In October, Tyler Kolek was the center of attention at Madison Square Garden during the Big East's media day in New York.

The All-American point guard for the Marquette men's basketball team attracted a steady stream of journalists with recording devices, not only because he was the conference's preseason player of the year but also because he has a penchant for dropping an occasional profanity during interviews.

During a break in the action, Kolek looked to his left and saw Josh Oduro answering questions at Providence's table.

The fiery point guard turned pensive.

“The time really flies in college basketball," Kolek said. "I feel like I just started at George Mason. I was playing with Josh Oduro over there. He was my teammate my freshman year and I felt like I was just playing with him just the other day.”

There will be more reflective moments when the Rhode Island native returns to his home state as the seventh-ranked Golden Eagles (9-2) take on Providence (9-2) in the teams' Big East opener on Tuesday at the American Mutual Pavilion.

The game is a confluence of past, present and future for Kolek.

Oduro and Providence head coach Kim English, previously the head coach at George Mason, will be there to remind Kolek of his unheralded beginnings in college basketball. The first league game will be a marker for a MU team that is looking to defend its Big East regular-season and tournament championships. And, though he has decisions to make about next season, this could be the last college game for Kolek in the arena where his dad used to bring him to watch games.

"I feel like going into that game is always the same thing," Kolek said. "I got 50 tickets. My whole family is in the crowd, my friends are in the crowd. It’s just heightened emotions that way. I’ll be excited to go against those guys and maybe some added emotion."

Tyler Kolek has come a long way from George Mason

It's hard to believe that one of the faces of college basketball was just one of the thousand-plus names in the NCAA transfer portal after the 2020-21 season.

Kolek was the Atlantic 10 rookie of the year, but he was pondering his next move after Wausau native Dave Paulsen was fired as George Mason's coach.

Coaches were studying Kolek's game film, trying to figure out if the guy who averaged 10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game was better off the ball or as a point guard.

That included English, who took over George Mason, and new MU coach Shaka Smart.

"I remember one time I was working out with one of the assistants and (English) was watching and I sat down next to him," Kolek said. "We were talking and he called Coach Smart on the phone on FaceTime and he showed me to him, and he was like ‘You really want this guy?’ Shaka was like ‘Hell yeah.’"

Smart bet on Kolek's competitiveness and work ethic. It paid off in Kolek becoming one of the best point guards in the country. He is averaging 15 points, 5.9 assists and 5 rebounds per game.

Kolek has also thrived off the court at MU, becoming savvy with name, image and likeness deals while also cultivating his introspective side by journaling every day.

"That was a long time ago," Kolek said of his freshman season at George Mason. "Didn’t know much. Just trying to keep my head down and work as hard as I could. I wasn’t as mature, living out the day to day.

"The journey and the path wasn’t really something that I looked forward to. It was more so, I lived on a day-to-day basis. If I had a bad practice, I was down. If I had a good game, I was up. If I had a bad game, I was down.

"Kind of lived day by day and that’s a miserable way to live. You kind of didn’t always see the bigger picture. I feel like since leaving there, this has given me a great perspective on that there’s much more out there than just the little small circle."

Will the next step for Tyler Kolek be the NBA?

Kolek still has an extra year of NCAA eligibility granted to the athletes in the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season.

He has talked about not thinking about that decision until the end of the season. With his play this season, he has piqued the interest of NBA teams. The large collection of league scouts at the Maui Invitational in November raved about Kolek's leadership, basketball IQ and competitiveness. He's popping up on mock NBA drafts as a likely second-round pick.

So there is a chance that Tuesday's matchup could be Kolek's final college game in Providence. He has yet to win at Amica Mutual Pavilion after the Golden Eagles fell in a 65-63 thriller in the 2021-22 season and then lost a two-overtime epic last season despite Kolek's college high of 29 points.

"I don’t really think about that too much, last game at Providence or not," Kolek said. "I’m trying to come out of there with a win because I haven’t yet.

"But just trying to go in there and lock in as I always have. Just because my whole friends and family are there doesn’t mean that I got to be out of body or have that extra added motivation. No, it’s like another game and I got to do what I got to do to win.”

It's been an incredible ride for Kolek since he started playing college basketball. But he's not done yet.

"I’m definitely proud of myself," Kolek said. "Still got a lot of work to do. The ultimate goal is to play in the league, the best league in the world. That’s the pinnacle of anything. So proud of myself while still knowing there is work to do.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette Golden Eagles point guard Tyler Kolek returns home to play Providence