Tyler Livingston, the lone senior on the men’s basketball team, gears up for what he hopes will be an impressive final season. (Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics)

Tyler Livingston thought that it was all over for him basketball-wise after high school. As a senior at Alvirne High School, Livingston had no Division I or II offers. He went on visits after getting attention from a few Division III schools, but nothing clicked. He thought that it was all over, but he still wanted to pursue basketball.

Four years later, Livingston has played 1,636 minutes of Division I basketball, and is the only senior on the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team.

“I think all the stars aligned,” said Livingston.

Livingston was born in Lowell, where he lived up until he was six years old. His family then moved to Hudson, New Hampshire to a home with a basketball hoop. Livingston’s father would take Tyler and his siblings to shoot around at the new house before they officially moved in. From then on, Livingston was hooked.

After high school, Livingston came to UMass Lowell to study engineering, and played basketball at the Campus Recreation Center (CRC) every day.

While there he caught the eye of Jahad Thomas, a member of the Division I basketball team, now a redshirt junior in the program. Thomas encouraged Livingston to try out for the team.

After becoming connected to head coach Pat Duquette through a prior chance meeting with the Chancellor of UMass Lowell, the coaching staff watched him play at the CRC and gave Livingston the ultimate test: to play in an open gym with the team.

“It was tougher than any other game I had ever played because it was better competition but… I definitely knew I could play. It was awesome. I felt really good about it,” said Livingston.

Livingston has been wearing the number 24 for UMass Lowell ever since.

“Sometimes I take for granted how lucky I am to be here, because the system fit me perfectly. I don’t think I could have done this at any other school,” said Livingston.

Despite coming so far and making the team as a walk-on, Livingston said that he was not sure if he was going to play in that first game of his freshman season against the No. 7 ranked University of Michigan.

“You see them and you’re like, ‘Okay, this is unreal,’ so you’ve got to take a moment to appreciate how far you’ve come,” said Livingston.

In the basketball team’s first game as a Division I program, they tied with Michigan at halftime. Although the River Hawks went away with a 69-42 loss, Livingston had 10 points and nine rebounds in his first career game.

“It was the best day of my life, probably. It was the coolest thing, because I never thought I’d be in that position,” said Livingston.

Livingston’s first season with the River Hawks was discouraging at times. The season started out 0-11 in nonconference play. Duquette suggested that the players take time off with their families following a crushing 40-point loss at the hands of Columbia University. After that, the River Hawks got rolling and finished with a 10-18 record.

Livingston finished the year with 744 minutes played. He was eighth in the America East conference with 3-point field goals made.

Livingston says that he “wanted to be good at everything” during his first year at UMass Lowell. While he says that it took him a while to recognize his strengths and work on them, his mindset shifted once he did that.

“I tried to be a lot of everything, and sometimes when you’re a lot of everything you’re not that good at anything,” said Livingston.

He points to then-assistant coach Mike Harding for helping him change his philosophy. Livingston said that while Harding was always tough on him, he considered him as a mentor figure. Harding suggested that Livingston focus on becoming the best shooter in the conference. After achieving that, everything else would come.

“So I just tried to channel my mindset into, ‘I may not be the best shooter, but in my mind I’m confident that when I’m open, I’m going to hit a shot.’ When you have that mindset, other teams play you a certain way,” said Livingston.

Livingston credits the coaching staff at UMass Lowell for encouraging him and giving him opportunities to play, as well as fostering a school-first culture that produces good kids and teammates that Livingston says are the highlight of his basketball experience.

“I’ve made the best friends in my life. I have kids I’ll talk to forever and the coaches are unbelievable,” said Livingston.

As the team’s only senior, he feels that he is in a leadership position. He acknowledges that while there will be tough times ahead in the season, it is gratifying to be a part of a program on the upswing.

“We’re just building it… from the ground up. It’s the best thing to be a part of. You can always say ‘we were the first’ and that’s our biggest thing right now. We’re trying to be first to do everything,” said Livingston.

Livingston said that it is not sad for him to embark on his final year as a River Hawk; it carries a sense of finality that is difficult to shake, but he is wholeheartedly grateful for his time at UMass Lowell.

He intends to have fun with his teammates, and hopes to have a great year as an individual player.

“As a team, I’d love to win the most games we ever have. I’d love to finish high in the conference, maybe even win the conference, and just go out on a high note,“ said Livingston.