Photo courtesy of VCU Athletics.
By David Cordova
It is May 4thand We R 1, a powerhouse AAU program from Delaware is playing at the Sportika facility in Manalapan Township, New Jersey in the third and final session of the Under Armour Association. Plenty of talent was on display in the gym, but there was one player in particular that definitely stood out.
The player in question was Nah’shon Hyland, a tall, lanky guard that had plenty of moves that are reminiscent of something that one would see in a streetball game. He made smooth moves and passed the ball swiftly to teammates for assists. Although he has plenty of flash in his game, he is able to adapt to where his teammates are moving on the floor.
The 6-foot-3 point guard may very well be one of the best players to come out of the state of Delaware in recent years. But then again, he does have a story to tell.
When asked what motivates him to be successful on the court, Hyland replied, “Just losing my grandmother and my baby cousin made me motivated. You don’t never take anything for granted, it can be taken away from you quickly, so that’s my motivation, and playing keeps a smile on my face.”
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Hyland takes pride in representing for the small state. As of late, there have been plenty of players representing the state in major ways, as players such as Trevon Duval (Houston Rockets), Donte DiVincenzo (Milwaukee Bucks) and Eric Ayala (University of Maryland).
When asked about being from Delaware, he replied, “Being from the state of Delaware, it’s small, but it’s a lot of killers out there [on the basketball court]. Like everybody, every man for themselves, for real, for real. It’s like, we’re looked at as a small state, and we’re overlooked. People think there’s no talent coming out of there, so I’m starting to prove that wrong.”
With players like Duval and DiVincenzo making it to the NBA and Ayala starring on the Division I level, Hyland was asked that inspired him. He replied, “Oh, yeah, for sure, no doubt. But that’s definitely motivation for me, though, trying to get there, because they paved the way for me, basically.”
On playing for the We R 1 program, Hyland asked, “Playing for We R 1, it’s a family program. You play for them, they teach you the right things, I’ve played with them for four years, and just learned so much from them, it’s like, I wouldn’t want to play for any other program but We R 1, it’s a family.”
However, he has also been some rough times as well. On March 25th, 2018, Hyland was involved in a fire that claimed the life of his grandmother, Fay Hyland, and cousin, Maurice Williams. In order to save his life, he jumped outside the window, which caused him to enter the hospital, due to injuries to his patellar tendon and other ligaments.
When asked about how he’s been in the year since the incident, he replied, “It changed my whole demeanor towards the game, it made me more of a killer, more of a dog, I just don’t take anything for granted. Once I step on the floor, I’ve got to play with a purpose.”
This spring, he averaged 15.1 points and 3.4 assists per game for We R 1 on the Under Armour circuit and was attracting schools such as Maryland, Kansas, Michigan, UConn and many others. This season as a senior, he averaged 26.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals per game at St. George’s Tech High School, whom he led to an 18-7 record.
But just last week on June 4th, he decided to end his recruitment by committing to Virginia Commonwealth University, which plays in the Atlantic-10 Conference.
One good thing to note about Hyland is his nickname, “Bizzy Bones.” When asked about his nickname that he goes by, he replied, “I get busy on the court and bones, cause I’m skinny, I put the two together and they all went together.”
And he is also the originator of a new dance called, “The Tressi Bop,” and has a video on YouTube that has made him a sort of sensation, as it has amassed over 2 million views. When asked about the social media fame, he replied, “Oh, yeah, man, that went viral, man. The whole world knows about that video. It’s a Tressi Bop dance, like the joint where I went viral, it was a game I was playing, and it went viral after that.”
When asked how he feels about being the originator of a new dance craze, he replied, “It feels real good, it’s a dance where you bring a lot of people out and put a lot of smiles on people’s faces, and just everybody love dancing, and it brings out a lot of excitement.”
Next season, Hyland will look to be one of the best guards for VCU in the A-10 and will put forth the effort that everyone in the state of Delaware has already known. His name on the court already preceding him, there is no doubt that he will do whatever it takes to get where he has to go on, and put on his for his state, which is already growing in terms of notoriety. Next season is one for Nah’shon Hyland to get busy, not bizzy, but busy on the court.
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