It hasn't taken Olek Czyz long to make his presence felt with the Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team.
"Oh, he's the same guy he's always been," smiled Wolf Pack sophomore Luke Babbitt of the Wolf Pack's latest transfer player. "He's a funny guy. He's always talking, bringing a lot of energy. Everytime we miss a shot in practice he's right there putting his two cents in, telling us what we're doing wrong."
Czyz, who helped lead Reno High to a pair of Nevada Class 4A state titles in 2006 and 2008, is only eligible to practice with the Pack this season after leaving the Duke Blue Devils in December. The 6-foot-7 Czyz hopes to be cleared to play his first game in a Wolf Pack uniform in December 2010.
"I can't wait," the Gdynia, Poland native said Thursday as the Pack prepared to host Hawaii Saturday at Lawlor Events Center. "I'm real excited about December."
Until then, however, he's going to help his new teammates any way he can.
"I'm going to try to make these guys better," said Czyz, who came to the United States from Poland when he was a freshman in high school in the fall of 2004. "I want to get the competition level in practice as high as possible."
Competition is something Czyz wasn't getting at Duke.
He played just 51 minutes over 13 games last year as a freshman and this year played just 61 minutes over six games. In his 19 games and 112 total minutes at Duke, he scored 23 points, pulled down 24 rebounds, blocked one shot, had seven assists, had two steals and made 10-of-25 shots (1-of-7 on 3's) and 2-of-6 free throws.
"Playing time was a big factor why I left Duke," Czyz said. "But it was hard to leave there. The environment there is something you don't see (at other schools) everyday.
But I just thought I could do a lot of things here at Nevada."
Czyz, who will turn 20-years-old on March 3, has fit in nicely at Nevada. His older sister Anita is a student at Nevada and he already knew most of the Wolf Pack players. He is even a former teammate of Babbitt's, the two having played together in the summer with the AAU Las Vegas Prospects.
"It has been a smooth transition," Czyz said. "I already knew half of these guys before I even got here."
Czyz, who might already be the Pack's best athlete with his outstanding jumping ability, has already helped his new teammates.
"He's raised the intensity level in practice," Pack coach David Carter said. "He brings a lot of energy everyday."
Carter said there will be no problem blending the 6-7 Czyz with the 6-9 Babbitt next year.
"Both of them are so versatile," Carter said. "They can both play the three (small forward) or the four (power forward)."
While he was at Reno High, Czyz had a limited offensive game with an erratic jumpshot from outside the paint. Those days, Carter said, are a thing of the past.
"He's a lot more consistent with his shot now," Carter said. "We (Pack coaches) were pleased to see that. He still has a long ways to go but he's definitely improved in that area. He has many more perimeter skills now than he did in high school."
Czyz is also confident he can play with Babbitt.
"We can both play inside and out," Czyz said. "Our versatility will allow us to be out there together."
Czyz added that he's a different player than he was at Reno High.
"In high school, I was just a post player," he said. "At Duke, I had to go out and play on the perimeter and learn a different game. It's been real good for my development."
Babbitt has also noticed a difference in his new teammate.
"You can tell he's learned a lot having played for Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski at Duke) for two years," Babbitt said.
Babbitt isn't surprised that Czyz has adapted to his new team so quickly.
"He had a nice comfort level here right away," Babbitt said.
"It's been great so far, at practice and in school," Czyz said. "I'm seeing different people everyday that I used to know when I was high school. I'm excited to see everyone."
