‘I just loved it’: Game of Olentangy Liberty's Kropp evolves after stint with Argentina
Monday, January 8, 2024
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Olentangy Liberty’s Tyler Kropp will play again for the Argentina national team this summer. He’s the Patriots’ only returning starter from last season. Photo: John Hulkenberg
It didn’t take long for coach Greg Nossaman to see the evolution in Tyler Kropp’s game as the Olentangy Liberty boys basketball prepared for the season.
The junior post player spent last summer with the Argentina U16 National Team, competing at FIBA Americas Championship in Yucatán, Mexico.
He averaged 10.2 points and 10.5 rebounds in six games, helping Argentina to a fourth-place finish.
“It’s definitely helped him in terms of his confidence,” Nossaman said. “European ball is a little bit more perimeter-oriented, which has helped his skills. I think he’s able to go inside-out better now and with more confidence. It’s just made him a better all-around player for the future.”
The experience was a dream come true for Kropp, who plans to represent Argentina again at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey this summer.
“My mom (Mabel) is from Argentina (and) she moved here to go to college at Ohio State,” Kropp said. “Me and my siblings all have dual citizenship with Argentina. It’s always been a part of how we grew up in the house. I just wanted to represent that. It’s a big stage and I just wanted to represent my country and represent my mom.”
Kropp comes from an athletic family. His older sister Maia was a gymnast before graduating from Liberty in 2018 and his older brother, Dylan, a 2022 Liberty graduate, just wrapped up his sophomore season at Xavier.
Tyler fell in love with basketball after attending one of Liberty’s youth camps in the third grade.
“I played a lot of soccer and I swam a lot growing up,” said Tyler, who is 6-foot-9. “I started playing basketball in the third grade and came to (one of Liberty’s camps) and started loving it. I used to play in my driveway all day. I just loved it.”
Olentangy Liberty’s Tyler Kropp battles against Thomas Worthington during a game earlier this season. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Kropp can handle the ball like a guard and he also has the ability to shoot from outside. Couple that with his tall frame and ability in the post and he’s a complete player.
It was a growth spurt between his seventh- and eighth-grade years that really changed things.
“I grew like six inches during COVID,” he said. “I was always bigger growing up, but I wasn’t that big. I used to play against a lot of older people anytime I trained. I was always against someone bigger or more veteran. So, I tended to be a guard. I always knew that – at some point – it would be good for me to have that skill set.”
Kropp has Division I offers from Illinois State, Indiana State, Miami (Ohio), Ohio, Radford, Richmond, Robert Morris, Stonehill and Toledo.
“He’s still only 16,” Nossaman said. “I think over the next couple of years he’s going to grow a little bit more. He’s got a good work ethic and I think the skies the limit in terms of his ability to play at the next level.”
Like Kropp, Liberty has been through an evolution of its own. The Patriots replaced most of its lineup from last year’s team that went 21-4 overall, won the OCC-Central Division at 9-1 and were district runners-up.
Last season, Kropp missed the first 11 games because of a knee injury and never quite came to form down the stretch. He had a piece of cartilage dislodge when he hyperextended his left knee before the start of the season.
But he’s healthy now and the Patriots are 6-4 overall and 1-2 in league play this season.
The team used a couple of getaways over the summer to get ready, namely attending a Larry Huggins-run camp in Sherrodsville, to form a better bond.
Olentangy Liberty’s Tyler Kropp, who will will play again for the Argentina national team this summer, had a career-high 34 points earlier this season. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“(We) stayed in cabins and played outdoor and indoor basketball against other schools,” said junior forward Matt Butterfield. “We were just always with each other, so we talked. It really bonded us closer together.”
This season, Kropp averages 23 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in nine games, scoring a career-high 34 points against the Tennessee Heat on Dec. 29 at Goodpasture Christian School in Madison, Tennessee.
“He’s a great balance of physical and finesse,” said Butterfield, who averages 12 points, four rebounds and 2.5 assists. “He can body anyone up, but he can also just get around a lot of people and not even need to use his body.”
Liberty features a strong post presence in Kropp, Butterfield and sophomore Parker Van Engelenhoven (9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists).
Butterfield can shoot the 3-pointer, freeing Kropp to be more of a presence inside while Van Engelenhoven is strong in the post, which allows Kropp to stretch the defense outside.
“Obviously, they’re going to try to double Tyler, which ends up leaving me and Parker open a lot of times,” Butterfield said. “That’s a big reason why we succeed is because of Tyler. Playing alongside Tyler and Parker because they both draw attention, which leaves me open a lot of times for the shot I like to shoot the most.”
Senior guard Addison Bailey was in the starting lineup last season while Kropp was out.
Senior guards J.R. Hocutt and Evan Nelson also allow Liberty to stretch opposing defenses.
“We run our stuff through (Kropp),” Nossaman said. “We want him to touch the ball every time down the court. We’re able to share the ball and he’s scoring at a high rate right now.”