Olek's Development

[Ignatius07]

Czyz should have redshirted last year. It would be very odd to redshirt your sophomore year for reasons unrelated to health, but I think he should do it. He just seems completely unready to contribute and there are enough players ahead of him.

[TheBrianZoubekExperience]

I thought Mason looked pretty strong and solid in person. I got pretty close to him at the Jordan classic and he looked like he had a big frame and can hopefully add more strength.

I'm not high on Olek getting many minutes in the next year or so... I'm hoping he can develop into a better version of McClure in time with better offense but he seems a ways from being a solid rotation guy.

[whereinthehellami]

I'm not high on Olek getting many minutes in the next year or so... I'm hoping he can develop into a better version of McClure in time with better offense but he seems a ways from being a solid rotation guy.

I don't see Olek as ever having a chance on being a better McClure. Too different in their playing styles. McClure was an alright athlete but had an amazing understanding of the game. McClure did all the little things and was always in the right place. I think Olek's understanding of the game is one of the big factors in what is holding him back. At this level of ball, I think it would be better for Olek to try and become a niche player, rahter than an all round solid player like McClure. I'm thinking more along the lines of Robert Brickey. Brickey was a good baseline finisher and could hit the occasional open shot but he didn't try to do too much. Olek doesn't have the speed of a Brickey though.

I think people overhype Olek's athletiscm. He is a strong jumper but it takes him awhile to get going. That is not a good recipe for the long quick jumpers that he will face in the ACC. Olek also lacks the lateral quickness of your typical "athlete" on the ACC level.

I hope Olek doesn't get discouraged and is patient because I think he has a chance at being a decent role player down the line. But IMO it will take alot of hard work and patience, especially on the defensive end and with the intangibles.

[Duke #33]

Czyz should have redshirted last year. It would be very odd to redshirt your sophomore year for reasons unrelated to health, but I think he should do it. He just seems completely unready to contribute and there are enough players ahead of him.

I think it was unwise not to redshirt last year. From what I remember(a little hazy), it was Czyz's dad who was strongly against him redshirting last year. I think he fits the perfect player to redshirt because he would have benefitted greatly from an extra year to increase his skills. That being said, it would seem very weird to red shirt his soph. year because he isn't ready to contribute.

[kramerbr]

I honestly thought he would be transferring after his freshman season. If he is willing to stick around and put in all the time and hard work, that says a lot about the kid. He has a chance to be a contributor on some very good Duke teams down the road.

[Duke #33]

I honestly thought he would be transferring after his freshman season. If he is willing to stick around and put in all the time and hard work, that says a lot about the kid. He has a chance to be a contributor on some very good Duke teams down the road.

I had the same thought about him transferring to a different school, but I am happy that he is willing to put in the work here at Duke.

[Kewlswim]

I had the same thought about him transferring to a different school, but I am happy that he is willing to put in the work here at Duke.

Hi,

I don't think anyone on the Duke staff told Olek he was going to be a starter or even play without being productive in practice. He knew that to play for Coach K and Duke he would have to get better and presumably he will. Perhaps I am missing something, but it seems very black and white to me.

GO DUKE!
Home of the 2009 Women's Tennis NCCA Champions

[Greg_Newton]

Hi,

I don't think anyone on the Duke staff told Olek he was going to be a starter or even play without being productive in practice. He knew that to play for Coach K and Duke he would have to get better and presumably he will. Perhaps I am missing something, but it seems very black and white to me

Very true. There was a great article posted a few months back about Olek. He had the option to go to a Nevada school and play big man right away, but he made a well thought-out decision to spend four years learning how to play wing at Duke. This was always the plan. Since he had only played basketball for several years anyway, he said something to the effect of "I need to learn, and I might as well learn from the best". He's always seemed like a smart, rational guy to me, and as far as I can tell things are still going as planned.

[Kedsy]

I saw this on the Duke twitter feed:

Olek Czyz helps Poland to third place finish at European U-20 Championships. Averaged. 7.3 points and 3.8 rebs per game as Poland went 5-1.

I thought he was still recovering from surgery?

[SupaDave]

Aleksander Czyz...
http://www.fibaeurope-u20men.com/enDivB/default.asp?cid={437CD793-ED0C-4EE5-8163-6F08988C6501}&playerID=76540&compID={792A6AB7-C6A6-434B-BEA5-9BF1BC619DB4}&season=2009&roundID=6624&teamID=347&

Looks like he got some good PT. Still a bit turnover prone but he even hit a three in one of the games. His minutes seemed to fluctuate but when given time he was generally productive. Definitely good for some banging on the boards.

[altitech]

Olek decided to take it easy on his knee and help win the FIBA-U20 Bronze for the Polish national team. He is expected to be ready for the Duke team on schedule.

Picture:

http://www.fibaeurope.com/photogalle...DB4}&limit=200

FIBA U20:

www.fibaeurope-u20men.com/enDivB/default.asp

FYI:

Olek is short for Aleksander in Polish

[6th Man]

Look at that picture...he is about to swat that girl's shot into the 15th row. Is that a girl???? Sorry, couldn't resist. Looks like a girl.

[yancem]

Look at that picture...he is about to swat that girl's shot into the 15th row. Is that a girl???? Sorry, couldn't resist. Looks like a girl.

Pat does seem to have cleanly shaven legs

[6th Man]

I talked to Olek one day on campus. He said he was living his dream playing at Duke. Really cool kid. Trust me when I say he is somebody you should pull for to get his chance one day. It'll be a long road, but he is a first class kid.

[JasonEvans]

Look at that picture...he is about to swat that girl's shot into the 15th row. Is that a girl???? Sorry, couldn't resist. Looks like a girl.

--Jason "when I see Polska, I think of keilbasa... mmmm keilbasa " Evans

[altitech]

Poland went 6-1 BTW

3-0 Pool
2-0 Qualifications
0-1 Semi
1-0 Bronze

[m g]

Olek decided to take it easy on his knee and help win the FIBA-U20 Bronze for the Polish national team. He is expected to be ready for the Duke team on schedule.

Do you actually know that he was "taking it easy on his knee" during the U20 tournament?

[altitech]

Do you actually know that he was "taking it easy on his knee" during the U20 tournament?

Well, I suppose thats taking it easy for O. He didn't play top minutes and stayed out of a back-to-back game if you check the stats. He also took frequent swaps to prevent overexertion. Despite this, he was still the 5th (avg) leading scorer. Almost all starters were from the class of '90 this year though most of the team was '89..

I managed to see one of the practices before they left for Macedonia. An Austrian player flopped & fast scissor kicked Olek in the knee right in front of the Polish coach. I cringed but Olek bounced back a little and stood tall with no emotion... Ironically, ref called a technical foul on the Polish Coach for being so upset. Poland won that practice and as I recall, Olek came out with 17pts. He loves basketball and this is the kind of player he is.

Team photo with U-20 Bronze:

http://www.fibaeurope.com/photogalle...DB4}&limit=200