Who is Tyler Kolek's dad, Kevin? Exploring the Marquette guard's father's collegiate career

Marquette's Tyler Kolek is not the same player he was when he transferred from George Mason Patriots for the sophomore season. From an average of 6.7 points, the senior guard has improved to 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists.

An elite passer and shooter with a strong work ethic, Tyler shares many of his attributes with his father, Kevin Kolek. The senior Kolek was a former basketball player for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, a Division III program.

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Who is Tyler Kolek's dad?

Kevin Kolek is considered one of the cornerstones of the UMass Dartmouth teams, where he played between 1984 and 1988.

An exceptional shooter and ball handler, he averaged 19 points, five rebounds and six assists in 109 games. He made 51% of his attempts and is the Corsair leader in career assists (670).

While at UMass, Kevin Kolek led his team to an 86-23 record and had three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament. He received the Most Outstanding Player Award for guiding the Corsairs to the 1986 NCAA Regional Championship and advancing to the National quarterfinals.

The shooting guard also led the team to the Little East regular-season and tournament titles twice. The first was in 1987, when he became the first player to earn the Little East Player of the Year Award, and in 1988, when he shared the conference's top player award.

His other honors include the New England Basketball Coaches Association Unsung Hero in 1986, the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Player of the Year in 1987, and a spot on the 1988 Converse All-American second team.

Talking about his father, Tyle Kolek once joked:

"We hear the stories all the time, but we don't know if they're believable or not."

Kevin Kolek was inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame in 2013. Tyler along with his older brother Brandon attended the ceremony.

"We saw all his buddies, and they told us how good he was," Tyler Kolek said.

After his graduation, Kevin moved to Ireland, where he played professionally for a year before returning to his hometown, Cumberland, Rhode Island. He worked as a police officer while also playing in the local men's league. After everything he has achieved, Papa Kolek's hopes for his sons are:

"I don't want them to be me. I want them to have fun and do the best they can."

Maybe getting the chance to play without the pressure of living up to his father's legacy was what made it possible for Tyler Kolek to find success.