I never knew of any kid not getting tired in four quarters of basketball. When I think of Khyler Beach, I think of a young man that runs like a thoroughbred. The athleticism and positive work ethic is an understatement.
Khyler stands at 6' 2" and wears number 15. He says he's always liked number 4, but last year's Noah Tavera had that number already, so he just stuck with 15. Khyler is McKay's leading scorer thus far, averaging 20.6 points the first five games of the season. His game highs were 28 against West Salem and 28 against Lakeridge.
Khyler grew up in the beautiful northwest and in the Capital City, Salem, Oregon. His parents are Duwane and Tiffany Beach. He has two brothers, Kameren and Treyson, and his sister, Kiahnna. He also has two stepsisters, Katie and Kyra, and a stepbrother, Mikey.
He attended Yoshikai Elementary School and Stephens Middle School. Khyler grew up in a middle-income neighborhood. He lived next door to Ryan Bangs who is one of his current teammates. They eventually joined Andre Tovar, Israel Garza, and Drioji Joel, who all currently have played together since 6th grade.
Khyler was inspired to start playing basketball watching his dad who always had sports on, whether TV or an outing at any game. He also watched his older brother, Kameren, who played basketball.
"My dad watched a lot of sports, it seemed like he always had some game on. My brother Kameren played basketball before I did, I wanted to be like him, so I picked up the basketball and never looked back," Khyler said.
There was one piece of the puzzle that gave Khyler the motivation to succeed beyond measure. The five seniors this year at McKay had a player that was a big part of their lives back in the sixth-grade, Isaac Wayne Arzate. Khyler met Isaac at recess one day and became best friends with him. They started playing basketball together and eventually ended up on the same Skyball-League team.
"Isaac became a close friend. I was always at his house. I'd say I was at his house more than my own house. We had so much fun together. And then it got to where he was inviting me to stay for dinner regularly," Khyler said.
Khyler was about to face something that was life-changing and emotionally heart-pulling. It was during a middle-school-basketball practice that Isaac collapsed with a heart attack. The paramedics were called and within ten minutes they were performing CPR on Isaac. They miraculously revived him.
"I was shocked. I had never seen anything like that before. I was scared and worried for Isaac. I saw the paramedics perform CPR on him. I felt so helpless watching my friend in that situation," Khyler said.
Isaac was a strong kid that bounced back and willed himself to continue after he recovered. During baseball season his life came to an end -- it was sad for the group of boys that were close friends with him.
Khyler struggled emotionally and had his friend on his mind every day. Sports was medicine for Khyler, it gave him a way to escape his thoughts while physically exerting himself on the basketball court. That year his Skyball team managed to make it to the championship game, but failed to win it. During his 7th-grade and 8th-grade years his team won both Skyball championship games. They proudly accepted those wins with Isaac in mind.
Khyler had one other incident that slowed him down a bit. During his 8th-grade tryouts, he collided with another player. The player's knee smacked into Khyler's femur, the bone that runs from the hip to the knee. The bone was broken and Khyler was out for several weeks. With his competitiveness and playing to win for his friend, Isaac, it was more painful for him to not play basketball.
"I think what got me through all of the hardships were my parents, my friends, and my teammates. They gave me so much support. Sports played a big role for me and when I wasn't injured it was a great way to escape, but when I was injured, I relied on my friends and family to help get me through tough times," Khyler said.
Khyler eventually healed and was about to embark into McKay High School, a diverse school with over 2,000 kids enrolled in NE Salem. Khyler didn't know what to expect. Sometimes a kid can have a lot of athleticism, but in basketball, if you don't have the necessary skills to play, you won't cut it.
Head Coach Dean Sanderson took one look at Khyler while trying out as a freshman. His intentions were not to cut Khyler because he had watched him play before. But with his poor work ethics, it would have been an option had he not seen him play before. After his freshman year during the summer league, Khyler started working hard to improve himself. When Coach Sanderson saw Khyler play during the summer he was convinced that this kid could possibly play on the varsity team.
During his sophomore year he played on the varsity team. Khyler did not want to play on the varsity team, he didn't feel he was ready, but did what was asked of him. He went to Coach Noza and asked if he would work with him on some skill sets.
Khyler immediately started showing up to all of the open-gym workouts during the off-season with Coach Noza. Khyler had terrible shooting form and other skill-set issues that simply would not cut it at the higher levels of high-school ball.
"Coach Noza worked with me several summers. After my sophomore year, Noza perfected my three-point-shooting form. I worked as hard as I could whenever the gym was open, whether ball-handling, footing, or shooting," Khyler said.
Khyler Beach hits a big shot! Photo by Kent Brewer.
Khyler's shooting improved drastically and during his junior year he became one of the top shooters along with Josiah Castillo. He had a remarkable junior year helping the Royal Scots, they missed the playoffs by only one game. He was named to the All-League Second Team in the GVC (Greater Valley Conference). He and his four teammates, Andre, Drioji, Ryan, and Israel all gained valuable experience playing together on the varsity team.
"Khyler started getting serious about improving after his sophomore season. He takes advantage of every opportunity he can to get in that gym. And it has been paying off for him this season," Coach Matt Espinoza said.
This year Khyler has led his team in scoring and with the help from the other four teammates, he doesn't have that pressure of needing to be the only scorer. Israel hit 32 points against Forest Grove, and Andre hit 29 points against North Salem. Ryan who plays forward knocked down several threes against Forest Grove and West Salem. And then McKay's point guard, Drioji, well, watch out for him. The Royal Scots have started their season with a record of 5 - 1.
In the 2017-18 season, Khyler has already earned the Statesman Journal All-Mid Valley Boys Basketball Award, and Athlete of the Week Award.
"Khyler has always had talent. He has grown tremendously because of his maturity and willingness to work hard at developing his skill work. He had a huge game against West Salem, which is a top team in the state. Then he really struggled to shoot the ball against Forest Grove, however, he had 9 deflections and 8 rebounds to offset his poor-shooting night. That's the sign of a really good player, which Khyler has become," Head Coach Dean Sanderson said.
Khyler flashes by a Willamette defender. Photo by Kent Brewer.
Off the court, Khyler enjoys helping out at Salem Hoops Project, a non-profit program that helps kids with basketball skill-sets. He's also quick to help out a teammate during a game or during practices. Khyler volunteers as a counselor for the Yoshikai outdoor-school program.
Khyler is a kid that has incredible work ethic. This year he was one of the best receivers in the GVC for his football team. In basketball he works hard during the off-season and during the season. You can find Khyler shooting forty-foot shots during practice water breaks.
"This year has been bittersweet, I think about Isaac a lot, like every game we step on that court. I want him to be there. I miss him as some of our teammates do as well. We used to talk about the future when we were in grade school. We'd talk about when we would be playing high-school basketball ... it's tough to know that he's not on the basketball court with us," Khyler said.
RIP Isaac Wayne Arzate.
Khyler's academics, well, he maintains a 3.5 GPA and is looking to improve it to 3.8. He takes a few AP classes and finds time to study during school. He never likes to take homework home.
So far, Dixie State has expressed interest in Khyler. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more colleges expressing interest before the season is over.
I caught up with his mom, Tiffany Beach. She does not miss any of his games, even if she has to drive four or five hours or stay in a hotel. We appreciate parents like Tiffany.
Tiffany, Khyler, and Duwane after the Forest Grove win. Photo by David Espinoza.
"Great kid from start to finish. His grade-school teacher, Mrs. Campos, said, 'Whatever you're doing with Khyler needs to be bottled and sold.' I feel very proud to be his mom. Originally he started out getting into football. But, while becoming friends with Isaac and playing basketball with him, Khyler became a basketball player and fell in love with the sport. As a parent, I have to say that I'm very proud of him and the young man that he's become. I don't like to miss any of his games -- they are my priority," Tiffany said.
I want to wish Khyler and his team the best this year. The Royal Scots play a fast-pace game and are fun to watch. I encourage you to come out to their games.
Khyler, what are your short-term goals?
Make it to the playoffs and improve my GPA.
What are your long-term goals?
I want to play basketball at the next level. I want to major in Business.
What are your hobbies?
I like sports, video games, and Sci-Fi movies.
Who is your favorite NBA team?
Blazers!
What advice do you have for young kids that want to accomplish what you did?
Don't let other people tell you what you can't do. If you believe you can do it then work hard to do it. But it's important that you work hard at it. You can't expect it to come to you ... go after it.