Georgia freshman guard Tye Fagan had one word when asked what his role is on this year’s team: lead.
“My job is to lead, whether I’m a freshman or not,” Fagan said.
It might seem odd for a freshman to be so up front about his desire to lead when he is one of the youngest players on the roster. However, leadership isn’t new for the Thomaston, Georgia, native.
Fagan attended Upson-Lee High School, which went 63-0 during his final two years of high school. He averaged 25 points per game his senior season on his way to being named the Class 4A State Player of the Year.
“That provided me leadership experiences to come here, even though I’m a freshman, and still be who I am, which is a leader,” Fagan said.
Fagan said the situation dictates how he approaches trying to lead. Sometimes it takes the form of leading by example, such as when practice is lacking intensity, but he also said he’s not afraid to speak up if he sees a veteran player struggling to get things going.
“My job is to lead, whether I’m a freshman or not."
- Tye Fagan, Georgia men's basketball player
Ever since arriving in Athens, Fagan has tried to capitalize on leadership opportunities. He said he noticed the team struggling offensively in the Bulldogs’ first exhibition game against UAB, so he stepped up and organized the unit.
“Tye Fagan, he’s stepped up in a leadership role,” sophomore forward Nicolas Claxton said. “We’re starting to embrace him, respecting everything he says.”
First-year head coach Tom Crean said his best teams in the past are ones that have had several leaders, not just one. He said leadership comes from how players handle adversity, their willingness to help others when they’re struggling and their consistency.
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University of Georgia guard Tye Fagan (14) passes the ball mid air in an exhibition game between University of West Georgia and the University of Georgia in the Stegman Stadium on Thursday, November 1, 2018. (Photo/Kyle Nadler Instagram: @kylenadler)
“Tye Fagan wants that and those are the kinds of things that he’s got to do because he’s a pure winner,” Crean said. “He’s come in here with a very good pedigree of winning. But he’s also a freshman. For us to over expect really anything out of this team, but especially the freshmen right now when you’re going through change like we’re going through, would not be realistic.”
Fagan is still very new to the college game. He’s only played in the UAB exhibition, and his first official college game isn’t until Nov. 9 against Savannah State.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t take point.
“I anticipate [leading] to be a challenge because I’m young,” Fagan said. “There’s a lot of things I don’t know about the college game yet because I haven’t played an official game yet. But I’m willing to accept the challenge
