Kyle Carlesimo might not get much playing time but he knows the role he brings to the year's Colgate team.

“My role is, you know, bring an energy on the bench and playing as fast as I can when I get in the game," Carlesimo said. "I'm going to do that to the best of my ability and work as hard as I can in practice and try to make every one of my teammates better.”

He’s not the biggest, nor the fastest on the court but always seems to be in the right place at the right time, learning little tricks of the trade from his father — former Seton Hall and longtime NBA head coach P.J. Carlesimo.

“It's awesome like seeing my dad coach on TV or when I was fortunate to be able to travel and go to the games," Kyle said. "It's a dream come true. All kids want to go to Disney World, I'd rather go to a basketball game. Like, I couldn't have had it any better. I was I was so fortunate and so lucky to have those experiences. People ask like, Oh, did you feel pressure to pursue basketball? And I mean, no, my dad, he would be the first one to tell you, no, he decided all by himself. But I couldn't could have never imagined not pursuing basketball.”

The knowledge he brings to the court is likely only second to the coaching staff.

“Having the knowledge I have and the IQ that I feel like I have, like there's no doubt in my mind that if I wasn't at that level, thinking the game, I wouldn't be at this level of basketball," Kyle said. "So it's helped me in that sense. And just you know, being around the game so much, I just try to take in as much as I can and try to be a sponge as much as possible. Whether that's learning from Coach [Matt] Langel and all the coaches in practice or watching a game on TV and picking something up. Just always being able to try to learn something new is something that has helped me a ton in the game.”

Kyle will admit having a last name like his makes him an easy target.

“You get the heckles, they make me smile, not because I find them amusing," Kyle said. "It's funny. I'm proud that, you know, I can carry on the last name.”

But it’s a name that has given him a lifetime of memories as he hopes to carry on the legacy of his father.

“Can’t really imagine what I’ll do when I stop playing basketball except I’ll coach which is something I've pretty much known for, I don't want to say a while because I sound like old man," Kyle said with a laugh. "I've known that I've always wanted to coach just because I've seen the success and the enjoyment my dad's had from it. So yeah, you know, play for as long as I can and then hopefully be able to coach.”