If you ask Tyrone Shephard, he’ll tell you this was never where he was supposed to end up.
But if you ask him about Wednesday night, he’ll tell you he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
“I never thought I’d be in Kansas,” Shephard said, “and never thought I’d see somebody I knew here.”
The senior, who returns as the leading scorer for Fort Hays State, played high school basketball at Ranier Beach in Washington.
His hometown seemed far away until Wednesday. That’s when he was reunited with high school teammates C.J. Giles and Rodrick Stewart in the most unlikely of places: Kansas.
“We’ve been talking about that all day,” Shephard said. “When I got here, I told Rod I was here. He said he didn’t expect me back playing here.
“It’s strange we’re in the same city, but it’s not Seattle. It’s crazy to see somebody else from your hometown and close friends in the same game together.”
Shephard and the two Jayhawks played together in Seattle – and won together. When Shephard was a senior in 2002, the three helped Ranier Beach to a state championship. The team lost only one game that year, falling to a Texas team led by current Michigan standout Daniel Horton.
The following season, Giles and Stewart went on to win a second consecutive state title.
Shephard, who averaged 13.9 points per game last season, said much had changed since the trio’s high school days.
“When C.J. first came to us his sophomore year, he was 6-8, about 170 pounds,” Shephard said.
Which made Wednesday’s reunion that much more shocking, as Giles has beefed up to 235 pounds with work in the weight room.
“He’s looking a lot better,” Shephard said. “He’s better every time I see him.”
Despite Giles’ skinny frame as a 16-year-old, Shephard said he still was a hassle to play against in practice with his tremendous shot-blocking ability.
Even Wednesday, Shephard remembered the best way to get his shots off without them being thrown back at him.
“I know to try to get to C.J.’s body,” Shephard said, “before he gets to the ball.”
Shephard said fans would like the addition of Stewart in December, saying he remembered him as a high-flyer who could score and give all-out effort.
“He plays full-speed all game,” Shephard said, “and he doesn’t get tired.”
Shephard took a roundabout path to Fort Hays State. He originally played at the College of Eastern Utah, earning all-conference honors his sophomore year.
After his junior-college eligibility was up, he learned about the Kansas college from a CEU assistant coach, whose brother was an assistant at FHSU.
Tiger coach Mark Johnson said he was pleased with Shephard’s 14-point effort.
“I thought he was one of the guys out there that had the confidence and felt like he belonged with the people on the court,” Johnson said. “This was a real thrill for him. He was excited about getting to go out there and play against those guys.”
