June 16, 2014

Kyle Tresnak picks the wrong moment to be overcome by the healing power of our lord Angus Brandt.

Tresnak was a solid role player and compliment alongside the high scoring and possession-dominant Davion Berry in the backcourt, giving Berry a semi-reliable and extremely efficient post offensive player to ease some of the pressure. A pick and roll player with good footwork, a spin move, and an occasional pick and pop jumpshot, Tre is an effective mid-range-and-in offensive centre with a fun propensity for left handed dunking despite being a right handed player. He posts occasionally, albeit normally to a rather predictable righty hook defenders can stay at home on, and has a good free throw stroke on which he bends his knees like an overenthusiastic newcomer to calisthenics. Tresnak mostly goes right, but has the footwork and body control to occasionally go back left, and the good defensive reads to know when to do so.

In some ways, Tresnak improved in his college career. He improved his passing out of the post to a respectable level (if you were unfunny, you could also call it a passable level), something he was initially poor at doing. His offensive efficiency improved year on year, and his shotblocking numbers went from mediocre to good as his defensive awareness continuously improved. However, in some ways, Tresnak also stagnated or regressed. His jumpshot, described above as 'occasional', was once better than this and regressed as an upper classman, partly because he too often shoots them on the way down. And his rebounding rate started poor and ended poor. A liability on the glass, Tres does not always box out, loses rebounds in his area through a lack of strength and toughness, and has not the speed to track down rebounds outside of his area. Tresnak has a decent enough leap for a big man, hence all the dunks, but he hasn't the best lateral quickness to step out and defend the perimeter, and he continues to struggle with double teams and zone defenses.

Nevertheless, despite the lack of ideal size for a centre, and the big rebounding concern, Tresnak's offensive skill and help side shotblocking are highly translatable skills. Finesse players who block two shots a game and shoot nearly 60% from the field are most rare.

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