Now in his third season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Tyler Cavanaugh has made a name for himself in the sport. And in doing so, he has followed in the footsteps of his parents, who both played professional basketball.
His father, John Cavanaugh, played basketball at Hamilton College where he averaged 21.5 points and 12.6 rebounds his senior year. John also played briefly played professional basketball and was a major inspiration for Tyler on his path. Tyler also credited his mom, Marie, for inspiring him to play.
"My father was a tremendous college player at Division III Hamilton College, a three-time all-American, and played overseas for a year. And then, he went back home and started working. But my mom was also an athlete and they definitely inspired me," he said. "It was kind of in my blood from the time I was born. So I always had a ball in my hands. But they never pushed me to play. They just supported me and whatever I chose to do and really allowed me to create that passion for the game by myself, which I'm very grateful for."