"I play to win"

(This story was published in the Port Aransas South Jetty Newspaper on March 28.)

Are good athletes born with talent, or is it developed over long hours of sweat and work? Does one’s ability to throw a ball, shoot a basket, or catch a touchdown come with time or genes? That question may never be answered completely. Athletes themselves will say that practice and hard work make the difference. However, some of them have a little something special from the start.

Port Aransas High School Marlin Tyler Pate poses in his room with medals and trophies he earned playing basketball, baseball and doing high jump as a Marlin. On his right, the four certificates that show his nominations to the All-State team every year. On his left, two jerseys of his favorite players, Kevin Durant and Jimmer Fredette. Staff photo by Jim Dubois

Port Aransas High School Marlin Tyler Pate is one of them. Son of James and Marnie Pate, Tyler, 18, grew up in Port Aransas. With two parents who played basketball when they were younger, Tyler quickly got the bug.

Today, Tyler is a vital part of the Port Aransas Independent School District basketball program. He takes charge and leads the Marlins on the court. After a season that saw the team lose against undefeated Mumford in the regional semifinals, Tyler has switched his focus to baseball and track, two other sports in which he excels.

“I like high jump because it’s just me out there and you have no excuse if you fail,” Tyler said.

Never fail; never give up. That could be Tyler’s motto. It’s a way of life he learned as a kid.

“He grew up in this sports environment,” explained Tyler’s father James Pate. “We played in an adult league, and he was there sitting on the sidelines. During a game, I told him: ‘you see all this--the court and the players? One day, it will all be yours.’ And here we are. It’s fast-forward.”

Tyler quickly proved to his parents that he had the ability to play sports.

“From a very young age, like most athletes, he had great hand-eye coordination,” his mother Marnie told us. “We fostered that, of course. We bought small hoops and clothes for him to play.”

James and Marnie were both stars on their own teams when they used to play. However, they agreed that they were not even close to their son’s playing skills.

“I was nothing like him,” Marnie explained. “We were good, but we weren’t just as good as he is.”

Still, James explained that, at the time, his parents were not as supportive as he and Marnie are with Tyler.

“He has dragged us all over the state of Texas, but we fueled it,” he said. “We try to do the best we can.”

Tyler agreed that his parents have played a major role in his success.

“They have played many roles,” he said. They are my coaches, my motivators, but most of all, throughout high school, they have been my supporters. They are behind me one hundred percent.”

Tyler started playing basketball when he was five years old, but it wasn’t until middle school that he really understood he could do great things on the court.

“Probably around seventh to eighth grade,” he said. “I started playing with other people from the bigger schools in Corpus, and I was still one of the best. So, I knew that if I worked hard, I could have a shot in it.”

Tyler was 5’7” in seventh grade and 5’10” by eighth grade. Today, he is a muscular kid and is now 6’3”. In his last season, he dominated the court; his hard work earned him a place on the all-state team for the fourth year in a row.

However, Tyler knows he could not achieve such a feat without his teammates.

“My teammates have been more than great this year,” he explained. “There was never any off-the-court drama that affected our play. They always worked hard when they were asked to. This group of guys worked a lot harder. It was definitely an upper class team and we played great basketball. And most of all, we were a family; it was a tight bond and still is. Even though, this season didn’t end in a championship, we will still remember it for the rest of our lives.”

Tyler goes on by praising his coach in high school, Joe Kocurek.

“Coach K has been one of the most influential people for me, on and off the basketball court,” he told us. “He has really opened my eyes to what I can do and pushes me to be great every day. I’m going to miss him for sure next year.”

Asked about this final game and the defeat against Mumford, Tyler said it was tough to swallow.

“It hurt but they were definitely the better team,” he explained. “They were undefeated and before the game, their coach, Chris Sodek, talked to Caleb (Rogers) and I. He told us that if one team had to beat them, he wanted it to be us.”

Yet, the Marlins lost 73-53 despite Tyler’s 20 points. It was a disappointment for the team as well as for the fans. But Tyler quickly forgot about it and moved on.

“When you look back at it, you can see that we had a great season and that they were simply better than us,” he said.

His parents describe Tyler as a competitive young man, a winner who never gives up.

“He wants to win every time, no matter what he does,” Marnie said. “He has to be the best.”

When asked about this thirst for victory, Tyler explained that he sees no reason to play a game if it’s not to win it.

“I guess I always grew up thinking that winning was the standard,” Tyler said. “It does not matter if it’s basketball or track, or even tennis. As soon as I start playing, I play to win.”

Tyler said that, at a young age, he felt like he was already one of the best and he simply tried to keep it the same.

“I knew when I was younger that I was better than most who I played with, but I always wanted to make it evident,” he said. “I wanted to show off my hard work and my commitment to a sport. It may appear that I show off, but what you see is honestly my style of play. My drive to win is greater than any other, even if it is just a summer pick-up game.”

Tyler realized winning was the only option when he was a little kid and was playing…soccer.

“When he was three or four years old, he was playing soccer,” James explained. “At that age, they were just kicking the ball around without really having a sense of what’s going on. During a game, Tyler kicked the ball and scored a goal. And that was it. We could see in him that he got it. He started focusing, dribbling the ball and scoring more goals.”

However, Marnie and James never pushed Tyler. According to them, it was more the opposite.

“It’s all him,” Marnie said. “He dragged us behind him. He is just driven; he has a plan for his life, and he just follows through with it.”

Tyler lived his childhood dreaming about being a Marlin. He was even a water boy for the team when he was in elementary school.

“He couldn’t wait to be a Marlin,” Marnie said. “He was always very interested in the game. When other kids his age where running around and playing outside, he always sat, either on the bench with the team as a water boy, or right there, in the front row.”

“His blood and sweat are on that court,” James said.

For his parents, watching him become a Port Aransas Marlin was one of the most satisfying things.

“Since James was a Marlin too, it probably makes him really proud to see Tyler play in the same gym,” Marnie said.

“It does,” James explained. “He beat all my records. Easily.”

According to his parents, Tyler needs to play basketball every day.

“If a game was cancelled, he would just say, ‘call someone else, there’s got to be a game’,” James said.

And Tyler does not want to lose a game, not even against his little brother Devin.

“I never let my brother win,” he told us. “If he ever thinks he’s good enough at something, I let him know there is always room for improvement, and nothing in life will ever be handed to you. It’s a bitter world out there, especially in a small town when it comes to sports. You get no recognition; if you want out of this town through sports, you have to live your life that way, like it’s the only way out. Something as simple as not letting my brother win a game of H-O-R-S-E will still teach the essence of what I’m saying.”

Tyler is now a senior and will graduate from high school in May. When most students his age are still trying to figure out what they are going to do after high school, Tyler has everything all planned out. Obviously, being a top basketball player helped a lot.

“A few schools contacted me, and right now, Texas Southern is the most interesting one out of Division-I schools, and Coastal Bend Junior College is interesting out of junior colleges,” he explained. “Then a lot of small schools want me on their team, but I don’t want to sell myself short. I want to go to the best school I can.”

No matter where he goes, what he does, Tyler has only one goal.

“I plan on playing basketball until my body won’t let me play anymore.”