Kolek Named Finalist for POY

[MU82]

Thanks for posting Borges' piece, MUFiC.

He has solid rationale for each of his choices. I could nitpick with a few -- including choosing a meh freshman over outstanding other "newcomers" when the voting clearly allows him to do the latter, and also not finding a spot for Oso (certainly over Dixon, and probably over Soriano) -- but even those he offered explanations for.

[StillAWarrior]

Thanks for posting Borges' piece, MUFiC.

He has solid rationale for each of his choices. I could nitpick with a few -- including choosing a meh freshman over outstanding other "newcomers" when the voting clearly allows him to do the latter, and also not finding a spot for Oso (certainly over Dixon, and probably over Soriano) -- but even those he offered explanations for.

This was amusing:

"Then there was the Newcomer of the Year conundrum. The definition for the award specifically states the following: Doesn't necessarily have to be a freshman. It can be any player, regardless of class, in his first season playing for a Big East team.

A Freshman of the Year category may be added next year. But for this year, the winner from the Big East (and, in fact, the five other "power" conferences) does not have to be a freshman.

We decided to limit the scope to freshmen. Otherwise, the runaway winner would be either Providence's Bryce Hopkins or Xavier's Souley Boum, who transferred to the league this season from Kentucky and UTEP, respectively. Both are strong candidates for Player of the Year and easy picks for first team All-Big East. We like the idea of the freshmen having their own award."


Translation: "We didn't want someone from Xavier or Providence to win this award, so we chose to ignore the actual category and award in a different category that may be added in the future."

But, he does own their "rampant homerism" so I don't fault them too much. Any bets on how they'll interpret the award next year if they get a stud transfer who would be a "runaway winner" in the category?

[Stretchdeltsig]

If only it were that simple. Tyler worked his arse off all offseason, improving on things that he absolutely needed to get better at if we were going to take the next step as a program.

We needed a PG who could make an opponent pay for going under screens. We needed a PG who could make little pull-up shots and hard drives all the way to the rim. We needed a PG with much better than a 2/1 A/TO ratio. We needed a PG who at least occasionally went right. We needed better PG play, period -- he knew it and Shaka knew it -- and Tyler rose to the challenge.

Sure, attitude matters. But the chip on the shoulder wouldn't have meant diddly if Kolek was still playing at last season's skill level. We wouldn't be Big East champs if he didn't become twice the player he was. We are fortunate that we have several players who worked incredibly hard to get significantly better, and he's the leader of that pack.

Good for TK, good for Marquette!

Spot on. TK has united the team and united MU Scoopers. Ring Out Ahoya. Let's buckle our seatbelts and enjoy the March ride!

[Jockey]

Was just in a text chain with some buddies and we concluded the same. You were an early passenger on that train, Jockey - well done.

I was not a Kolek guy at the start of the season. I will even admit that I hoped Sean Jones would come in and grab the PG position.

But TK won me over and he has earned any honors that he gets by the way he plays. I think Goose's attitude towards TK had an influence on me as well - made me take a more nuanced look at how he took control of the team and what he was doing on the court.

[Jockey]

FIRST TEAM
Tyler Kolek, Marquette
Bryce Hopkins, Providence
Souley Boum, Xavier
Jordan Hawkins, UConn
Adama Sanogo, UConn

SECOND TEAM
Joel Soriano, St. John's
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Kam Jones, Marquette
Eric Dixon, Villanova
Colby Jones, Xavier

Thanks for this post, MUFC.

Funny thing is that the guy from the BE who will probably be the highest draft choice for the NBA isn't on either the 1st or 2nd team.

Hawkins could be the 1st, but I think it will be Whitmore.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

I was not a Kolek guy at the start of the season. I will even admit that I hoped Sean Jones would come in and grab the PG position.

But TK won me over and he has earned any honors that he gets by the way he plays. I think Goose's attitude towards TK had an influence on me as well - made me take a more nuanced look at how he took control of the team and what he was doing on the court.

Kolek's in season improvement has been huge.  He went from a solid starting PG to BEPOY.  Before BE play, he was averaging about 9 points and 8 assists per game.  In BE play, his scoring leapt to 15 ppg while maintaining his 8 apg!

He was already elite distributor, and now Tyler is an equally dangerous as a scorer.  I doubted he would ever become this good of a scorer, but I am very happy to be wrong.

[Herman Cain]

Will be interesting to see what the final vote totals are

[rocket surgeon]

  f only it were that simple. Tyler worked his arse off all offseason, improving on things that he absolutely needed to get better at if we were going to take the next step as a program."


  nothing to disagree with here 82 as you merely expounded on my premise. he recognized his weaknesses and he worked hard to excel and that is being recognized.  i like the fact that despite his improvement from the outside, he let's that shot come to him as he does with most other aspects of his game.  that is what is making him special

[muwarrior69]

Will be interesting to see what the final vote totals are

...mail in ballots, won't know til August!

[muwarrior69]

I was not a Kolek guy at the start of the season. I will even admit that I hoped Sean Jones would come in and grab the PG position.

But TK won me over and he has earned any honors that he gets by the way he plays. I think Goose's attitude towards TK had an influence on me as well - made me take a more nuanced look at how he took control of the team and what he was doing on the court.

In the video he said Oso and him play good cop bad cop. Unofficial team captains are they.

[MU82]

Bilas was the guest on Pardon the Interruption today. He named Marquette as a dangerous team, said our defense was better than it's rated, and called us a wonderful passing team. He said Shaka was a great coach and Kolek "might be the best point guard in the country."

He did point out that we aren't a very good rebounding team. Typical Marquette hate!

[JakeBarnes]

Bilas was the guest on Pardon the Interruption today. He named Marquette as a dangerous team, said our defense was better than it's rated, and called us a wonderful passing team. He said Shaka was a great coach and Kolek "might be the best point guard in the country."

He did point out that we aren't a very good rebounding team. Typical Marquette hate!

I yelled "Go Marquette" at some guy outside the steakhouse of my hotel tonight who was wearing a Marquette Jordan jacket. My wife informed me I was being weird as there was a player near him. Sorry Mr. Kolek (who I was informed she thought it was based on her earlier  observations ) for yelling at you.

if Tyler off tomorrow it's my fault for harassing his dad (in theory)

[Goose]

Jake

Yell away. Not often that you can yell Go Marquette to an AA's Dad on the street.

[Ellenson Guerrero]

Rothstein puts Kolek on his second team All-American list: https://collegehoopstoday.com/index.php/rothstein-files/purdues-zach-edey-is-college-hoops-todays-national-player-of-the-year/

[MU82]

Rothstein puts Kolek on his second team All-American list: https://collegehoopstoday.com/index.php/rothstein-files/purdues-zach-edey-is-college-hoops-todays-national-player-of-the-year/

I can't quibble with any of Rothstein's picks. I have seen very little K-State hoops, but just looking at the stats, if I were a K-State fan I might gripe that Nowell deserved to be a line above Kolek.

[lawdog77]

John Wooden was a cheat

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/35781501/zach-edey-leads-wooden-finalists-brandon-miller-list

[GB Warrior]

John Wooden was a cheat

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/35781501/zach-edey-leads-wooden-finalists-brandon-miller-list

Armando Bacot best playering his way all the way to the NIT 1 seed