Cedar Rapids Native To Play in Tonight’s Elite Eight

Tonight, UCLA will take on Michigan in the Elite Eight. The winner will cut down the nets and head to the Final Four. During pre-game player introductions, you'll hear one UCLA player hailing from Cedar Rapids, Iowa! The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that guard Tyger Campbell was born and raised in Cedar Rapids. Now, he has the Bruins a win away from the Final Four!

Tyger Campbell is UCLA's sophomore point guard, and the son of former Cedar Rapids Regis All-Stater Tony Campbell. Tony told the Gazette that early on during his playing days at UCLA, they asked Tyger where he wanted to say that he was from, since he'd live so many different places. Tyger said, "Cedar Rapids." The Gazette says that the Campbells lived in Cedar Rapids until Tyger was in seventh grade. They then moved to Las Vegas, back to Cedar Rapids, then to Nashville, and finally to LaPorte, Indiana where Tyger played his final three years of high school basketball.

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So why the continued attachment to the city of Five Seasons? It's pretty simple. Family. The Gazette reports that both of Tyger's grandmothers live in the state, with one living here in Cedar Rapids. Jennifer Campbell said that family is Tyger's "go-to, his foundation."

I actually remember Tyger's dad Tony. His Cedar Rapids Regis team knocked out my Anamosa Raiders team in a sub-state game in 1992. One game away from state, he broke our hearts. Tonight, his son, will try and break the hearts of Wolverine fans and go from First Four to the Final Four. How can you not rout for that?