Olek's Biography
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Aleksander Czyz (Olek) grew up playing basketball in Poland. He first started playing when he was 10 years old for a club team called Prokom Trefl Gdynia. At the age of 14 he moved with his mother and sister to the United States. Olek's main priority was to play basketball and develop his game into another level. Olek is known for his dunking abilities and his 44.5 inch vert. As a 14 year old, Olek played at Reno High School, where he was a 2 time State Champion. He earned numerous scholarships to colleges around the country going into his Senior year of High School. Throughout his Freshman and half of his Sophmore year he played for Duke University. In mid-season the 6'7, 240 lbs forward recommited to the University of Nevada, where he played during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 season. During his Junior year he was selected for the WAC All-Newcomer team. During his Senior year he was selected for the WAC All-Conference First team and lead the Wolf Pack to a Conference Championship. Currently, Olek is getting ready for the 2012 NBA draft. He is working with Brad Ames at Priority Sports.
2010-2012
- Won the NCAA Dunk of the Year Award by The Hoops Manifesto (see dunk).
- WAC 2011-2012 All-Conference First Team Award.
- Averaged 13.8 ppg, 6.5 reb during 2011-2012 season.
- Helped lead the Wolf Pack to a 2011-2012 WAC Conference Championship.
- WAC 2010-2011 All-Newcomer Team Award.
- Averaged 12.3 ppg, 5.7 reb during 2010-2011 season.
- All-WAC leader in 3 pt shooting during 2010-2011, with 46.8% shots made.
2009-2010
- Lead the Polish U20 basketball team in winning a bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA tournament.
- Olek was an all-tournament first team during FIBA U20 tournament in 2010.
- During FIBA 2010 U20, Olek was named "best forward" by www.Eurobasket.com averaging 16.1 ppg, 8.1 rebounds, was ranked #1 in 2 pts Field Goal Percentage (74%) and #1 Field Goal Percentage (70.9%).
2008-2009
- Earned a bronze medal while playing for Poland’s Under-20 team at the 2009 European U-20 Championships, averaged 7.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while helping Poland to a 5-1 record, posted a .514 (18-of-35) field goal percentage in the tournament
- Played at Duke University.
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High School
- Three-year letterwinner and two-year captain at Reno High
- Led Reno to a 77-17 record, including two state championships
- Named first team all-state as a senior after averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game ... led Reno to a 26-6 record in 2008
- Scored 25 points and added 13 rebounds and three blocked shots in the state semifinal win over Foothill
- Posted 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 76-72 win over Cheyenne in the 4A state championship game
- Two-time All-Sierra League and Northern Nevada NIAA 4A all-region selection
- Three-time winner of the Wild West Tournament Slam Dunk Contest, also led Reno to two team championships at the Wild West Tournament
- Claimed MVP honors at the 35th annual Under Armour Capital Classic after scoring a game-high 23 points to lead the U.S. All-Stars to a 123-85 victory over the Capital All-Stars, shot 9-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the foul line while adding nine rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in the game
- Scored 32 points to lead the Blue team to a 94-82 win over Silver in the ninth annual Fallon Optimist All-Star Classic
- Earned second team all-state accolades after averaging 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as a junior, guided his team to a 24-6 record
- Averaged 28.0 points per game to earn all-tournament team honors at the Bishop Gorman Holiday Classic in 2007
- Led Reno to tournament titles at the Wild West Tournament, Desert Heat Classic and Rocklin Tournament as a junior
- Scored 41 points to claim MVP honors at the 2006 Desert Heat Classic
- Scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds per game to help Reno to the state championship as a sophomore
- Won the Velocity Sports “Winter Hoops Madness” Slam Dunk contest as a sophomore
- Ranked 87th overall and 27th among power forwards by ESPN 100
- Listed 93rd (30th among power forwards) by Scout.com
- Rated 112th overall and 29th at the power forward position by Rivals.com
- Played AAU with the Las Vegas Prospects ... led the team to the championships of the Las Vegas Spring Explosion and the Final Four of the Las Vegas Easter Classic in 2007, also played in the consolation game of the Double Pump Spring Showcase
- Led the Las Vegas Prospects to the Las Vegas Youth Basketball Classic in 2006
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Personal
- Born Aleksander Czyz on March 3, 1990, in Gdynia, Poland
- Son of Joanna Avery and stepfather William Avery
- Older sister, Anita Czyz, graduated with a degree in marketing from the University of Nevada, Reno
- Mother, Joanna, earned a masters degree in international business from Gdansk University in Poland
- Stepfather, William Avery, is an embedded engineer
- Biological father, Waldemar, played basketball at the university level in Poland
- Immigrated to the United States in 2004 prior to his freshman year
- Grew up playing soccer in Poland
- Studied and played basketball at Zespol Sportowych Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych from 2001-04.
- Named MVP of Gdynia, Poland - Pomorskie Region in 2004
- Enjoys playing guitar, watching movies and visiting other countries
- Favorite athlete is Vince Carter
See more under the detailed Q & A tab.
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