Cumberland native Tyler Kolek will skip last college season, head to NBA Draft
Tyler Kolek’s sterling college basketball career is over.
The two-time All-American, former Big East Player of the Year and former Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year will forgo a potential COVID fifth season and enter the NBA Draft. Kolek made the announcement Wednesday afternoon on his social media pages.
It’s been a rapid rise for the Cumberland native, who starred in high school with the Clippers and prepped at St. George’s before joining the Patriots. Kolek spent a lone season in Virginia before transferring into Shaka Smart’s rebuild with the Golden Eagles, and he proved to be the perfect fit at the point guard spot.
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“While I may be moving on to the next chapter of my basketball career, I will always cherish the memories and lessons from my time in Milwaukee and take tremendous pride in representing this special basketball program at the highest level moving forward,” Kolek wrote.
Kolek helped Marquette to a sweep of league and conference tournament titles in 2022-23 and a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24. He started 99 games in three seasons with the Golden Eagles, averaging 11.7 points and 7 assists while shooting 35.4% from 3-point range. Kolek’s career ended with a South Region loss to North Carolina State and he closed with a double-double, collecting 17 points and 10 rebounds.
“This guy sitting to my right is the best point guard in college basketball,” Smart said on the podium in Dallas. “It has been an absolute honor to coach him the last three years.”
Kolek was initially recruited at the mid-major level and had a connection with George Mason coach Dave Paulsen through the Middlesex Magic, his grassroots program. He averaged 10.8 points in 29 games and ultimately decided to leave after Paulsen was fired at the end of the 2020-21 season. Smart was the first head coach to directly contact Kolek and received a commitment from the 6-foot-3-inch left-hander that summer.
Per KenPom.com, Kolek posted a 14% assist rate during that lone year with the Patriots. That number spiked to 34.1% in his first year with Marquette, as Kolek and the Golden Eagles suddenly featured one of college basketball’s most potent offenses. They squeezed into the March Madness field and were blown out by North Carolina, but it was a first step in what turned out to be a remarkable journey.
“To Coach Smart — thank you for your trust and pushing me to grow as a person, player and leader,” Kolek wrote.
Kolek entered the conversation among the elite the following season. His 3-point shooting percentage jumped from 28.1 to 39.8 and his assist rate took another leap into the national top five. Kolek gained a reputation as a master of the pick-and-roll and developed into a considerably better finisher from 2-point range — just 37.1% in 2021-22, a strong 55.2% in 2023-24.
Kolek’s path as a prospect created a bit of friction among at least a pair of local fan bases. Providence engaged with other guard targets like Al Durham, Noah Locke and Jayden Pierre instead of turning full attention to Kolek, and he was within days of committing to Marquette when the Friars elected to seriously pursue him. The University of Rhode Island never contacted Kolek after his departure from George Mason was formally announced.
Per an ESPN mock draft released in early April, Kolek is viewed as a candidate to be selected late in the first round or early in the second round. The 23-year-old joins teammate Oso Ighodaro among the pool of eligible players, with the frontcourt standout announcing his entry Tuesday. The draft will be held June 26 and 27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Cumberland native, Marquette star Tyler Kolek enters NBA Draft
