Tyler Frederick Thriving as a La Roche University Redhawk

The La Roche Redhawks have built a great basketball tradition; especially as of late under the direction of Hermie Carmichael. He’s done a marvelous job recruiting talent in eastern Ohio and especially in his backyard of Pittsburgh. One local product he recruited just a few years ago is AMCC Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Frederick. Frederick has been on an absolute tear so far in his college career.

The Redhawks won the 2017-2018 AMCC title while Frederick was a freshman, but Frederick missed time due to ineligibility. “The freedom that I experienced was what got to me and caused me to become ineligible. There was no one there to make me do homework or go to class and that caused me to struggle with some classes making me ineligible.” It was a time Frederick has learned from, and it is something that motivates him to never miss action again.

In the 2018-2019 season, La Roche finished 24-3 and 18-0 in conference. However, the Redhawks failed to repeat as AMCC champs and also were left on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament. “After these previous two seasons we have become a very close team and have come together very well, we’ve been in the gym a lot and the weight room even more preparing for any battle that comes our way. The way last season ended frustrated everyone and now we are all hungry to get back and prove ourselves again.”

So far, La Roche is 4-5 for the 2019-2020 season. However, the Redhawks are 4-0 in AMCC play and have won three straight games heading into the weekend. Frederick is averaging a double-double at 18.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. He dropped a career high 24 points earlier this season against Eastern Mennonite. For his college career, he has  racked up 1st Team All-AMCC, two AMCC Player of the Week Awards, and averaged a double-double as a sophomore. He is on pace to score well over 1,000 points for his college career.

The Butler High School grad racked up three WPIAL All-Section First Team selections for his high school career. He had the interest of several Division II schools including  Pitt Johnstown, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and Clarion, but decided La Roche was the correct fit for him. When asking Frederick why he chose La Roche, he said “I chose La Roche because it felt like home and I enjoyed the area. My family played a huge role in my commitment; they may need me at times to help at home, and being 40 minutes away allowed for me to do that whenever. My family comes first before anything.” La Roche also offered a degree in marketing that Frederick was passionate about. However, he is hopeful to play professional basketball after his college days are done.

Some of his favorite memories from basketball include his first dunk as a middle schooler in the eight grade along with his first game starting as a freshman on varsity. However, he is hopeful more memories will continue to build as his college career continues at La Roche. “My goals are to help bring another championship to La Roche and break the all time rebound record. Our team goals are to become the best team we possibly can and to bring not just one but as many championships as we can to La Roche.”

Three players Frederick enjoys watching most are LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Russell Westbrook. “I like LeBron because of his path throughout his career and because he is a beast on and off the court. He really does a lot for the betterment of his community. I like Antetokounmpo because of his physicality and aggressiveness at the rim and Russel Westbrook is fun to watch because of how hard he plays every game.”

When mentioning those who have helped him on his journey, Fredrick mentioned Coach Matt Clement from Butler High School who set him up to succeed and improve as a player over his time in high school. He also mentioned Coach Bailey from the Caveman AAU organization because he always treated him like family. Lastly, Frederick mentioned his friends and family from Butler. “My friends back at home in Butler made me a physical player because they were physical and gave me the “bully or be bullied” mindset on the court. I am grateful for all of those people.”

While Frederick has a lot left to look forward to, he has not forgotten where he began his college career and where he is now. “Being named Preseason Player of the Year in the AMCC means a ton judging from how I started here at La Roche. It shows how much hard work really does pay off. It motivates me to keep working harder because I know how far I have come and how far I can go from here.” As a freshman in just a semester of action or nine total games, he averaged six points per game on 45.7 percent shooting. He missed the entire second half of the season, but quickly rebounded and had a tremendous sophomore campaign. It is no surprise that Frederick is off to the start he is so far this season.

With an AMCC title on his mind, Frederick is on his way to much more individual success in the game of basketball. However, he is most hopeful to help bring another conference title back to La Roche both in his junior and senior campaign. The AMCC is truly wide open this year, but with the help of Tyler Frederick, the Redhawks will not be an easy out in the AMCC Tournament come this February.

Photo Credit to La Roche Athletics