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    • Marquette's Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro have new numbers in the NBA
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    Marquette's Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro have new numbers in the NBA

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    It's a big week for former Marquette stars Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro as they begin their rookie NBA seasons.

    They're also wearing new jerseys this season… for good reason. The No. 11 Kolek wore in his final two seasons with the Golden Eagles will be taken over by New York Knicks All-Star teammate Jalen Brunson, and Ighodaro can't wear No. 13 with the Suns like he did did at MU because Phoenix withdrew them for two-time MVP Steve Nash.

    So Kolek took No. 13 to honor Ighodaro, and Ighodaro chose No. 4.

    “One of my teammates at Marquette, Stevie Mitchell, I wanted to honor him and wear No. 4,” Ighodaro said in a video posted by the NBA on social media.

    Kolek was also seen in the video.

    “It definitely just shows the relationships we have with each other,” Kolek said.

    Stevie Mitchell is touched as Ighodaro wears his Marquette number

    At Wednesday's Big East media day in New York, Mitchell was visibly touched by Ighodaro's choice.

    “It meant a lot to me,” Mitchell told USA TODAY Network's John Leuzzi at Madison Square Garden. “Just because he didn’t have to say the things he said.

    “He could have just left it like this: 'Well, there are no more numbers, this is the number.' He could have left it like, “Oh, one of my teammates wore 4, so I decided that.” But every time someone hears his name, it means a lot more to someone. But that’s not unexpected, because he’s been doing it for as long as I’ve known him.”

    Ighodaro and Mitchell had a close bond at MU and ran two-man operations where they worked together endlessly, so it became second nature to them.

    The two had discussed Ighodaro's decision before he made it public.

    “That greeting was really cool,” Mitchell said. “And then we couple that with Tyler wearing number 13 and Oso wearing number 13 in college.

    “It was just a really cool connection. Saved my day.”

    Shaka Smart loves it when the bonds between former teammates and Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro remain intact

    MU head coach Shaka Smart always emphasizes the importance of relationships in his program. So it was cool for him to see his former players' new numbers.

    “We say the players make the culture and then the culture makes the players,” Smart told Leuzzi at Big East Media Day. “So it’s a two-way relationship.

    “And it’s not something that’s supposed to be over once their career is over. It should be a way of life that continues. And that's really one of the joys of coaching: helping guys adopt certain behaviors that will help them be more successful for the rest of their lives.

    Kolek made his NBA debut against the Boston Celtics

    Kolek made his NBA debut on Tuesday night, checking in with about five minutes left as the Knicks were knocked out by the defending champion Boston Celtics.

    Kolek promptly scored his first NBA points with a three-pointer.

    The Suns' first game is Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, and a strong preseason could help Ighodaro land in Phoenix's rotation for new coach Mike Budenholzer.

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    Kathleen William
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