This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tyrell Corbin's no longer the skinny freshman point guard who started the final 10 games of the 2007-2008 season.
He's far removed from the sophomore who took over the Class 4A state title game, beating Provo with a variety of jumpers and smooth drives to the basket.
His junior season is behind him, where he took time adjusting to being the veteran leader for the first time in his career at West High.
Corbin is a senior now. A veteran and a leader. The Panthers will go as far as his slick ball-handling will take them. He's a rare combination now, a player with a lot of experience and the talent to match.
"It's been a really quick, a really fast process," Corbin said. "My freshman year feels like yesterday. I'm more motivated this year to succeed. I want more success this year. I'm expecting a lot of things of myself and my team this season."
It's hard to say West struggled last season, since the Panthers lost just four times. But the year was trying. As defending state champions, West jumped from Class 4A to 5A. Individually, Corbin struggled to adjust to his role. He was used to playing with people like Chris Barnes and Daniel Wray. Those two, so important to the title run, were no longer there.
They were replaced by less experienced teammates who hadn't played in many big games. As such, Corbin struggled with leadership, his scoring, when to take over and when to involve everyone else.
It's a common struggle for young point guards, and Corbin was no different last season.
"It was still a frustrating year, and a lot of what we learned we learned while we were winning," Corbin said. "But there's no doubt that my role did change. I was forced to grow up a lot faster. I was never vocal before and I had to be vocal. There was a lot of change going into last year."
Coming into this season, Corbin's reputation is solid as one of the best players in a state loaded with basketball talent. Coaches know how difficult it is to guard him off the dribble, how hard it is to contain him when he chooses to go to the basket. They know if they sag off, he'll pop a jumper from three-point range.
Most of all, they know he's a winner.
"The most impressive thing for me is that he's won a state title," Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis said. "He has the ability to get to the rim and he's really quick and he can really shoot. Kids like that don't come around very often. To have a guy who's been a huge part of a state title is huge."
Corbin, the son of Utah Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin, holds a scholarship offer from the University of Utah and is garnering heavy interest from Brigham Young University. He's also hearing from several big conference schools, most notably Penn State.
He says that he'll make a decision on where he wants to go to school in the spring, and admits to being heavily interested in Stanford University.
"I think we have the tools to be a very good team this season," Corbin said. "We have a lot of talent and the chemistry around us is very good."
Twitter: @tonyaggieville —
Tyrell Corbin file
• Senior point guard for West.
• Averaged 19 points, four rebounds and three assists and three steals per game as a junior, including a 32-point effort against Clearfield. Scored 29 points twice.
• Averaged 12 points per game as a sophomore, scored a season-high 22 points against Woods Cross.
• Averaged six points per game as a freshman. Scored in double figures in six of his last eight games.
• Son of Jazz assistant coach Tyrone Corbin.