Tyson Jolly's Twitter bio tells a story. "The Walking Miracle" is in place of where his name normally rests.

A quote that can work a few different paths follows. The quote: "God gives his toughest battles to his strongest solider."

A Langston Hughes poem can somewhat describe Jolly's life over the past few months in eight words: "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." Yet, like the poem says, Jolly still climbs.

So many SMU fans only know Jolly as the multifaceted, 6-4 guard, a leader on a talented SMU team that has the tools to make a run for an American Athletic Conference title, as well as an NCAA Tournament appearance.

But there's more to Jolly. So much more.

For every positive, there's seemed to be a negative to unfairly balance Jolly's life. Leading his high school in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to the state semifinals and being named a player of the year were offset by questions surrounding early health scares. First playing Big 12 basketball at Baylor ultimately meant him leaving and transferring to play junior college ball.

Even when he returned to Division I basketball at SMU, all-conference honors were achieved last season, but all questions have been focused on this season.

A season where Jolly's taken time off and only played in three games. Three out of 12.

"A lot was going on in my life," Jolly said Thursday, as he also described himself then as "overwhelmed."

'I never had the time to just let it out'

Prior to the start of the season, Jolly announced on social media that he was taking a step back from basketball to focus on personal matters. At the time, he never mentioned a return date.

Jolly had to deal with multiple deaths of friends and family that seemed to occur way too close together. He had to balance his emotions with finishing a degree -- he graduates May 15 -- and being a face on an SMU team with tons of potential to make waves comes tournament time.

It was a heavy burden for a 23-year-old who already has seen more than his fair share of hardship. And having to deal with all of that during a global pandemic didn't help.

"I was really getting down," Jolly said. "There was a lot going on and a lot of things I was holding in. I never had the time to just let it out. I just took that time."

There was a time when SMU head coach Tim Jankovich hoped for Jolly's return to the team would come sooner than later, but early in the season, even he was uncertain.

"He is going through some rough times personally," Jankovich told reporters in November. "I can't speak for if or when he'll be returning, but I am hopeful. I know it sounds vague, but in protecting him really, that's pretty much all I can say."

The first three home games occur, and Jolly isn't on the floor. Later in the season, Jolly is spotted on the SMU bench -- in street clothes, but still with his teammates on the bench. A good sign nonetheless.

On Dec. 2, Jolly sent a tweet to his followers. It was a message that immediately perked up the fan base.

The HillTopics was the first to report that Jolly's return to the court would happen in January. On Jan. 23, at the 15:15 mark of the first half against UCF, Jolly saw his first action of the 2020-21 season.

"It was great to have him back. He's a great teammate," forward Yor Anei said. "He's mature, he's older. He knows what to do in almost every situation we're in, because he's been there."

"He looked happy," added forward Feron Hunt. "I know he had been struggling for a minute, but he looks real good. I'm just happy he's back out there with us."

'He's an all-conference-level player'

Jolly finished his first game with five points and two blocks. He played 19 minutes against UCF.

In his second game, a road test against Memphis, Jolly looked like the Jolly of last season. He scored a game-high 15 points and made 6 of 8 shots from the floor, including three 3-pointers.

He played 21 minutes, but there was a time where he had 13 points in only nine minutes of play.

"I'm still trying to get used to it," Jolly said of his new role as a nonstarter. "It feels a little different, especially coming off the bench, learning how to come in and not be too aggressive but still trying to pick your spots and find your rhythm within the game.

"I feel like I'm fresh, and I feel like I'm mentally ready for this stretch run we're about to make this push for."

In the eyes of the coaching staff, Tuesday's game was indicative of who Jolly was. He's a leader on the team, someone who can be called upon to make plays on both ends of the court. Someone who can maintain poise and composure at the most opportune times.

Someone who, ironically, can hold the burden of the team on his shoulders.

"There's nothing like experience," said assistant coach John Cooper, who has been co-handling coaching duties with Yaphett King as Jankovich quarantines from COVID-19. "He's someone who's been there, someone who knows how to talk on defense. He understands guarding and can go grab and get a rebound for you."

"He's an all-conference-level player," King added. "He's very talented, and he's a guy who we need. I couldn't be more proud of him."

Jolly's third game, a rematch against Memphis, saw him make the final play of the night. He disrupted an inbound pass, which didn't allow Memphis to attempt a last-second shot for a tie or even a win. SMU won, 67-65.

Three games into the season, and Jolly has been the expected welcomed piece to SMU's puzzle. He's been a scorer, a defender, a playmaker and -- even though he was a preseason all-AAC pick and the team's leading scorer last season -- a reliable contributor off the bench this season.

Jolly's averaging 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds off the bench, and he's getting roughly 23 minutes per contest. In Thursday's win over Memphis, Jolly had eight points and six rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

"Defense. Scoring. Rebounding. Anything coach asks on any given night," Jolly said. "I know there are going to be nights where I'll have to step up offensively, step up defensively, step up on the boards. I'm going to have to bring some toughness. I might have to get a little dirty, stick my nose into a lot of areas just to help my team get over humps.

"Anything that I can feel where I can step in and help, I'm going to step in and help."

'We're all brothers'

Peel the layers back from Jolly and immediately recognize a few things.

First, there's grit. Few college basketball players have had to persevere -- off the court -- the way he has. And few players would have shown his resiliency.

Which leads to Jolly's transparency. There aren't many who would have the courage to openly discuss his personal affairs.

He credits his inner circle for his return -- a circle that includes family members, close friends, his coaches and teammates.

"My whole support system made it very clear they wanted to see me playing," he said. "I took my time and looked at it. I just decided after talking with everybody, and got everything on my end right, it was where I said 'let's do it.'"

Hunt said the team made sure to fully support Jolly with text messages and direct messages. One thing the SMU basketball team wants everyone to understand is that if one player is dealing with issues, the entire team is involved. It's a brotherhood, one that shouldn't be taken lightly.

"He's not alone with whatever he's going through," Hunt said. "We're his second family outside his immediate family. That's the relationship we all have here as a team.

"We're all brothers. We all can lean on each other when we're going through hard times outside of our immediate family."

To which Jolly responded: "They welcomed me back like I never left."

Jolly's focus now is being the best teammate he can be in return of all the support. He's accepted his reserve role and said his goal is to keep everybody engaged and locked in. Even if he's on the bench, Jolly wants to be the one leading the cheers.

In whatever capacity it is, Jolly simply is happy to be back in uniform. Back on the bench.

In short, back.

"And it feels real good," he said.