Scott Carson cut Tre Tipton as a freshman from the King boys basketball team. The decision, painful at the time, ended up helping Tipton to become one of the top players in school history.
He is just the seventh King boy to surpass 1,000 points for his career after the Vikings' final regular-season contest against Masters. He finished his career with 1,020 points just nine Carson's career total.
"To be honest, I was mad when I got cut,'' Tipton said. "But instead of being frustrated, I went to the gym every day. I worked on my game when no one was there. I played against guys who were bigger and better than me. And I was getting more physical, stronger. My game got a lot better." Carson agreed. "We joke about it now,'' he said. "I think it provided him serious motivation to get better."
Carson said physical ability wasn't Tipton's problem as a freshman. "He was lacking court awareness. In eighth grade, he just went up and scored. He wasn't big on passing. He was just bigger and better than anybody else at that point. He had some things to learn."
Tipton came back in his sophomore year and made the team. He played point guard and shooting guard. Tipton was the team's top rebounder this year as King finished 13-12. He was named to the All-Fairchester Athletic Association first team for the second straight year.
Tipton said he set the 1,000-point milestone as his goal shortly after making the team. "During my sophomore year I begin to think I might have a chance at it. I put the calculations into my head and tried to figure out how many points I would need each year."
Tipton, who has attended King since fifth grade, played in the Stamford Youth Basketball League as youngster. Some of his teammates from back then currently play for Stamford High and Westhill, which qualified for the state tournament. "I know all those guys,'' Tipton said. "Sometimes I think about what it would be like to be playing with them."
With his high school career over, Tipton is considering his choices for next year. He said he'll probably attend post-graduate school to continue refining his game before heading off to college. "I've just got to keep on working on my game and keep on improving,'' he said.
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