Long Beach City College sophomore standout Tyler Tuliau has signed a national letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic career at Brigham Young University-Hawaii next year.

"I'm really excited for this opportunity," said Tuliau. "This is a blessing and something I never would have imagined would be possible before coming here (to LBCC)."

Tuliau, a 6-5, 200-pound forward originally out of Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas, was a two-year starter for LBCC head coach Barry Barnes.

"I am extremely proud of Tyler and what he has accomplished," said Barnes. "He's an outstanding, hard-working individual and I know he will succeed at the next level."

This past season, Tuliau earned first-team All-South Coast Conference South Division honors for the Vikings as he ranked fifth state in scoring at 21.2 points per game and was the second-leading scorer in conference. Tuliau also led the SCC with 9.0 rebounds per game.

Tuliau said he was also recruited by the University of Hawai'i, Lewis & Clark College (OR), the University of Mary (ND), Western Missouri State University, as well as nearby schools Cal State Dominguez Hills, and Cal State Los Angeles.

BYU-Hawaii, located in Laie on the island of Oahu, is a member of the Pacific West Conference and competes at the NCAA Division II level.

"I leave in August," he said. "My mom and her family are from there. I've always wanted to go to college in Hawaii."

Tuliau says he is also looking forward to the challenge of playing at the next level.

"I just want to work hard and try and earn my spot," he said. "They have a pretty good team and a great program."

Also for the Vikings, fellow all-conference sophomore guard Ashton Edwards is also expected to sign with a four-year college shortly.

Photo by John Fajardo