The New York Knicks have made some key additions to their Big East heavy roster this offseason.
Known as the Villanova Knicks, three starters for New York’s playoff run played together at Villanova during their mid-2010 NCAA dominance.
And the Knicks are doubling down on the Big East. They added Mikal Bridges, another member of that same Wildcats team, in a blockbuster trade earlier in June.
But the latest move to build a Big East battalion in New York came during the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. New York sent three future second round picks to Portland to secure former Marquette G Tyler Kolek with the 34th overall pick.
| Knicks Receive | Trailblazers Receive |
| Tyler Kolek | 2027 Second Round Pick |
| 2029 Second Round Pick | |
| 2030 Second Round Pick |
As a big St. John’s fan, I hated having to play against this guy. He has an incredible feel for the game and can find opportunities for his teammates that few college players can.
But as a fan of the Big East, I have to admit, this signing and the assembly of five former Big East stars in New York is great for the conference.
Tyler Kolek, the Big East Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season, averaged 15.3 points, 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game last season. He was instrumental in getting Marquette to the Big East championship and securing a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
And despite a massive upset to Final-Four bound NC State in the Sweet 16, Kolek and the Golden Eagles finished the year ranked 11th in the last AP Poll.
Knicks fans should be (and do seem to be) ecstatic with the pickup. Although Kolek will join a somewhat loaded PG rotation with Jalen Brunson and Miles “Deuce” Mcbride already in New York, the guy can definitely hoop.
But Big East fans (especially on Twitter/X) have been questioning some of Kolek’s other abilities. Namely, his literacy.
In what started as a rumor-based joke among Big East twitter users, the questions around Kolek’s ability to read have been catching fire lately. So much so that Knicks’ teammate Josh Hart had to ask the question on a podcast with Jalen Brunson.
There was also a series of tweets circulating around draft time about his alleged scores on a Wonderlic cognitive ability test.
But (as the added context from the tweets suggest) the Marquette alum does appear to be literate. In fact, he’s participated in the joke.
And I hope that’s true. He’ll need to read through the contract he just signed to see he’s guaranteed a second-round pick record-breaking $6.6m.
With so much money guaranteed, the Knicks are making it apparent that they are all in on yet another Big East stud. It’ll be interesting to see how he works into the rotation this year.
And if he is able to find his place in New York, I think we’ll need to have a serious conversation about the Knicks’ nickname.
Will they remain the Villanova Knicks?
Or will they become something greater as the Big East Knicks?
