Former Marquette basketball star Tyler Kolek had quite a Wednesday. He played not one but two basketball games on the same day for the New York Knicks organization.
Kolek starred for the Westchester Knicks in the G-League in the afternoon helping his team eke out a 117-114 win over the Indiana Mad Ants in front of just a little over 2,000 people in attendance to watch that contest. Kolek went off for 36 points on 12-for-23 shooting from the field while dishing out 11 assists to go with five rebounds, two steals and a block in 39 minutes.
Then later in the evening, he suited up for the New York Knicks against the visiting Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden and in front of nearly 20,000 fans. New York called him up due to a thin backcourt caused by the absences of Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride.
Kolek, selected by New York in the fourth round (34th pick overall) of the 2024 NBA draft, came off the bench against the Jazz and scored two points with four assists and a rebound in 12 minutes of a 119-103 victory.
Former Marquette basketball star Tyler Kolek speaks up about double duty
Just 23 years old, Kolek didn’t seem to mind the physical challenge of playing two pro basketball games in a day.
“It’s more mental than anything,” said Kolek after the game (h/t Knicks Videos). “Two guys go out with injury, gotta step in and be ready to go no matter the circumstances.”
"It's more mental than anything. Two guys go out with injury, gotta step in and be ready to go no matter the circumstances"
Tyler Kolek talks about playing tonight for the Knicks after logging 40 minutes this morning for Westchester in the G League pic.twitter.com/VDkw1hG2cX
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 2, 2025
Just a day before, Kolek watched Marquette basketball play against the Providence Friars in Rhode Island. Indeed, Kolek has had a busy schedule of late.
During his three years with Marquette basketball, Kolek averaged 11.7 points and 7.0 assists through 99 games.
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