With Deep Threes And Lock Down Defense, Deon Lyle Overcomes The Odds By Pushing Potawatomi Fire Into TBL Title Run
Since turning professional in 2018, the Nebraska native has played at top levels in Armenia, Mexico, Africa, and TBL but it wasn't the easiest start to pursuing a pro career
Shawnee, Oklahoma – When you sit back and ponder the probabilities, Deon Jay Lyle isn’t supposed to be here right now.
In a league where a plethora of nonconventional basketball career paths make up the nation wide landscape of The Basketball League, Deon’s own rigorous travels to actually become a professional basketball player weren’t given a very strong shot at surviving coming up on the rural roads of Hastings, Nebraska. In the small midwest town in the Cornhusker state best known for being the birthplace of Kool-Aid back in 1927, Deon’s own punch drunk love to succeed at reaching the NBA hardwood is a refreshing taste of hard work paying off on the court.
Playing only one year of high school varsity basketball between attending Hastings High School and Norton Community High School in Norton, Kansas was the norm with no AAU programs to boast about or promote his efforts. An eventual two-year shot and transfer from Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kanas to the University of Texas at San Antonio where he became a Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year and sank 96 three-pointers tying the school single-season record during his lone year at UTSA, the young kid who spent countless afternoons, evenings, and late nights honing his craft at the local YMCA back in Hastings essentially blazed his own long trail to turning professional starting in 2018.
What has transpired within the past five years truly is a resounding testimony about Deon’s natural talent, strong character, and an internal drive to keep on going. He’s overcoming the odds each time he steps on the court by knocking down threes and playing lockdown D.
Following a year in LaVar Ball’s short-lived Junior Basketball Association (JBA) with the Chicago Ballers competing against and LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball and other young high school standouts, Deon traveled overseas with a JBA-USA travel team featuring the Ball Brothers to gain exposure against FIBA clubs and parlayed the valuable experience into signing in Armenia, Mexico, and later the Basketball Africa League with Cameroon in addition to TBL stints with the Albany Patroons and Enid Outlaws. It was the perfect pro sample size for the Potawatomi Fire and head coach Derrick Rowland (whom Deon played for in Albany) to sign the 6-foot-5 guard and add his 3-point shooting and tough defense to their remarkable 2022 roster. The result: the 25-year old is second on the Fire in scoring (17.1 points per game) behind “Mr. Triple Double” Deshawn Munson, leads the team in free-throw shooting (86.2%), and ranks among the best in the TBL in three point shooting (75 3-pointers made).
Not bad for a kid from Nebraska who wasn't supposed to have made it this far.
In fact, Deon Lyle is destined to go even further.
Congrats on the first game of the second round and the win over Shreveport. You put together a pretty big game overall with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Do you feel the need to turn your game up now that the playoffs are in full swing or what do you credit to that Game 1 performance?
Yeah my focus is on a higher level now that it is playoffs. We have enough on this team to make a real good run at winning this whole thing. I want to finish the job. That’s the whole reason I came here: to finish the job.
How has this season and experience been different for you compared to your previous stints in TBL with Albany and Enid? How have you grown as a player/person since suiting up for the Patroons and Outlaws?
This season with the Potawatomi Fire has been different because I’ve been here for a full season. The community support has been the best I’ve ever seen in the TBL. When I was with the Patroons playing for Coach Rowland previously, COVID-19 stopped the season half way through. I feel like I’ve grown as a player in enormous ways. I’ve really focused on becoming a two way player and being able to lock down the other team's best player as well as score efficiently each game. As a person I’ve gone through a lot as well to grow. I have a son on the way now and has really made me more mature and patient in life and it transfers to aspects of my game.
Wow, congratulations on expecting a baby boy! That’s fantastic news! You’ve consistently been one of the better 3-point shooters in the league and rank 4th in 3-pointers made. Can you share about your approach to 3-point shooting and excelling in that part of your game?
Every time I touch the court my shooting approach is to put on an amazing display of shooting. I take it very seriously. I want to always showcase my ability to make shots. I have a shooting routine that I do before every game that gets me locked in with my form and base. It’s all in the details when it comes to shooting. I want to be able to reach my goals and play in the NBA. I think my ability to make catch and shoot 3’s and off the dribble will be my golden ticket along with my defensive play and ability to rebound.
Growing up back in Nebraska, did you ever think you’d have the opportunity to play professionally and internationally like you have? Why is your story one of hope for small town kids with big time aspirations?
Growing up in Nebraska I never thought I would actually be able to pursue my dream and play professionally overseas and in the States. I didn’t have any powerhouse AAUs to get exposure like most athletes do at a young age. I didn’t have any mentors or someone who has gone down that path before to ask for guidance. I only played one year of high school varsity basketball. But I never stopped believing and working hard at what I saw my vision to be. I think if my story tells anything it says to never stop working no matter what your circumstances are. No matter where you grow up or even if people don’t believe in you because it simply has never been done before. Just keep pushing. I beat the odds and I’m still beating odds. I think I am a living example of humble small town kids with huge aspirations because I understand all the pain and joy that comes with living out your dreams and breaking through wall after wall after wall.
That can’t have been an easy road to take, but it sounds like the YMCA back in Hastings provided you a safe space to blaze your own trail to becoming a pro. If you could go back and offer “Young Deon” some advice now, what would it be?
Yeah the local YMCA was definitely a safe space where I developed a lot of my game and really social habits. If I could offer any advice to my younger self I would tell him he’s not alone. Don’t be afraid of just being Deon because he’s more than enough. You don’t have to live to impress anyone or be something you're not. Stay away from negative influences and negative energy because it is contagious.
LaVar Ball can be viewed as a polarizing figure in basketball but also has a keen eye for sports business and promoting a brand. What did you learn the most from him and your time in the JBA?
I learned a lot from him. He’s really a great businessman and father. Just an overall solid guy that’s very passionate in his vision. I learned how to brand myself at a high level. He gave me my first look and experience at being a pro with the JBA and the JBA USA world tour. I played against Melo and Gelo along with being teammates for the USA team. I got to travel to 16 different countries in 2 months playing all over the world. I also learned how cutthroat this business is and how to carry myself properly in this basketball business space. I owe a lot to the Ball family.
One of the reasons why I started the website and am chronicling this TBL season is to be able to give GM’s, coaches, and scouts at any level a better understanding of who a player is and their respective stories. If you’re to sit down with NBA, G-League or overseas pro teams and front offices, what would you like them to really know about Deon Lyle?
I want them to know that Deon Lyle is a very hard worker. He has a great attitude and strong character. He’s always had to beat the odds and has a very optimistic output on life. He’s a winner no matter what hand he is dealt. He has the ability to withstand all types of controversy which he had to in his life to get this far. He has big aspirations to make a huge amount of impact on the basketball world as well as the real change in the world. He just needs the right opportunity to seize. His resume speaks for himself; he just needs everything to align at the right time.
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Wendell Maxey has covered and written about professional basketball and sports for 19 years including eight years reporting on the NBA in New York and Portland where his work appeared on ESPN.com, NBA.com, USA Today, FOX Sports, YAHOO Sports!, SLAM Magazine, and The Oregonian among other publications and outlets. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn or read through his archive on Linktree.