My understanding is that Coach Hatt was the link to TyKo. He's a New England native and before joining Shaka's staff at VCU he worked at Vermont Academy. I imagine he was a familiar with Kolek's AAU program. He also wasn't much of a secret, he was A10 freshman of the year. IIRC, Providence, UConn, UVA and others were all on him too. Definitely didn't expect him to become what he is based on his freshman season at George Mason.
Following up on this post. Vermont Academy is a NEPSAC AAA school. There's also a AA and A level.
Some of the AA schools include:
St. George's (Kolek's alma mater)
Worcester Academy (Tre Norman's school)
Cushing Academy (Chase Ross's alma mater)
Brimmer and May (Bryce Dortch's school)
Safe to say, Coach Hatt is really working those NEPSAC connections.