Marquette men’s basketball will have to play without its two-time Consensus All-American next season.
Tyler Kolek, after a strong senior season which made him arguably the best point guard in the nation, announced Wednesday on social media that he is entering the NBA draft.
— Tyler Kolek (@KolekTyler) April 10, 2024
Kolek led the country with 7.7 assists per game, also averaging 15.3 points per game and shooting the ball from deep at a 38.8% clip.
In his three years in the blue & gold, Kolek broke countless records and propelled himself from unheralded recruit to all-time program great.
He beat Tony Miller’s single-game assist record when he finished with 18 dimes in the Golden Eagles’ 105-71 win over DePaul Feb. 22, and is second on the program’s all-time career assist leaderboard (697).
He was also the first Marquette player since Dwyane Wade to have at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in a NCAA Tournament game since assists became an official stat in 1984.
“Dear Marquette, I want to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for everyone who has been a part of my journey at Marquette. These past three years have exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations while allowing me to build relationships that have changed my life,” Kolek said in the post.
“To Coach (Shaka) Smart — thank you for your trust and pushing me to grow as a person, player and leader. To all my coaches, teammates, my family and all the fans — thank you for your guidance along the way.
“I have decided to forgo my extra year of eligibility and declare for the 2024 NBA Draft. 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 has strong pick-and-roll abilities and he developed into a better shooter over his time at Marquette. He is currently projected to be a first round draft pick.
Both ESPN and The Athletic have Kolek being selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 29th overall pick in its latest mocks.
The draft is June 26-27 after the league expanded it to a two-night format this year.
“This guy sitting to my right (Kolek) is the best point guard in college basketball,” head coach Shaka Smart said after Marquette’s season-ending loss to NC State.
“It has been an absolute honor to coach him the last three years.”
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @JackAlbrightMU.
