The 2.03m product of South Carolina University took a break from the Nuggets' struggles in the National Basketball League yesterday to mix it up in the little league.
Tisby, and fellow American import Tyler Amaya, led a coaching clinic at Kaikorai Primary School to help promote the game and inspire some children.
It was a welcome break from the intensity of the league and also an opportunity to escape some homesickness.
Tisby is missing his wife and 8-week-old daughter, Azaria, who are both at home in Kansas City.
"I just had my first child and coming here to play with these kids takes my mind off being away from home," he said.
Tisby played for the Nuggets in 2008 and in the past two years his sport has taken him to Mexico, Chile and Lebanon.
The 26-year-old enjoys Dunedin, but since returning to the Nuggets things have not exactly run smoothly on the court.
The Nuggets have started the season with five back-to-back losses, and their losing streak has been extended to 14 games and stretches back to April 12, 2008, when they beat the Manawatu Jets 100-81 in Palmerston North.
It is a dismal record and one Tisby hopes his side will improve on and soon.
"I sort of knew the situation before I came and I was prepared and can handle it.
"But I'd just love to win a game.
"The difference [compared with 2008] is we've got a younger group of guys and it is going to take time for our guys to mature and improve their game.
"Tyler and I are helping out at practice, but it is just taking a little more time than expected."
The Nuggets have a relatively young and inexperienced roster.
The franchise has decided to offer local players opportunities rather than source more experienced players from outside of the region.
Unfortunately, that means the Nuggets are likely to face a lean run while the team develops over the next two or three years.
The Nuggets are a largely amateur team competing in a semi-professional league where the bigger the budgets are, the better the results tend to be.
But there are some positive signs.
The Nuggets made some improvements against the Taranaki Mountain Airs on Saturday night after suffering heavy defeats in their opening four matches.
The Nuggets lost 95-82, but five players reached double figures, which helped take the pressure off Tisby and Amaya.
"The last match was very positive," Tisby said.
"I didn't play very well but a lot of the other guys stepped up.
"I'm hoping this weekend I won't play so badly and the rest of the guys will continue to improve."
The Nuggets play Taranaki on Saturday night and the game is designated as a home fixture.
But, oddly, it is being staged outside the region, in Timaru.
The Nuggets might still have the bulk of the crowd behind them, but the court and hoops will be foreign.
Tisby would prefer to play on the Nuggets' home court at the Edgar Centre, where the team knows what to expect and is familiar with the hoops.
But the franchise has decided to take the team on the road and build some support in the South Canterbury city.
