 29 steals and led the Bruins with 68 blocked shots (2.03 blocks per game) … .Produced double-digit scoring performances in 24 contests and posted at least 10 rebounds seven times.

Was named to the Pac-10 Conference's All-Freshman team … Was also a three-time award winner at the team's annual postseason banquet, earning the Gerald A. Finerman Award (team rebounding leader), the Bruin Bench Basketball Award (for most improvement in all-around play and mental attitude), and shared the Seymour Armond Memorial Award/Most Valuable Freshman with Reeves Nelson … Played in the final 26 games, averaging 27.7 minutes per contest while making 18 starts at forward … The freshman's career got off to a slow start when an injury sidelined him for the first six games of the season, but he responded well, becoming the third fresh-man to lead the Bruins in rebounding (6.5 rebounds per game, 169 total, ninth in Pac-10) in the last five years, as he joined Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (8.2 rebounds per game in 2006) and Kevin Love (10.6 rebounds per game in 2008) in that exclusive club … Led all Pac-10 freshmen with four double-doubles, and those came over the last 11 games of the season where he averaged 9.8 points and 7.4 rebounds during that span … Finished with 187 points (7.19 points per game), as he reached double figures nine times … Made 69-of-139 field goals (49.6 percent) with 10-of-29 (34.5 percent) coming from three-point territory … Hit on 39-of-65 free throws (60.0 percent), as he blocked 31 shots, had 39 steals (1.5 spg) and doled out 70 assists (2.69assists per game).

Honeycutt started 51-of-59 games at UCLA, scoring 608 points (10.305 points per game), as he made 213-of-494 field goals (43.1 percent), including 65-of-181 three-pointers (35.9 percent) … Also made 117-of-171 free throws (68.4 percent) … Collected 407 rebounds (6.9 rebounds per game) with 98 blocked shots (1.66 blocks per game), 68 steals (1.15 spg) and 163 assists (2.76assists per game).

Attended Sylmar (Cal.) High School, lettering three times in basketball … Played all five positions throughout his prep career … In his senior season in 2008-09, Honeycutt was named a 2009 Parade third team All-American … Also earned first-team All-Valley Mission League and League MVP honors while his team captured a share of the league title with Reseda High … Added All-City accolades, helping Sylmar to a 19-8 overall record … Averaged 19.8 points, 15.0 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game as a senior, earning team most valuable player honors and second-team All-State by CalHiSports … Was on the 2008-09 Best in the West first team and was fifth in the voting with 299 points and was tied for second with 11 Best Prospect votes (out of 58 ballots) … Averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as a junior (2007-08) … Rated the 51st-best player in the country and the ninth-best small forward by ESPN … Was rated the No. 28 player and fourth-best small forward in the nation and the third-best small forward in the state by Rivals.com … Rated the third-best small forward in the country by Scout.com … Lettered three times in volley-ball for head coach Soheil Mashhoud … Guided his Sylmar volleyball team to a 33-2 record in 2009 and a spot in the finals of the L.A. City section championship, where the Spartans lost to Granada Hills … Was named a first team All-City performer in volleyball and recorded 32 kills, 16 digs and six blocks in a Valley Mission League victory over Reseda High.

General Studies major … Also played AAU basketball for Pump N' Run … Son of Lisa Stazel and Darren Honeycutt … Born Tyler Deon Honeycutt on 7/15/90 in Los Angeles, California.

PLAYER STATISTICS

Total Field Goals

3-Pt Field Goals

Free Throws

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

Points

Year

G

Made

Atts

Pct

Made

Atts

Pct

Made

Atts

Pct

No

Avg

No

Avg

No

Avg

No

Avg

No

Avg

2009-10

26

69

139

0.496

10

29

0.345

39

65

0.600

169

6.500

70

2.692

31

1.192

39

1.500

187

7.192

2010-11

33

144

355

0.406

55

152

0.362

78

106

0.736

238

7.212

93

2.818

67

2.030

29

0.879

421

12.758

Career Totals

59

213

494

0.431

65

181

0.359

117

171

0.684

407

6.898

163

2.763

98

1.661

68

1.153

608

10.305