Rapper, basketball player, graduate student. Tytist Dean, M.B.A. ’23 has a wide array of interests and talents. But there’s been one guide throughout his unorthodox journey: Jesus.

Tytist played his last high school game without a college offer. As the clocked ticked to double zero, the crushing reality that this part of his life was likely over began to sink in. He wept with his parents.

As it turned out, his hoop dreams were not finished. A family friend connected Tytist with a Division 1 program where he joined as a preferred walk-on. He finished his undergrad in three years with eligibility remaining, and he was offered a scholarship at Cedarville, where he is pursuing his M.B.A.

In the midst of his basketball odyssey, Tytist, whose dad is a Christian hip-hop artist and his mom a spoken word poet, pursued his own creative interests. He put out his first extended play (EP) rap album in high school. He has performed at youth rallies and was featured during Cedarville’s Moonlight Madness basketball season kickoff in November.

Tytist isn’t sure how everything will work out in his life; he still wants to pursue music and would like to either play basketball professionally or coach. But he does know the One who holds the future, and in that he finds peace.

“Being able to go through the experience that I have been through and not necessarily be worried about what’s to come, that has been how I’ve gotten where I’ve gotten,” Tytist shares during the podcast. “Being able to stay consistent with that and just trust His plan is always going to be the best for me.”

………..

Tytist shared his life’s odyssey with Cedarville PR in a story that appeared on the Cedarville website January 17.