Prospect Spotlight: TyKei Ferrell (2018)
Within the Baltimore County portion of the state of Maryland, there are players who are often overlooked, but have the ability to be a nice asset to Division III programs. One of those diamonds in the rough is New Town’s TyKei Ferrell.
The 6’5 rising senior has great athleticism that helps him be an impact player on both ends of the floor. A blocked shot can help swing the momentum of a game by supplying a team with energy to either extend their lead or fight back from a deficit. Ferell takes much pride in not only deflecting a player’s shot, but sending a statement by launching it into the bleachers.
Although the New Town Titans struggled as a team, Ferrell was there every game playing every game like it was his championship.
“We struggled with team chemistry,” Ferrell told PrepHoops. “I took it upon myself as the captain to stay on my teammates and even though it may be a down year, but we still have to push through. We had a lot of young players that didn’t have experience like I had playing on the state championship team when I was in tenth grade.”
Ferrell was referring to his sophomore season when he played a role is helping the Titans win the 2A state title. Last season, he led the team averaging 15 points, nine rebounds and five blocks per game. Even though he put up impressive individual numbers, he knows there is always room for improvement.
“I’m a good mid-range shooter,” Ferrell said. “I’ve been working on extending my range. I’m involved in a lot of pick-and-rolls as the screener, so being able to make three-point shots will make me more difficult to guard.”
Becoming more dynamic with the ball in his hands is something else Ferrell focused on this spring/summer when he played for Team Rebel. These skills are all needed to be an effective stretch forward option at the collegiate level, so the fact that Ferrell is cognizant of that is a plus.
In terms of New Town’s 2017-18 season, their success will be resting on the shoulders of Ferrell. Other powerhouses in the county like Perry Hall, Dulaney, Milford Mill and Woodlawn are the expected top teams, but Ferrell is determined to make the Titans a topic of conversation.
“I’ve been speaking with my teammates about how important it is to play together as a team,” Ferrell said. “I learned during my sophomore season when I was surrounded by great players that there’s a ton that goes into winning. Our goal is to win the county, regional and state championships. Not only by outscoring the other team, but being a great defensive team. I’m making sure they’re staying in the gym getting stronger and improving so that late in games next season, we can finish strong.”
Cabrini and Rochester have reached out to Ferrell as far as recruiting. Ferrell currently has a 3.1 GPA and plans on majoring in engineering in college.
Click here to view TyKei’s Hudl highlight tape from last season.