It was a play she’d executed countless times before. Junior guard Tyra Buss saw an opponent’s shot go up, bolted ahead of the rest of her teammates to start a fast break and caught an outlet pass from sophomore guard Tia Elbert.
As Buss caught the ball in the open floor and continued her beeline toward the basket, the play looked like a run-of-the-mill fast-break layup to the untrained eye. Buss finished the layup uncontested and even added some flair by using her left hand. She now had 1,000 career points.
The Mt. Carmel, Illinois, native became the fastest player in IU history to reach the milestone during IU’s 94-61 win against Vanderbilt on Sunday. After the game, Buss said she was honored to etch her name into the record books but downplayed the individual achievement as she always does.
“I was told I was three points away before the game started, so obviously I knew when I hit that layup that I had passed 1,000 points,” Buss said. “It’s just a great honor to be the fastest as a junior, but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my teammates.”
Buss entered Friday with a slew of IU records already under her belt. She had most notably set the record for most points in her first two seasons with 982. Her 622 points last season as a sophomore were good for the third-best single season mark in program history.
After the game, IU Coach Teri Moren said the bench hadn’t really realized Buss had hit 1,000, even though Buss knew. The nonchalant manner in which Buss calmly put her head down and ran back on defense after the layup went in is a sign of how she responds to personal accomplishments, her coach said.
“Here’s what I would tell you about Tyra,” Moren said. “The thousand points is great, but she wants to win a championship. She’s always going to give credit to those players she plays with every day, and that’s her teammates.”
Buss didn’t wind up having her best game or even one of her best, as she finished 3-of-9 shooting and scored 11 points. She did have four steals and five assists, but most importantly she got a win for her team.
With nearly two full seasons of basketball remaining in Bloomington for Buss, there are many more accolades and records to be had. With just 400 more points this season, she would be in the top 10 on IU’s all-time career points list. With about 800 more points in her career, she can become the school’s all-time leader.
Buss won’t be getting complacent any time soon, but her drive to get better isn’t motivated by chasing points records or any records at all. She works hard to help the team win, her coach said.
“She’s willing to kind of look at herself every day and see her shortcomings and work on those,” Moren said. “That’s the thing I love about her. It’s been a tremendous blessing to coach a kid like that.”
