Between his struggles with addiction and Tyler Kolek, Nick Correia's relationship with basketball was “weird.” He didn't trust himself.
The sport seemed like a catalyst for the drug addiction that had once crippled Correia's life.
But then, as Correia began coaching Korec and the point guard rose from underdog to NCAA star, those dark days became even more forgotten.
“Tyler was a zero-star recruit,” Correia told The Post. “He wasn't ranked like that. He didn't have any big scholarship offers. He had to work at everything. And when you see guys that are that persistent, you just can't help it. To me, that's what the game is about: guys that play hard and play selflessly.”
“I was like, 'Oh yeah, that's why I love this game.' Tyler was the first game I was ever on the edge of my seat watching with emotion and passion and not wanting to miss a game.”
Kolek and Correia’s partnership has been mutually beneficial.
Coach Korec has had Correia work with him on strength and conditioning since he was 17, and he continues to work with him this summer as he prepares for his rookie season with the Knicks as a point guard.
Correia, a Massachusetts native, Larry Bird fanatic and “The Departed” accent, worked out the 23-year-old Korec this week, about a month before the Knicks' training camp opens in Charleston, South Carolina.
Correia likened these sessions to tuning up a car.
Their training became more intense during the pandemic, with Kolek staying at home in Rhode Island for long periods of time and deadlifting 335 pounds for 20 repetitions.
“[Kolek’s] “He's been home for about a week now, we changed the spark plugs, we got new tires, we're trying to get him as loose and in shape as possible before he gets to camp,” Correia said. “He came to me two weeks ago after summer league and we worked out for five days, trying to get him stronger, trying to put on some muscle, because I know the demands of the NBA and it's tough. … But you can't sacrifice speed, agility and mobility for strength. If you make him super strong and you lose a step, you're in trouble, so we did a mix of things.”
Prior to becoming a trainer, Correia was the Division III basketball coach at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
He also developed a drug addiction, and his victory celebrations with staff were sometimes drowned in alcohol.
Alcohol gave way to cocaine and opioids.
a A 2017 Standard-Times profile of Correia It also details his heroin use and arrest.
“My love for baseball faded,” Correia said. “The problem was, after one beer, I didn't want to play baseball anymore. I was using baseball as a way to buy drugs.”
Correia got sober more than a decade ago with the help of Chris Herren, a former NBA player who overcame his own drug addiction and now runs a recovery center in Massachusetts.
Over the next few years, Correia found success in both sobriety and strength training.
He teamed up with Kolek, and during their six summers together, the smart point guard was Rhode Island's high school player of the year, Atlantic 10 freshman of the year at George Mason and Big East player of the year at Marquette University.
Korec's performance at Marquette University led to him becoming a college star and being selected by the Knicks with the 34th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
“When he started playing at Marquette University, I told him, 'Tyler, you made me fall in love with baseball again,'” Correia said.
But here comes the hardest part.
Korec, who showed off his passing prowess during last month's summer league, could earn a rotation spot on a Knicks team that reaches the conference finals as an older rookie with the richest contract in NBA history.
There is a potential need at backup point guard, with newly signed Cam Payne also competing for the position, and Miles McBride better suited as a two-guard.
Korec is likely to be in the rotation and is a supporter of head coach Tom Thibodeau's draft pick for the Marquette University graduate, sources said. Korec also has a staunch supporter in the weight room: a trainer who knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity.
“I've never seen that kid not be in the rotation and I've never seen him not make the guys around him better,” Correia said. “With the Knicks' offense and how they fell apart with injuries in the playoffs, they obviously needed depth and I think he provides that depth.”
“Tyler can play with anyone. [Donte] DiVincenzo. He is [Jalen] Brunson. I think he's going to be an X-factor that people don't realize because he can do so many things, and he's at his best in big-game situations. He plays with a lot of energy, like John Starks in the '90s. Spike Lee will be adding a Tyler Kolek jersey to his rotation.”
