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South Dakota State University Athletics
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Crossing State Lines
2/1/2018 8:36:00 AM | Women's Basketball
by Chynna Stevens, Sports Information intern
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A trailblazer is someone who blazes a trail to guide others. South Dakota State is Tylee Irwin may be just that. The freshman from Wahpeton, N.D., is the first women's basketball player from North Dakota to join forces with the Jackrabbits in the continual battle of women's basketball between the Dakotas.
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Irwin grew up watching North Dakota due to family. Legendary North Dakota coach Gene Roebuck is Irwin's uncle. Roebuck's coaching career consisted of a 628-145 overall record and three consecutive Division II national championships in the late 90s. High hopes of becoming a Fighting Sioux, now the Fighting Hawks, seemed almost inevitable for Irwin. She had no real knowledge of South Dakota State and its women's basketball program growing up until receiving a recruiting letter in the mail as a freshman in high school.
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"Uncle Gene had nothing but good things to say about AJ and the respect he had for him as a coach. Obviously, he teased me a little for not picking UND, but he said, 'Anything was better than being a Bison!'"
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The college decision came quicker than Irwin thought, verbally committing to SDSU the summer before her junior year. Irwin went on to make herself the best player in the state of North Dakota. In Irwin's senior year, she averaged 25.1 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and one block per game. She finished her career second all-time in North Dakota Class A scoring and holds Wahpeton High School's scoring record with 2,192 points. She also collected a multitude of awards, including North Dakota Miss Basketball and North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year.
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After visiting the campus and deciding to become a Jackrabbit, the worst part of commiting came for Irwin.
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"I was really nervous having to tell UND my decision. But overall, they said they were happy for me. I still have a lot of respect for UND's coaching staff, especially coach Brewster," Irwin said.
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"I was shocked at how great of an atmosphere Frost Arena had. It was so fun to see the crowd get so into the games and I wanted to be a part of that."
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With her mind was made up, it was time to say goodbye to North Dakota, she was now going to enter enemy territory.
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"My family was very supportive of my decision and I knew I was making the right choice," said Irwin.
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Irwin's Craig was the only one who really questioned the decision.
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"I think he really wanted me to go to UND just because my uncle Gene was his side of the family and he always figured that's where I'd end up," she said.
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Through the recruiting process, Irwin's dad became more familiar with SDSU and Irwin said, "he became a lot more excited about the decision."
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Making a splash as a freshman isn't always the easiest and making history is even harder.
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"It's pretty cool to think about being the first to do something at SDSU, but at the same time I take pride in being a Jackrabbit while also being able to represent my home state," Irwin said.
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The North Dakota native has made herself a vital player for the Jackrabbits. The 6-foot guard averaged six points and two rebounds, while shooting 37 percent from behind the 3-point line in 15 minutes of action.
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Irwin has had two chances to prove herself against her home-state teams. Against North Dakota Nov. 15, Irwin shot 50 percent from the field, sank a 3-pointer and scored nine points and dished two assists in 16 minutes of play in the 66-52 win over the Fighting Hawks. The North Dakota State game Jan. 6 in Frost Arena, Irwin went five of eight from the field, including three of six from three, in 19 minutes of play, while recording 13 points and four rebounds in the 83-63 win. The North Dakota product has one more opportunity this season to light it up in her home state as the Jackrabbits play North Dakota State Thursday at 7 p.m. Â
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"I'm expecting there to be a lot of friends and family there. I'm super excited for it, because whenever I would visit home, people would tell me how they watched games on TV and couldn't wait for when I played in Fargo. It should be really fun," Irwin said.
Â
So far, the decision to cross state lines has worked well for Irwin.
Â
"I knew I wanted to go somewhere that was different, but I also wanted to stay close to home. SDSUÂ was the perfect choice," she said.
Â
The mini sharp shooter, the term her teammates used to compare her to junior sharp-shooter Madison Guebert, has a good start to paving her legacy at South Dakota State.
Â
For more information on the South Dakota State women's basketball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksWBB) or like South Dakota State women's basketball on Facebook.
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A trailblazer is someone who blazes a trail to guide others. South Dakota State is Tylee Irwin may be just that. The freshman from Wahpeton, N.D., is the first women's basketball player from North Dakota to join forces with the Jackrabbits in the continual battle of women's basketball between the Dakotas.
Â
Irwin grew up watching North Dakota due to family. Legendary North Dakota coach Gene Roebuck is Irwin's uncle. Roebuck's coaching career consisted of a 628-145 overall record and three consecutive Division II national championships in the late 90s. High hopes of becoming a Fighting Sioux, now the Fighting Hawks, seemed almost inevitable for Irwin. She had no real knowledge of South Dakota State and its women's basketball program growing up until receiving a recruiting letter in the mail as a freshman in high school.
Â
"Uncle Gene had nothing but good things to say about AJ and the respect he had for him as a coach. Obviously, he teased me a little for not picking UND, but he said, 'Anything was better than being a Bison!'"
Â
The college decision came quicker than Irwin thought, verbally committing to SDSU the summer before her junior year. Irwin went on to make herself the best player in the state of North Dakota. In Irwin's senior year, she averaged 25.1 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and one block per game. She finished her career second all-time in North Dakota Class A scoring and holds Wahpeton High School's scoring record with 2,192 points. She also collected a multitude of awards, including North Dakota Miss Basketball and North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year.
Â
After visiting the campus and deciding to become a Jackrabbit, the worst part of commiting came for Irwin.
Â
"I was really nervous having to tell UND my decision. But overall, they said they were happy for me. I still have a lot of respect for UND's coaching staff, especially coach Brewster," Irwin said.
Â
"I was shocked at how great of an atmosphere Frost Arena had. It was so fun to see the crowd get so into the games and I wanted to be a part of that."
Â
With her mind was made up, it was time to say goodbye to North Dakota, she was now going to enter enemy territory.
Â
"My family was very supportive of my decision and I knew I was making the right choice," said Irwin.
Â
Irwin's Craig was the only one who really questioned the decision.
Â
"I think he really wanted me to go to UND just because my uncle Gene was his side of the family and he always figured that's where I'd end up," she said.
Â
Through the recruiting process, Irwin's dad became more familiar with SDSU and Irwin said, "he became a lot more excited about the decision."
Â
Making a splash as a freshman isn't always the easiest and making history is even harder.
Â
"It's pretty cool to think about being the first to do something at SDSU, but at the same time I take pride in being a Jackrabbit while also being able to represent my home state," Irwin said.
Â
The North Dakota native has made herself a vital player for the Jackrabbits. The 6-foot guard averaged six points and two rebounds, while shooting 37 percent from behind the 3-point line in 15 minutes of action.
Â
Irwin has had two chances to prove herself against her home-state teams. Against North Dakota Nov. 15, Irwin shot 50 percent from the field, sank a 3-pointer and scored nine points and dished two assists in 16 minutes of play in the 66-52 win over the Fighting Hawks. The North Dakota State game Jan. 6 in Frost Arena, Irwin went five of eight from the field, including three of six from three, in 19 minutes of play, while recording 13 points and four rebounds in the 83-63 win. The North Dakota product has one more opportunity this season to light it up in her home state as the Jackrabbits play North Dakota State Thursday at 7 p.m. Â
          Â
"I'm expecting there to be a lot of friends and family there. I'm super excited for it, because whenever I would visit home, people would tell me how they watched games on TV and couldn't wait for when I played in Fargo. It should be really fun," Irwin said.
Â
So far, the decision to cross state lines has worked well for Irwin.
Â
"I knew I wanted to go somewhere that was different, but I also wanted to stay close to home. SDSUÂ was the perfect choice," she said.
Â
The mini sharp shooter, the term her teammates used to compare her to junior sharp-shooter Madison Guebert, has a good start to paving her legacy at South Dakota State.
Â
For more information on the South Dakota State women's basketball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksWBB) or like South Dakota State women's basketball on Facebook.
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-GoJacks.com-
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Players Mentioned
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