"It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish.": The Story of Saniah Tyler

In her sophomore year, Saniah Tyler has quickly emerged as one of Kentucky women’s basketball’s more reliable options on offense.

Through 13 games in the 2023-24 season, Tyler has completely upped her game from her freshman campaign. She is averaging 10.1 points per game while shooting 34.2% from beyond the arc. The three-point deadeye is on a roll for the Lady ‘Cats. Tyler has scored in double figures in four of her last six games, including a career-high 22 points against Lipscomb on Dec. 21

However, it hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows for Saniah Tyler. The highs have come with just as many lows.

KSR talked with Kamilah Tyler, Saniah’s mother, to discuss how the sophomore guard got to where she is today. From her early childhood upbringing to her freshman season woes, here is everything you need to know about ST.

This is the story of Saniah Tyler.

Her Early Childhood Upbringing

Saniah Tyler has been fighting adversity all her life. At the age of five, her father passed away, and as a result, she grew up in a single-parent household. However, the tragedy of losing her father allowed her to build an even stronger relationship with her mother, Kamilah, and her extended family. Additionally, Saniah’s grandparents have also always been heavily involved in her life.

Four years later, at the age of nine, is when Saniah started playing basketball. Early on, she gained confidence as a player. No matter what was thrown at her in her life, Saniah knew she could control things on the hardwood.

It was her world, and she could do whatever she wanted to in it. Saniah translated her play on the court into accolades and awards. Basketball was an escape from the hardships of life. It was also something she happened to be pretty good at.

High School and Recruitment

Playing for Incarnate Word Academy in Missouri, Tyler had to fight for minutes as a freshman on her high school team. Incarnate Word is an all-girls private institution in Bel-Nor, Missouri that, year in and year out, has one of the best girl’s high school basketball teams in the nation. Incarnate Word has won seven Missouri state championships since 2015. Again, Incarnate Word is very good. Nothing was ever going to be given.

Eventually, through hard work and determination, Saniah elevated herself into a four-star recruit who was being sought out by some of the most prestigious programs in the history of college basketball. In the end, the Florissant, Missouri native ultimately picked Kentucky over the likes of Arizona State and Tennessee. But why? Why Kentucky?

Well, for starters, Saniah has family ties to the Bluegrass State. Although she was born and raised in Missouri, her family actually originated in Kentucky. Her great-grandparents were born in Cadiz, Kentucky. Cadiz is a small town (with a population of roughly 2,500) in Trigg County. Additionally, Kentucky assistant coach Niya Butts has been building her relationship with Saniah ever since she was in the sixth grade.

You throw in all of those things together, and Saniah’s decision to commit to Kentucky was ultimately a “no-brainer”. She was destined to be a Kentucky Wildcat.

Freshman Season Woes

Up until Saniah’s freshman season at Kentucky, the game of basketball had come pretty easy to her. However, her first year as a Wildcat was not one for the record books. In fact, it was one of the toughest years of her life.

While making an appearance in just nine games as a freshman, Saniah averaged 0.7 points per game while shooting 28.6% from the three and even worse from the field overall (18.2%). She struggled, big time, and her confidence took a hit. Saniah had experienced low points before, specifically during her freshman season in high school at Incarnate Word, but this was a whole new low.

Kamilah was “surprised” by Saniah’s lack of confidence during the 2022-23 season. “She didn’t have any confidence,” Kamilah told KSR. However, instead of letting her head hang low or even transferring out to get a fresh start, Saniah accepted criticism from her coaches and got back to work.

The Comeback

Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy has mentioned a couple of times this season that she had challenged Saniah Tyler to have a big sophomore year. She knew what she brought to the table as a freshman wasn’t who Saniah was as a player. That wasn’t the player that Niya Butts had been watching since she was a young middle schooler.

So, how did Saniah respond? Well, when she’s at a low point, she “turns to her faith, family, and music to uplift her,” according to Kamilah. So, Saniah turned to those things as usual and then started to grind on the basketball court. She implemented more independent workouts in order to perfect her craft. Additionally, during her time at Incarnate Word, Saniah learned to become a student of the game, watching film and studying. She applied that and learned Kentucky’s system to the best of her abilities.

The result? Tyler found her role as Kentucky’s primary perimeter scoring threat, and she is excelling in her role. When Kentucky needs a dagger, Saniah is right there to deliver in the clutch. Outside of seniors Maddie Scherr and Ajae Petty, Saniah is UK’s next leading scorer. When her number is called, she comes in and gives the spark that the ‘Cats need.

Saniah adopted the mentality of “it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish”, and that perfectly exemplifies who she is as a person and as a player. Saniah’s career at Kentucky got off to a rocky start. Uncharacteristically, she had lost complete confidence in herself, but that didn’t stop her from grinding and getting to where she is now, making threes left and right, propelling UK to a two-game winning streak.