MARIETTA, Ga. - The leading returning scorer on Northeast Mississippi Community College's men's basketball team is travelling east to show off his skills at a well renowned preseason event.
DeAnthony Tipler has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2019 JucoReport Top 100 showcase on Saturday, July 13 in suburban Atlanta at Carlton J. Kell (Ga.) High School.
"This is an event where (Tipler) can kind of just continue to let his stock rise," said Tigers head coach Cord Wright. "He's got schools that are now following him and are interested in his next move. All he can do is go over there and make himself better."
Tipler made a quick transition to the collegiate level after a standout prep career at Ashland High School, which included a pair of Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 1A state championships.
The 5-10, 165-pound guard finished second for Northeast during his freshman campaign behind only sophomore Denzel McDuffey with an even 13 points per contest.
Tipler reached double figures in 15 out of 26 total games for the Tigers last season, including seven in a row to begin the year. He also recorded five 20-plus point performances as well.
He was selected as the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Player of the Week after dropping a career-high 40 points during Northeast's win over Lawson State (Ala.) Community College just before the Christmas break.
Tipler played in all but two minutes during his sensational outing against the visiting Cougars and made 13 field goals plus 11 out of 14 free throw tries. He also added a personal best six steals and four assists in that matchup.
He pieced together another stellar effort in the Tigers' thrilling overtime victory over Northwest Mississippi Community College with 21 points and a career-high seven rebounds.
Tipler topped Northeast with 10.9 shots per game and was successful on 38.4 percent of his attempts. He accounted for a team-best 2.1 made three-pointers each contest as well.
He added a team-high 1.7 steals and finished second for the Tigers with 3.6 assists. The final averages from Tipler's initial campaign on the Booneville campus also include 25.1 minutes, 2.2 rebounds and a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tipler's trip to the Peach State ends a busy summer for Northeast's tradition-rich hoops program. The Tigers recently played in the inaugural Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Summer Showcase with games versus Snead State (Ala.) Community College, South Georgia Technical College and Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College.
The JucoReport Top 100 has developed an outstanding reputation across the nation as one of the most elite invitation only events for rising freshmen and sophomores at two-year colleges.
Hundreds of coaches from NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA institutions are anticipated to attend this competition, which begins at approximately 9:15 a.m. (CT) and continues into the afternoon.