“Everywhere I go people are talking about the Virginia game,” he said. “I don’t want to be known as just the guy who beat Virginia.”
And yet that event, when his 16-seed UMBC Retrievers toppled the top-seeded Cavaliers, is the thing that opened a door to the NBA for Lyles, who signed a contract with the Utah Jazz on Thursday.
It’s been a solid summer for Lyles, a 6-foot-2 guard who has averaged 7.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Jazz across four games. He understands that beating Virginia — in which he scored a game-high 28 points — caught the attention of the pro ranks, and now comes the hard part.