UCSD guards travel from Texas, New Zealand to fuel Tritons – elcajon newson Elcajon News only

Though classes sat silent during the holiday break at UC San Diego, the driving forces behind a 12-2 basketball start faced a pop quiz in the lobby of LionTree Arena.

The first question posed to Texas guard Tyler McGhie, the Tritons’ leading scorer: What do you know about New Zealand?

“Is that the first time zone?” said McGhie as he peeked at teammate Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones. “I know they have a little beef with Australians. I know they eat Marmite. I’ve tried it before. It’s not that great.

“I know (NBA player) Steven Adams.”

Tait-Jones, a native New Zealander, offered a grade: “He passed for sure, as long as he said we’re better than Australia.”

The script flipped. What does the fellow guard know about Texas?

“I know the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Cowboys,” Tait-Jones said. “I know they ride horses and cows in their cowboy boots.”

Half credit. Horses, yes, though McGhie’s hometown of Denton is part of the massive Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, more city than country.

Riding cows … um no.

“I know,” said Tait-Jones, trying to recover, “they raise good people.”

“There you go,” McGhie said.

The give-and-take extends to the court, where UC San Diego has roared out of the gates. They notched a road win at Utah State, which is now 13-1 following a win at San Diego State. McGhie scored 26 and Tait-Jones added 20 in Logan, Utah.

They are the offensive hammers for the Tritons, who are trying to make the most noise possible in the first season of conference title and NCAA Tournament eligibility as a full-fledged Division I program.

Given the sagging metrics in the bottom half of the Big West Conference, the players probably realize that an at-large NCAA berth is unlikely, no matter how many wins they pile up.

That means an all-or-nothing scenario awaits when the conference’s automatic berth is decided this March in Las Vegas.

It becomes a matter of being as tournament-ready as possible, beginning with Saturday’s game at Cal State Fullerton. Keep winning, but polish the skills that will serve them best when it matters most.

“Division I basketball, every night is going to be tough,” McGhie said. “It doesn’t matter who it is. You can’t take a night off. We have to bring energy and effort every single time we step on the court.”

McGhie averages 18.4 points per game, and his 58 3-pointers ranked No. 1 in the country entering Friday’s games. Tait-Jones averages 17.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game; his 41 assists are one off the team lead.

“I think he’s a do-it-all guy, especially inside the (3-point) arc,” McGhie said of Tait-Jones. “He’s really polished, really crafy under the rim. I feel like he’s an underrated passer. He’s a big guard, so his defense has a lot of versatility.”

McGhie?

“He’s a scorer,” Tait-Jones said. “He can shoot it from deep. He can get to the rim, post up little dudes. He’s just a killer.”

Very different backgrounds. Similar, impactful results.

Tait-Jones grew up playing rugby and surfing in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand tucked between green hills and a shimmering harbor on the southern end of the country’s north island.

Basketball is mostly an afterthought there. His family, though, voraciously follows games that begin 21 hours ahead there. It takes some, um, unique effort.

“They have to illegally stream it, because ESPN+ only works in America,” said Tait-Jones, with a smile. “They have to stream it on sites, I don’t know which ones. My friends figured it out.

“There’s like 30 people at my house watching the game. It gets pretty rowdy. My mom is standing up, screaming at the TV. My dad records it, so I get to watch the videos.”

McGhie grew up in a metro area, but rodeo and country music influences linger nearby.

“He talks kind of different and uses different words,” Tait-Jones said. “Like ‘y’all.’ When we’re shooting free throws, he says, ‘Ride it down. Ride it down.’ “

In one place, broiling summers that McGhie said can reach a scorching 118 degrees. In Wellington, the world’s windiest city in terms of average wind, highs rarely eclipse 70 degrees.

The basketball path? Equally different.

McGhie began playing when he was 4 years old. Tait-Jones did not pick up the game with any seriousness until he was 13 or 14.

They also have divergent answers to how they first met.

“It was at the dorms, wasn’t it?” Tait-Jones said. “I opened up the door and this guy had just woke up from a nap.”

McGhie is less sure, but recalls one early memory.

“I came to the gym, shooting by myself,” he said. “This guy showed up and we started shooting together. I remember I shot pretty good that day.”

“He made like 15 in a row,” Tait-Jones said. “It was crazy.”

No matter the upbringing or rear-view recollections, the most interesting part of their shared story remains ahead.

Mostly. Did we mention McGhie can juggle?

“Is that a Texas thing?” Tait-Jones asked.

Now, back to that cow riding …