‘A dream come true.’ Khalif Battle’s brother overcomes travel headaches to watch Gonzaga guard put up 24 points in NCAA tourney debut

WICHITA, Kan. – The first sign of trouble came Wednesday night when a flight cancellation alert appeared on Tyus Battle’s phone.

The former Syracuse star and older brother of Gonzaga guard Khalif Battle was scheduled to fly out of New Jersey at 6 a.m. on Thursday, with a connection in Chicago and arrival in Wichita at noon – approximately 3½ hours before tipoff between the Zags and Georgia in an NCAA Tournament opener at Wintrust Bank Arena.

Tyus pivoted, booking a separate flight that routed him through Dallas and put him on standby for a connecting trip to Wichita. After arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport at 4:30 a.m., Tyus successfully completed the first leg of his trip but learned he wouldn’t have a seat on the short, connecting flight to Wichita.

With minimal time, Tyus booked it to the rental car center at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, reserved a Hyundai Kona SUV and made good time on a 5½-hour, 360-mile drive to Intrust Bank Arena, arriving with 30 seconds left in the first half of No. 8 Gonzaga’s eventual 89-68 victory over No. 9 Georgia.

Not quite “Planes, Trains & Automobiles,” but not far off either.

“Saw they were playing well, so I’m happy,” Tyus said shortly after finding his seat in Wichita. “All is good.”

Tyus shared his travel tales on an Instagram story post, tagged his brother and wrote, “I need 20+ and win today!”

How about one better? Khalif delivered a game-high 24 points and pulled down a season-high eight rebounds, making 4 of 6 from the 3-point line to help the Zags win their 16th consecutive first-round NCAA Tournament game.

As for the last part of the proposition? Gonzaga had already done most of what was necessary to win before Tyus arrived in Wichita, building a 25-point lead early in the first half.

“I was listening to it to the radio. I loved it,” Tyus said. “He’s been waiting for this moment for a long time and he’s been stepping up, the whole team has been stepping up and they’ve just got to keep it going. … I’m running on three hours of sleep and I’m just happy to be here and I’m happy to see him playing well.”

A two-time All-ACC player at Syracuse, Tyus played in two NCAA Tournaments, helping the Orange reach the Sweet 16 in 2017-18. It took Khalif just one game to eclipse his brother’s best scoring performance in the Big Dance. Tyus scored 19 points in a 69-65 Sweet 16 loss to a Duke team led by Grayson Alley and Marvin Bagley III.

Tyus let Khalif know about his travel setbacks on Wednesday night and the brothers spoke again Thursday, a handful of hours before Khalif made his March Madness debut.

“He said, ‘Khalif Battle is built for March,’ ” Khalif said. “I loved it and he said, ‘Let’s go.’ As a kid, I always grew up watching my brother play, especially in March. He went to the Sweet 16, so for me to be playing in March now and for him to be in attendance, it’s a dream come true for me.”

Tyus sat a few rows behind the court, next to father Gary, mother Daniella and stepmother Tanya. The Battles sprang out of their seats whenever Khalif scored and Tyus lifted three fingers into the after one of the guard’s 3s in the second half.

“He told me last night the flight got cancelled and I know one thing about my family, they’re not going to miss nothing for the world, especially when it comes to us, especially when it comes to me specifically,” Khalif said. “That just shows you the type of people I’m surrounded by and they have love for me. I’ve got a great circle and they’re going to do anything for me.”

Battle was crowd searching for his family before the game. Tyus was still roughly 90 miles out, but Khalif’s expression changed once he was able to locate his mother.

“I was trying to find my mom, and I saw her, and that gave me all the energy in the world,” he said. “That’s my lifeline; that’s my family. To see them here and see them here my first time dancing, it means the world to me. It’s a long ways from home, Jersey to Wichita, Kansas. I’m just glad they’re here and I’m able to put on a show for them.”

The three-time transfer, who previously played at Butler, Temple and Arkansas, said coaches pressed him to be aggressive on the glass Thursday.

“I’m kind of mad at myself I didn’t get 10 (rebounds), but it’s all good,” he said. “Whatever the team needs, that’s what I’m going to do. Whether it’s defense, whether it’s steals, whether it’s diving on the floor. I’d do anything for these guys to keep us marching.”

During a trip to the free-throw line in the first half, a group of Georgia fans began taunting the Gonzaga guard. Battle made both shots, turned to the Georgia section and shouted, “OK!”

“I’m from Jersey, you play at the park as a kid, you’ve got to earn your keep and I was always playing up, playing against other guys,” he said. “So talking trash, I thrive on that, that feels like I’m back at home. Somebody said something and I was exciting they were talking. I felt right at home when they were talking.”

Later, he flashed a smile when Georgia band members heckled him on the baseline.

“I can’t repeat what they said, but I turned around and smiled,” Battle said. “The SEC is like that and I love that conference and everything they’re about.”