Bullets passion drives Ty to get back in NBL26

Tyrell Harrison is the reigning NBL Most Improved Player and has got even better as he looks to reach the potential his coaches see in him, and nothing was going to stop him returning from his concussion to close NBL26.

Harrison has spent his basketball life growing up at the Bullets starting out as a rangy 18-year-old ahead of his rookie 2017/18 season and now being a powerful grown man at 26 with 122 NBL matches under his belt.

He was also desperately unlucky not to earn an NBA contract this season and has brought that confidence into this NBL season at the Bullets where he's upward trajectory has continued.

It was halted for a second straight season with a nasty concussion, but after eight games out since January 1, he returned successfully on Friday night in Perth and can't wait now to play at home one last time this season on Friday against the Sydney Kings.

From the outside looking in with only two games of the season remaining and with the Bullets unable to move from where they were, and it might have looked like Harrison shouldn’t have worried about coming back.

However, that's not taking into account how much he wants to help the team and his teammates, how much the club means to him, and quite simply, how much he wanted to get back to playing as soon as he possibly could.

"With this being my second concussion, I was just really trying to make sure I was 100 per cent ready to get back on the floor," Harrison said.

"I was in two minds about it, I definitely did want to come back and at least play one more game of the season, but I also wanted to make sure I was fully healthy and took my time to make sure of that because it was the second concussion I've had.

"It's probably not ideal that it's only the last two games of the season, but I'm back healthy and that's all that matters to try and finish off the season by being back out there playing."

Similarities in concussions

The timeline for Harrison's concussions the past two seasons have been mighty similar with the one in NBL25 when the Bullets played the New Zealand Breakers on January 8 when it was a stray elbow from 7'6 giant Tacko Fall that put him in a bad way.

This time around it was on New Year's Day at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre against the Perth Wildcats when Harrison accidentally collided with captain Mitch Norton.

That's about it for where the similarities were in the concussions that Harrison suffered with the one last year significantly more serious, which made him especially thankful that this time around it wasn’t anywhere near as severe.

"They actually were very different and my concussion last season was way worse than this time around," Harrison said.

"Last year I had vertigo, nausea and just everything was dialled to 10, and was just like a mess from the get go. But with this one I felt pretty normal the next day and then I went in some environments too early on, and that's when the symptoms really started to kick in.

"I felt like after a week or two, I could get back out on the court and at least start putting up some stationary shots and do some sort of lifting in the weight room, but with the previous concussion I was out for a month and-a-half of doing absolutely nothing."

Unfortunate teammate clash

While the clash that led to his concussion last season was the thunderous elbow from Tacko Fall, this time around back on New Year's Day it was just a horribly unfortunate collision with his captain Mitch Norton.

Both players were chasing down a loose ball and Harrison came off second best, but in hindsight he doesn’t feel too bad about that because it turns out Norton is a mighty hard person to get the better of in a head clash no matter who you are, or how big you are.

"It is what it is and Norto's had a couple of head knocks and stuff since as well, and it's good to know that it's hard to concuss him for anyone, not just for me," he said.

Having to watch on

The toughest part for Harrison especially once he was starting to feel better with the concussion symptoms was not being able to get out there to help his team who desperately needed him.

There was a silver lining in one sense with rookie big man Jacob Holt grabbing his opportunity to show what he could do, but with the losses and injuries mounting for the Bullets, all Harrison wanted to do was get back out there to help his team.

"It's definitely hard and it's probably the hardest thing about playing in a sporting environment when you can't get out there," Harrison said.

"It's hard to be injured and watch the boys go through what they go through, and every time that they play or even have training sessions, I just wish I could be out there with them and compete with them, and try to lift up their spirits a little bit and bring another positive voice around them.

"That just really fuelled me to focus on my rehab and my body, and do all the one percenters to get back on the court as soon as I could to help them."

Reaching potential as a big man

Like a lot of seven-footers, it took Harrison's body time to adjust to being a professional basketball and the rigours of it and it led to a host of injury problems in his early years at the Bullets.

That's why he only managed to play 16 games in his first three NBL seasons but his body has started to hold up better gradually since and as a result, his game has continued to develop.

Harrison might have missed the last nine games of last season with that Tacko Fall-induced concussion, but he had been so good up to that point putting up 14.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks on 65 per cent shooting that he was named the NBL's Most Improved Player.

His growth has continued this season where in his 24 appearances, he has given the Bullets 15.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks with 64 per cent shooting.

As a result, whether his coach has been Justin Schueller, Stu Lash or Darryl McDonald, they have been high on the potential of Harrison's ability to be the best centre in the league.

He also played in Puerto Rico in the off-season and had 18.8 points and 10.2 rebounds with Mayaguez before then heading to the NBA Summer League narrowly missing a full roster spot with the Denver Nuggets.

Harrison is now also a regular New Zealand Tall Blacks representative and take out the two concussions, couldn’t be happier with how his career is tracking.

"I think my journey has been a bumpy ride so far with injuries," Harrison said.

"Early on in my career I faced a lot of injuries but then had a really good stint of staying healthy and starting to show my progression, and what I'm capable of doing on the floor.

"My past two injuries which were the concussions are just like freak accidents really and I can't really control what other people do and how they move, but it's about trying to keep a positive mentality and keeping on working on my body to try and stay healthy as best I can to stay on the floor and help this team and club win and succeed."

Feeling at home with Bullets

Harrison doesn’t know any different than being part of the Bullets in the NBL and from calling Brisbane home so for so many reasons unless that dream NBA opportunity presents itself, he can't see himself wanting to be playing anywhere else.

And the good news for the Bullets is that he's locked in for next season already and he remains as committed as ever to trying to not only continue his own individual growth to what should be his goal of being the best big man in the NBL, but to bring success to the club and the people of Brisbane.

It also gives Harrison the chance to reflect on where he was as a teenager when starting out at the Bullets, and also how far the club has come especially in terms of now have their very own facility that is a one stop shop for everything that's the envy of the rest of the competition.

"All I've known is Brisbane and it might have been a bumpy rollercoaster not only for myself, but also for the Bullets but we have come a long way in so many ways," Harrison said.

"You can just look at the facilities we started with where we were just training out on an NBL1 court and using their weight room and stuff, but then we moved to Nissan Arena and that felt like we went to the next level.

"And now with us having our own facility in the heart of Brisbane itself is just amazing. That side of things actually shows progression in the club and shows professionalism, and shows that athletes can get better and work on their craft with nothing in their way.

"It's pretty special in that sense to see how far we have come, but there are still some things obviously for the team and club to figure out moving forward like trying to figure these injuries out and getting a head coach.

"But one of my main goals is to win a championship for Brisbane and that's not going to change. I'm happy to stay here to try and achieve that goal, and try to win as many chips as I can for Brisbane."

Life as a father

The blessing in disguise, if there is one, of being sidelined with the concussion like Harrison was after New Year's Day was getting to spend more time at home with his young family.

That includes his partner, herself quite the final basketball player too Kalani Purcell, and the couple's two children Nyx and Hendrikus.

Harrison couldn’t be prouder of the family of four they have with the support of their extended family behind them.

"It's amazing being a dad and obviously I hate being injured, but one of the blessings was that I was home and around my family and my kids more," Harrison said.

"So seeing their day to day growth by being around more is always special. Time feels very slow, but at the same time it feels like it's flying by when you see how quickly our kids are growing.

"I talk to my partner all the time about us having two kids with our oldest being three and our youngest just turning one, you wonder where the time has gone.

"There's been a lot of development stages they've gone through and it's crazy, but I wouldn’t change it for the world and I'm super blessed to have the family that I have. Then having all the support we do around us with our families makes it truly amazing."

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