University of Minnesota Athletics
High Flier; Gopher Sophomore walk-on Tyree Bolden
12/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
With the recent additions of McDonald's All-American Rick Rickert and junior college transfer Jerry Holman, many automatically assume that the team will improve on the boards. Height will definitely help, but desire and hard work is what it all comes down to.
As a young walk-on player, Bolden may not receive the playing time that he truly desires. However, whenever he's on the court, be it in practice or in a game, you better box him out. "Tyree brings a Dennis Rodman rebounding mentality. He's only 6'4" or 6'5", but he rebounds well," said senior teammate Dusty Rychart, also a former walk-on. "He's probably one of the best rebounders on the team and he makes us box out on every play," teammate and roommate Steve Esselink said. Bolden's aggressive play stems from his middle school playing days. "My middle school coach told me to be aggressive. My high school coach too. He used to always say there's no substitute for hard work," Bolden acknowledged.
His hard work paid off as he earned all-conference honors twice at Juneau High School in Milwaukee under head coach Jamie Keopp and gave him a chance to walk on at Minnesota.
Bolden's role also includes aggressive play as a scout team member. His ability to pound the boards and play left-handed prepares the team for going up against similar players. "He can imitate a lot of players. He's a good left-handed player. His athletic ability allows him to rebound well. He's a good rebounder and you have to block him out every time. He goes hard to the boards," senior Travarus Bennett noted.
The demands of being a Division I student-athlete are incredibly challenging. The time put forth in practice and film sessions also coincide with class time, and homework. For a player who is not in the regular rotation, one may question why he or she commits all this time. Not Bolden. He plays for the love of the game and his desire to get better. He never wants to be away from the game. He can also look at teammates Dusty Rychart, Steve Esselink and Jeff Hagen, current and former walk-ons who have made crucial contributions and worked their way into the lineup. Rychart came to the Gophers as a walk-on and worked his way into the starting lineup. He advises Bolden to keep working hard and if the opportunity presents itself to go after it and make the best of it. Judging by his attitude on the boards, Tyree will definitely go after it if the opportunity presents itself.
Bolden's incredible athletic ability is also noticed whenever he defies the laws of gravity, soaring in for a slam-dunk. In early November, Bolden wowed Golden Gopher Fans with an array of creative dunks during Gopher Madness at Midnight. On one dunk, he pulled his jersey over his head prior to a ferocious slam. "I was first able to dunk sophomore year in high school. I used to watch previous slam dunk contest tapes. Guys like Kenny Walker, Kenny Smith, and Spud Webb had to be creative because they were short, Bolden said. "At midnight madness, I had to be more creative because the other guys on the team are a little bit taller."
If you ask Bolden who is the best dunker in history he'd answer that Ronnie Fields, a former high school teammate of Minnesota Timberwolf Kevin Garnett. "Vince Carter knows who he is, and so does KG. Ronnie had like a 50-inch vertical. He was a great dunker," Bolden said. When asked if anyone on the team could fly like Fields, Bolden went on to say, "Moe (Hargrow) has some bounce. He has some experience in slam-dunk contests. He had some nice dunks at Midnight Madness. It could have gone either way."
When Bolden's not practicing or studying, he's another regular college kid. He hangs out with his teammates, particularly his roommate Steve Esselink.
With such a busy schedule, he doesn't have too much time to relax, but when he does have time, you might catch him watching BET's "Comic View". "It's on late at night and with practice and night class I'm not able to watch too many shows that I'd like to. I try and watch it as much as I can because I love to laugh," Bolden remarked.
According to his teammates, Bolden has a little comedian in himself. "He's a jokester. Silently, but he cracks everyone up," junior teammate Kevin Burleson acknowledged.
Bolden certainly holds an interesting personality and his teammates never fail to notice. Even his fashion sense draws a few laughs from Rychart, "He dresses nice no matter what day of the week it is. It seems like he's ready to go clubbing every day with his nice shoes and nice pants."
The contributions of Tyree Bolden have made the Golden Gophers a better basketball team. His behind the scenes work may not hit the headlines of the local newspapers but his work doesn't go unnoticed by his teammates and coaches. His athletic ability allows the Golden Gophers to get a good look at what an opposing player might play like in practice. His attitude and tough work ethic motivate his teammates while improving the team as a unit. Whenever he gets the chance to enter a game and a shot goes up, you better box out Tyree Bolden, because he will certainly go after it.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant, Andrew Wamugi Team success in college basketball hinges on the production and contributions of role players. Some will be stars while others may be delegated to doing the dirty work that can change a game, or swing momentum. Sophomore forward Tyree Bolden's role is to make the Golden Gophers a better rebounding team.
With the recent additions of McDonald's All-American Rick Rickert and junior college transfer Jerry Holman, many automatically assume that the team will improve on the boards. Height will definitely help, but desire and hard work is what it all comes down to.
As a young walk-on player, Bolden may not receive the playing time that he truly desires. However, whenever he's on the court, be it in practice or in a game, you better box him out. "Tyree brings a Dennis Rodman rebounding mentality. He's only 6'4" or 6'5", but he rebounds well," said senior teammate Dusty Rychart, also a former walk-on. "He's probably one of the best rebounders on the team and he makes us box out on every play," teammate and roommate Steve Esselink said. Bolden's aggressive play stems from his middle school playing days. "My middle school coach told me to be aggressive. My high school coach too. He used to always say there's no substitute for hard work," Bolden acknowledged.
His hard work paid off as he earned all-conference honors twice at Juneau High School in Milwaukee under head coach Jamie Keopp and gave him a chance to walk on at Minnesota.
Bolden's role also includes aggressive play as a scout team member. His ability to pound the boards and play left-handed prepares the team for going up against similar players. "He can imitate a lot of players. He's a good left-handed player. His athletic ability allows him to rebound well. He's a good rebounder and you have to block him out every time. He goes hard to the boards," senior Travarus Bennett noted.
The demands of being a Division I student-athlete are incredibly challenging. The time put forth in practice and film sessions also coincide with class time, and homework. For a player who is not in the regular rotation, one may question why he or she commits all this time. Not Bolden. He plays for the love of the game and his desire to get better. He never wants to be away from the game. He can also look at teammates Dusty Rychart, Steve Esselink and Jeff Hagen, current and former walk-ons who have made crucial contributions and worked their way into the lineup. Rychart came to the Gophers as a walk-on and worked his way into the starting lineup. He advises Bolden to keep working hard and if the opportunity presents itself to go after it and make the best of it. Judging by his attitude on the boards, Tyree will definitely go after it if the opportunity presents itself.
Bolden's incredible athletic ability is also noticed whenever he defies the laws of gravity, soaring in for a slam-dunk. In early November, Bolden wowed Golden Gopher Fans with an array of creative dunks during Gopher Madness at Midnight. On one dunk, he pulled his jersey over his head prior to a ferocious slam. "I was first able to dunk sophomore year in high school. I used to watch previous slam dunk contest tapes. Guys like Kenny Walker, Kenny Smith, and Spud Webb had to be creative because they were short, Bolden said. "At midnight madness, I had to be more creative because the other guys on the team are a little bit taller."
If you ask Bolden who is the best dunker in history he'd answer that Ronnie Fields, a former high school teammate of Minnesota Timberwolf Kevin Garnett. "Vince Carter knows who he is, and so does KG. Ronnie had like a 50-inch vertical. He was a great dunker," Bolden said. When asked if anyone on the team could fly like Fields, Bolden went on to say, "Moe (Hargrow) has some bounce. He has some experience in slam-dunk contests. He had some nice dunks at Midnight Madness. It could have gone either way."
When Bolden's not practicing or studying, he's another regular college kid. He hangs out with his teammates, particularly his roommate Steve Esselink.
With such a busy schedule, he doesn't have too much time to relax, but when he does have time, you might catch him watching BET's "Comic View". "It's on late at night and with practice and night class I'm not able to watch too many shows that I'd like to. I try and watch it as much as I can because I love to laugh," Bolden remarked.
According to his teammates, Bolden has a little comedian in himself. "He's a jokester. Silently, but he cracks everyone up," junior teammate Kevin Burleson acknowledged.
Bolden certainly holds an interesting personality and his teammates never fail to notice. Even his fashion sense draws a few laughs from Rychart, "He dresses nice no matter what day of the week it is. It seems like he's ready to go clubbing every day with his nice shoes and nice pants."
The contributions of Tyree Bolden have made the Golden Gophers a better basketball team. His behind the scenes work may not hit the headlines of the local newspapers but his work doesn't go unnoticed by his teammates and coaches. His athletic ability allows the Golden Gophers to get a good look at what an opposing player might play like in practice. His attitude and tough work ethic motivate his teammates while improving the team as a unit. Whenever he gets the chance to enter a game and a shot goes up, you better box out Tyree Bolden, because he will certainly go after it.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant, Andrew Wamugi
