For Jaylen Wysinger, adversity has just been part of the process.
The Magnolia West product was forced to bounce around college basketball programs in his first couple of seasons for a variety of reasons. Once Wysinger landed at his dream school, Texas Southern, he was relegated to a reserve guard role, and it seemed like it would be more of the same this season – his final year of eligibility – until lately.
The Tigers are making a late surge for second place in the SWAC, and a lot of the credit goes to Wysinger stepping in and stabilizing the point guard spot. His ascent this season hasn’t been textbook, but the adversity of the past has taught him to expect nothing less.
“For me personally, this is something I’ve dealt with since I was little,” Wysinger said of dealing with adversity. “Even coming into Texas Southern, it’s something I’ve had to play from behind.
“So with me, I’ve always had that mindset that I’m going to see adversity and I’m going to have to get over that hill. And I’m going to do whatever I can to do it.”
The 6-foot-1 guard’s rise this season has been nothing but a testament of perseverance, patience, hard work, trusting the process, and believing in God. Wysinger has become the spark in the last 11 games that the Tigers have needed as they move toward a more favorable seed heading into their regular-season finale against rival Prairie View.
“I just want to bring that back to the school because I feel like – in a way, I feel like I owe it to them because Coach (Johnny) Jones gave me a chance and loyalty is something that runs in my blood and I feel like I kind
Jaylen Wysinger
of owe it to him.”
The way the season was unfolding for the Tigers, they might not be in the position they are in were it not for the growing confidence Wysinger began to display, which convinced coach Johnny Jones to lean on him more.
“Jaylen has done a really good job of staying steady and putting himself in position,” Jones said. “And as of late, he has been the guy who has started the game for us, and he has been able to deliver.”
Wysinger, who has started 12 of 26 games this season and is the fifth-leading scorer on the team with a 9.4 points per game average, to go along with 1.8 rebounds per game. But since a 23-point output off the bench against Alabama A&M on Jan. 24, Wysinger has found another gear.
He scored in double-figures during a nine-game stretch when he averaged nearly 17 points per game, 3.6 assists, and 2.5 steals. Wysinger has also scored in double figures in 10 of the Tigers’ last 11 games.
In back-to-back games in early February, he put up SWAC Player of the Week-type numbers with a career-high 28 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a 74-73 win over Southern. Wysinger then followed that game up with a 25-point output to go along with seven assists and six steals in a double-figure victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Showcasing his abilities as a multi-level scorer in those two games, Wysinger shot a combined 9 of 18 from 3-point range and was 19 of 33 from the field.
Wysinger shrugs his shoulders when responding to what has been different for him.
“Just clearing my mind, just playing unconsciously, playing my brand of basketball, knowing that I’ve put in so much work and I’m just trusting my work,” Wysinger, who has already achieved his bachelor’s degree in health and physical studies. “Being a point guard, I watch a lot of film, I study the game, I’m a student of the game.
“I just try to go out there and impact the game in ways that I know I can impact the game, and however it turns out, it turns out.”
But it hasn’t always been this way for Wysinger. There were many tough days as he sat behind two-time SWAC Tournament MVP P.J. Henry for one season and then Kavion McClain last season.
Wysinger knew his game and knowledge of the game were growing, but with limited opportunities and some injuries, it was hard to show that growth.
“It’s been tough, but I just trust the process, and I keep working and keep my faith in God, just talk to God every day and just be where my feet are at and just constantly work, work, work,” said Wysinger, who has started in 17 of the 77 career games he has played in at TSU. “And I let God take care of the rest.”
Jones recognized the frustration Wysinger was going through, but he needed to see more consistency and growth before giving him more playing time at either guard spot. Wysinger had played for three other programs where his responsibilities varied, and at TSU he was asked to adjust again.
“Jaylen coming in, he had to get bigger and stronger and learn the position coming out of junior college and understanding what was needed program-wise,” Jones said. “Not necessarily having limitations, but understanding what was needed from him in different programs.
“Here you’re playing behind P.J. Henry, who was a two-time tournament MVP. That’s a tough spot to be in.”
There is no longer a Henry in the way. Instead, it has been a point guard-by-committee situation, with Zaire Hayes, Alex Anderson, and Wysinger all vying for time.
But during this late-season stretch, Wysinger has pulled ahead of the pack.
“Just clearing my mind, just playing unconsciously, playing my brand of basketball, knowing that I’ve put in so much work and I’m just trusting my work,” Wysinger said of what’s been key. “Being a point guard, I watch a lot of film, I study the game, I’m a student of the game.
“I just try to go out there and impact the game in ways that I know I can impact the game, and however it turns out, it turns out.”
Wysinger said his mentality is to kill, and that is what has propelled him.
“At the end of the day, it’s a grown man’s sport, and I feel like you’ve got to take food off of somebody else’s table, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m not doing this for no reason. I do it because I love it and the game brings me joy, but I feel like I’m a professional ball player, and I’m ready to take it to the next level. So every day I just wake up, and I just want to get better.
“My mentality is to get better as much as I can every day.”
