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Tyler Hendricks Feature

The Moment He’s Been Waiting For

After years of patience and perseverance, Tyler Hendricks steps into his moment at Utah Valley.

1/5/2026 1:34:00 PM

Story 11 of 15 Stories. 1 Team.
By Jason Erickson

Tyler Hendricks learned early that basketball would never be something he walked into alone.

Long before college gyms and national television, before draft nights and transfer portals, it started in a Fort Lauderdale backyard. A hoop. An older brother. Two younger twins trying to keep up.

"My first sport was football," Hendricks said. "But my older brother Jamal is the one who really showed us basketball."

Jamal was older. Bigger. Stronger. The one who set the tone. Tyler and his twin brother Taylor followed him everywhere, chasing him around the court and learning the game by playing against someone who never took it easy on them.

By sixth grade, basketball became their thing.

Their first real game came on the AAU circuit with a team called D Lions. Tyler remembers the nerves. He remembers the moment it all clicked.

"It was our first real game, and we were nervous," he said. "But I had like 20 points. Taylor had a double. That was when we realized basketball was really a thing."

From that point on, the game stopped being casual. It became a shared pursuit. Tyler grew into his game by defending bigger players, learning how to maneuver, float shots over length, and compete physically. It shaped his identity on the floor.

Those early battles also shaped something else. A bond that would follow him everywhere.

Taylor, his twin, was always beside him. Jamal was always ahead of him. The three brothers became inseparable, even as their paths started to look different.

That difference became impossible to ignore at the University of Central Florida.

Tyler and Taylor committed to UCF together, drawn by a coaching staff that felt like family and the comfort of staying close to home. While Tyler redshirted his first season, he watched his twin explode onto the national scene.

Taylor went from an unranked prospect to an All-Conference player and one of the fastest risers in college basketball. By the end of the season, his name lived on NBA draft boards.

"From the first game, he just went crazy," Tyler said. "He went from nobody really knowing him to being talked about as a top pick. It was insane."

On draft night, Tyler was not watching from afar. He was sitting right there, at one of the tables reserved for potential lottery picks. When the commissioner called Taylor's name as a first-round NBA Draft lottery pick, selected No. 9 overall, Taylor stood up immediately and hugged Tyler. The hug came first. Then their mom. The cameras caught it all, live on ESPN.

Moments later, the three of them sat together on the couch for a live interview. Tyler was asked about his brother, and the words came easily. He spoke with pride. He spoke with gratitude. He did not talk about himself.

"It was definitely an eye-opening experience," Tyler said. "Knowing that your brother can do it, then it's like, you know you can do it."

For the first time in their lives, the twins were stepping into different roles. But they were still standing side by side.

For Tyler, those years at UCF were filled with patience and adversity. A shoulder injury. A concussion. Each setback came early in the season, when rotations were still forming and trust was still being built.

"When you sit out, rotations change," he said. "It's hard to get back in."

But quitting was never an option.

Those moments away from the floor taught him how much the game meant to him.

"When you get injured and have to sit, you realize how much you took it for granted," Hendricks said. "It made me love the game even more."

The breakthrough finally came on a postseason stage.

At the College Basketball Crown, Hendricks stepped into a bigger role and played with freedom and confidence. Against teams like Villanova, Cincinnati, and Oregon State, he delivered. Big minutes. Double figures. A double-double.

"That was the moment," he said. "That's when I realized I could do this."

It also caught the attention of Utah Valley's staff.

As Hendricks entered the transfer portal, interest came from several directions. But one program pursued him relentlessly. Every coach. Every call. Every check-in.

"They were the only ones really pursuing me," Hendricks said. "It was a no-brainer."

For his mother, Danielle, the decision made sense quickly. She had been with Tyler through every step of the journey, every injury, every decision.

"She means everything to me," he said. "She's been with me through my entire journey."

For Tyler, the move represented something deeper than basketball.

It was a fresh start. A chance to lead. A chance to grow.

"It felt like a full-circle moment," he said. "I could've been anywhere, alone. Instead, I'm here, close to family, in a role where I can really help a team."

Now, the distance between brothers is measured in minutes, not states. Taylor plays just 40 minutes north, close enough for familiar faces in the stands. Taylor and their mom have already made the drive south to watch Tyler play at Utah Valley, a reminder that while the paths look different, the support remains exactly the same.

At Utah Valley, Hendricks immediately became a starter. A trusted defender. A reliable shooter. A quiet leader.

Shooting has always been his calling card. This season, he has been among the national leaders in three-point percentage. But Hendricks insists the skill is as mental as it is mechanical.

"Confidence is 80 percent of it," he said. "Skill is 20. If you don't believe you're going to make the shot, you won't."

There is no hesitation in his game. Catch. Release. Trust.

Overthinking is the enemy.

"If I miss, it's usually because I thought too much," he said. "You just have to let it go."

Defense is where his minutes were earned and his pride shows. Hendricks studies opponents, watches their movements during warmups, and treats every matchup personally.

"It has to hurt when they score," he said. "That's pride."

Off the court, Hendricks is quieter than most expect. Reserved. Observant. He understands why people sometimes misread him.

"I'm not rude," he said. "I'm just quiet."

Once people get to know him, they see something else. Someone thoughtful. Someone grounded. Someone who prays before every game and leans on faith when things get heavy.

"God helped me through a lot," Hendricks said. "I had to go through adversity to learn not to take basketball or life for granted."

Faith even spills into his creative side. While at UCF, Hendricks launched his own clothing brand, Greater Days, a reflection of his belief that no matter the moment, something better is ahead.

When asked how he wants this chapter to be remembered, Hendricks doesn't talk about numbers or recognition.

"I just want to be a great teammate," he said. "Whatever role the coach gives me, I want to do it. I want to help us win."

The goal is clear.

The NCAA Tournament.

Helping Utah Valley get there would mean everything.

"I haven't been there either," he said. "To do it here, my first year, would be amazing."

Tyler Hendricks is no longer watching from the sidelines. No longer waiting for the moment.

This season, the moment has arrived.

And it is his.
 
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