Spring 2022 it’s over.’” About a month later, however, a family friend who knew the head coach of the Liberty men’s basketball team made a call and secured Dean a tryout with the Flames. After Dean’s visit to the Liberty campus and tryout with the basketball team, head coach Ritchie McKay offered Dean a preferred walk-on position, guaranteeing him a spot on the roster. After redshirting his freshman season, Dean played in 26 games as a point guard during his three years in Lynchburg. “The experience was great,” Dean said. “One of my favorite memories was the first time we won our conference tournament and just knowing we were going to March Madness.” The Flames won the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament the next two years, though Dean only got to participate in the NCAA Tournament two of his three years at Liberty due to COVID-19 canceling the 2020 tournament. After graduating in only three years, Dean still had eligibility remaining and decided to enter the transfer portal. “My opportunity to get any significant minutes was looking very slim,” Dean said. “I had a passion to play, so I figured it was the best timing to see if I could play somewhere else.” A couple of Dean’s friends who were connected to Cedarville talked about how the Yellow Jackets might be a good fit for him. Liberty’s head coach also reached out to Yellow Jackets’ head coach Pat Estepp to see if there might be any interest. Estepp called Dean, offering for him to come visit the campus and practice with the team in a tryout. After visiting, Dean was not only sold on the basketball program but also the school’s campus and biblical foundation for academics. “Cedarville and Liberty are pretty similar in nature, just being Christian-based universities,” Dean said. “Ultimately, being able to practice with the guys at Cedarville and bond with them, I could really see myself being able to contribute.” A week after his visit, Estepp offered Dean a full-ride Dean’s Unique Path as Basketball Player and Rapper Leads Him to Cedarville By Josh Decker For Tytist Dean, the journey to Cedarville has been full of surprising turns. An MBA student and a member of the Cedarville men’s basketball team, Dean transferred this year after playing three years for NCAA Division I Liberty University. But basketball is only part of the story for Dean. Off the court, the St. Paul, Minnesota, native also produces Christian rap music. “I’ve been involved with music my whole life,” Dean said. “But when I was 17, I started taking it seriously and writing songs a little more often.” Dean began developing tracks and recording his songs in his family’s home-owned studio, and he released his first extended play (EP) recording titled, “What Can I Say?” in November 2017. Since then, Dean has dropped two full albums, with “I Am Liberty” released in 2018 and “Paid It All” debuting in 2020. Dean described his style of music as “melodic rap.” “Definitely Christian-based,” Dean said. “I always want to glorify God in my music. My whole purpose is to lead people to Christ.” If he could describe his life in one word, it would be “unique.” “There’s been favor that God has given me that no one would have seen coming,” Dean said. “My journey has been very unorthodox and unexpected.” From an early age, Dean was a sports fanatic and had dreams of playing college basketball. He spent countless hours in the gym crafting his basketball skills. “Working towards my goal of playing Division I took a lot of sacrifice,” Dean said. He trained with his dad Monday through Friday and then got up early on Saturday mornings during the summer to work out. Despite his commitment to basketball, Dean was not highly recruited in high school. “I played AAU and got some interest from coaches letting me know about their schools, but no offers came,” Dean said. After playing his last high school game, Dean thought his basketball career was over. “The final buzzer sounded and I just froze,” Dean said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is it — 10
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=