Goodbye Tyler Kolek

ephoops

ephoops

Starter
Kolek's St. George's team is 19-3 so far this season. They play in the Independent School League of the NEPSAC.

Kolek had 32 points in a 62-52 win vs Roxbury Latin and 23 points in a 66-60 win over Pomfret last week.
 
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ephoops

ephoops

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G M U said:
Just wanted to interrupt with some TyKo highlights

https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/ty...?videoid=c344db37-f26b-4e03-8f24-67c8c0540b5d
Click to expand...

G M U - Thanks for posting.

I'm very interested to see how Kolek's skill set translates to the A-10. The level of competition, both at St. George (NEPSAC B) and Middlesex Magic (AAU), is certainly a notch or two below what the the current DMV players on the Mason roster experienced prior to matriculating to Fairfax. That said, there are a lot of things that I really like about his game:

Shooting:
  1. He shoots it very well and with confidence. Shooting off the dribble, coming off picks and off the catch are all above average.
  2. He appears to be a "front of the rim" shooter which I think will translate well to the tight rims at the EBA.
  3. He's also "crafty" and appears to be able to get his shot off in traffic on penetration.
  4. His range certainly translates to the longer three-point line in college.
  5. I also like the simplicity of his shooting form. Very smooth, very repeatable with little extraneous movement or motion in his shot.
Dribble / Handle:
  1. He appears to have a decent handle, although it's certainly left-hand dominant.
  2. He is able to create space with his dribble on his step back.
  3. I like that his head is up at all times, especially in transition where he is able to push tempo and find an open teammate ahead on the floor.
Passing:
  1. I think Kolek is a very good passer. He finds open teammates with accurate passes when he penetrates .
  2. One thing that the current Mason guards are not good at is delivering a catchable, accurate pass to a teammate ahead of them on a fast break opportunity. Kolek appears to be a very good passer in transition while bringing the ball up the floor.
Intangibles:
  1. Kolek appears to be a "heady" player who knows how to play the game.
  2. I also think he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. A lot of kids in NEPSAC B wind up playing D-3 at NESCAC or UAA conference schools. He appears to want to prove that he can play at a high level in a conference like the A-10.

Kolek will certainly need to get stronger to compete against A-10 guards. He will also need to improve his handle . His defensive abilities at the college level are probably my biggest question mark at this time. Kolek is athletic but the A-10 is a guard league and he may have challenges early on adjusting to the speed and strength of the guards in the A-10.

All in all, I think that Kolek has a chance to be a very good player for Mason. The team has been searching for a guard who is a consistent and reliable outside shooter, particularly from three-point range. Kolek could be an important piece during his tenure at Mason.
 
tblack33

tblack33

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ephoops said:
G M U - Thanks for posting.

I'm very interested to see how Kolek's skill set translates to the A-10. The level of competition, both at St. George (NEPSAC B) and Middlesex Magic (AAU), is certainly a notch or two below what the the current DMV players on the Mason roster experienced prior to matriculating to Fairfax. That said, there are a lot of things that I really like about his game:

Shooting:
  1. He shoots it very well and with confidence. Shooting off the dribble, coming off picks and off the catch are all above average.
  2. He appears to be a "front of the rim" shooter which I think will translate well to the tight rims at the EBA.
  3. He's also "crafty" and appears to be able to get his shot off in traffic on penetration.
  4. His range certainly translates to the longer three-point line in college.
  5. I also like the simplicity of his shooting form. Very smooth, very repeatable with little extraneous movement or motion in his shot.
Dribble / Handle:
  1. He appears to have a decent handle, although it's certainly left-hand dominant.
  2. He is able to create space with his dribble on his step back.
  3. I like that his head is up at all times, especially in transition where he is able to push tempo and find an open teammate ahead on the floor.
Passing:
  1. I think Kolek is a very good passer. He finds open teammates with accurate passes when he penetrates .
  2. One thing that the current Mason guards are not good at is delivering a catchable, accurate pass to a teammate ahead of them on a fast break opportunity. Kolek appears to be a very good passer in transition while bringing the ball up the floor.
Intangibles:
  1. Kolek appears to be a "heady" player who knows how to play the game.
  2. I also think he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. A lot of kids in NEPSAC B wind up playing D-3 at NESCAC or UAA conference schools. He appears to want to prove that he can play at a high level in a conference like the A-10.

Kolek will certainly need to get stronger to compete against A-10 guards. He will also need to improve his handle . His defensive abilities at the college level are probably my biggest question mark at this time. Kolek is athletic but the A-10 is a guard league and he may have challenges early on adjusting to the speed and strength of the guards in the A-10.

All in all, I think that Kolek has a chance to be a very good player for Mason. The team has been searching for a guard who is a consistent and reliable outside shooter, particularly from three-point range. Kolek could be an important piece during his tenure at Mason.
Click to expand...

Some solid observations here. I think that Kolek has the potential to develop into a role player, but I don’t ever see him starting for us. I think his ceiling is 6th man/sharpshooter off the bench. The issues with his game (athleticism, defense) are unfortunately some of the things that take the most time to develop if you don’t come in with a strong base skill set. I’m worried about his dribbling, a lot of the stuff you see him getting away with in his highlights are going to get ripped by bigger, stronger, faster A10 guards.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his ceiling being a role player/key bench piece. You need guys like that to round out a good rotation.

I’ll don’t see him grabbing a ton of minutes until his third year with the program. I’ll be really interested to see how good his passing really is when he is surrounded with athletes/D1 talent.

I think he would be a good redshirt candidate next season.
 
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gmujim92

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tblack33 said:
Some solid observations here. I think that Kolek has the potential to develop into a role player, but I don’t ever see him starting for us. I think his ceiling is 6th man/sharpshooter off the bench. The issues with his game (athleticism, defense) are unfortunately some of the things that take the most time to develop if you don’t come in with a strong base skill set. I’m worried about his dribbling, a lot of the stuff you see him getting away with in his highlights are going to get ripped by bigger, stronger, faster A10 guards.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his ceiling being a role player/key bench piece. You need guys like that to round out a good rotation.

I’ll don’t see him grabbing a ton of minutes until his third year with the program. I’ll be really interested to see how good his passing really is when he is surrounded with athletes/D1 talent.

I think he would be a good redshirt candidate next season.
Click to expand...

Fair analysis. If all he becomes is a 40% 3-point shooter who isn’t an absolute turnstile on the other end of the floor, I’d count that as a huge win. Dependable perimeter shooting has been and continues to be a glaring need for us.
 
G M U

G M U

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To me, I see Kolek as a high motor guy, with some solid fundamentals. He looks scrappy in his highlights, a blue collar-lunch pail guy that by all accounts is a gym rat. He lacks true athleticism but he has intangibles, I'm sure DP will get the most out of his abilities. I can't wait for him to bring his grittiness to Fairfax, he strikes me as a kid who plays the game the right way. A real gamer if you will.
 
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mkaufman1

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I honestly never know what to expect with any of these recruits but just from reading and watching, its hard to gauge what he is going to be. I do think he will be counted on to be a sharpshooter, but I don't know if he will be able to keep up with bigger guards or be physical with them. His handle looked okay, but it'll have to improve for the atlantic10 level.

All we can hope is that he turns into something, and the same with Polite and Henry. The program always needs injections of new quality talent.
 
Herndon

Herndon

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G M U said:
To me, I see Kolek as a high motor guy, with some solid fundamentals. He looks scrappy in his highlights, a blue collar-lunch pail guy that by all accounts is a gym rat. He lacks true athleticism but he has intangibles, I'm sure DP will get the most out of his abilities. I can't wait for him to bring his grittiness to Fairfax, he strikes me as a kid who plays the game the right way. A real gamer if you will.
Click to expand...
Legit LOL.
 
OP
dr. gunnie

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tblack33 said:
I think that Kolek has the potential to develop into a role player, but I don’t ever see him starting for us.

I’ll don’t see him grabbing a ton of minutes until his third year with the program.

I think he would be a good redshirt candidate next season.
Click to expand...

In his 4th game of college basketball:

EE97A993-710E-4281-A279-9852F67F7686.jpeg


This isn’t a shot at tblack33 - more just a reminder that we all know nothing. I thought JD-S would be all A10 - so I’m included too.
 
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gmujim92

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dr. gunnie said:
In his 4th game of college basketball:

View attachment 931

This isn’t a shot at tblack33 - more just a reminder that we all know nothing. I thought JD-S would be all A10 - so I’m included too.
Click to expand...

He’s already the best 3-point shooter on the team. Low bar to clear, certainly, but Kolek has adjusted quickly to college and seems to have plenty of confidence. He doesn’t play like a typical freshman.
 
tblack33

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dr. gunnie said:
In his 4th game of college basketball:

View attachment 931

This isn’t a shot at tblack33 - more just a reminder that we all know nothing. I thought JD-S would be all A10 - so I’m included too.
Click to expand...
Yup I’ve certainly eaten my words on him, he has been very impressive this season. Really thought it would take longer for him to adjust to the speed of the game and the level of competition but he came in on Day 1 and has looked pretty fearless out there. He’s a much better all around player than I’d expected he’d be.
 
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He also isn't super super quick but he has so far stayed with his man on the defensive side of the ball too. Glad to see a frosh who has adjusted so quickly to D1 basketball and is ready to go. Lets hope he can keep up in the A10 too.
 
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Currently our most consistent guard which is super sad honestly. XJ has been flat out bad both offensively and defensively (is the kid hurt? he looks about 1/2 as explosive as last year), Jamal is 90% of the time horrible and Javon is so up and down I can't keep track. Did not think I would be calling Kolek our best guard 4 games into the season. He is not a great defender but in comparison to the rest of our guards he is probably our best. His stroke is great and I hope he keeps shooting. Still worried about him guarding an elite 2-3 guard. We haven't even played a decent one yet.
 
gmubrian

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sleeperpick said:
Currently our most consistent guard which is super sad honestly. XJ has been flat out bad both offensively and defensively (is the kid hurt? he looks about 1/2 as explosive as last year), Jamal is 90% of the time horrible and Javon is so up and down I can't keep track. Did not think I would be calling Kolek our best guard 4 games into the season. He is not a great defender but in comparison to the rest of our guards he is probably our best. His stroke is great and I hope he keeps shooting. Still worried about him guarding an elite 2-3 guard. We haven't even played a decent one yet.
Click to expand...
It is just that Paulsen is recruiting at such a high level now that the new guys are so much better than the old guys. Right? o_O
 
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