MILWAUKEE (AP) — Success hasn't removed the chip from Marquette guard Tyler Kolek’s shoulder.
Kolek recently posted a picture on Instagram that had him posing alongside Marquette’s Big East regular-season and tournament championship trophies from last year, as well as his Big East player of the year trophy. As he sat alongside all that hardware, Kolek pointed to show off his Big East championship ring, which happened to be on his middle finger.
The pose came one year after Kolek’s memorable two-word response – the second word was “them” and the first an expletive – to the Big East coaches picking Marquette to finish ninth in the Big East. Kolek said the picture was meant to turn the page toward the upcoming season as Marquette goes from underdog to favorite.
“I just kind of wanted to put a close to that book,” Kolek said. “That chapter’s over with. I said what I said last year. We did what we did. But I feel like putting that out there was just encapsulating everything we’ve been through – the highs and lows – and getting it out of the way. It’s a clean slate now.”
Marquette’s challenge is to maintain that same edge it had last year now that it’s gone from the hunter to the hunted. Marquette is fifth in the AP Top 25 – its highest preseason ranking since 1977-78 when it was coming off a national title – and as the pick to win the Big East.
Coach Shaka Smart believes his team should remain as motivated as ever.
“Having a chip on your shoulder, if you look at the people that embody that statement the most, they’re able to be that way regardless of what other people say,” Smart said. “I think a lot of folks think it’s based on a reaction to others, but some people come out of the womb that way for whatever reason, with a chip on their shoulder. And we try to recruit those types of guys.”
WHO’S BACK
Marquette returns four starters in Kolek, all-Big East second-team selections Oso Ighodaro and Kam Jones as well as Stevie Mitchell from the team that went 29-7 and lost to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32 last season. The Golden Eagles also bring back David Joplin, the Big East sixth man of the year.
“A lot of guys who have played a lot of games together, been in a lot of wars together,” Kolek said. “I think our connectivity can be on a different level than everybody else’s because we’ve been through the heat of the battles with each other. We’ve been in those moments.”
Marquette didn’t mine the transfer portal but added three freshmen in forward Al Amadou and guards Zaide Lowery and Tre Norman.
PROSPERING WITHOUT PROSPER?
Marquette must replace forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who averaged 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds. Prosper chose to enter the draft after the season and performed well enough in workouts to get selected 24th overall. He was picked by Sacramento but landed with the Dallas Mavericks after a draft-night trade.
KOLEK’S ENCORE
Kolek returns after becoming just the fifth Golden Eagle to be selected as a conference player of the year, and the third in the Big East. Marquette’s other conference players of the year are Jim McIlvaine (1993-94 in Great Midwest), Dwyane Wade (2002-03 in Conference USA), Jae Crowder (2011-12 in Big East) and Markus Howard (2018-19 in Big East).
Kolek also is an Associated Press All-America preseason selection.
STARTING OVER
With Marquette returning most of its nucleus from the Big East championship team, Smart has emphasized that nobody should take anything for granted based on what was accomplished last season.
“It’s important for us to start from scratch from the standpoint of building our habits,” Smart said. “And that’s championship habits – culturally, defensively and offensively – and not assuming because we did certain things last year that it’s going to carry over.”
FACING HIS FORMER SCHOOL
Marquette’s nonconference schedule includes a Dec. 6 home matchup with No. 18 Texas, the team Smart coached from 2015-21. Other highlights include a Dec. 9 home game with Notre Dame and road trips Nov. 14 to No. 25 Illinois and Dec. 2 to Wisconsin. The Golden Eagles open the Maui Invitational by facing UCLA on Nov. 20.
Marquette’s Big East opener is Dec. 19 at Providence.
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