Colorado Basketball – April – September, 2018

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Colorado Basketball – April – September, 2018

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September 27th

… CU in the Arena …

CU announces men’s basketball schedule, including Pac-12 conference games

Press Release from CUBuffs.com … The University of Colorado men’s basketball team will once again appear on prime, national television slots as the full 2018-19 schedule was announced on Thursday.

All 30 regular season games will air on a national or regional basis, with 15 of those contests on the Pac-12 Networks. Eleven games will air on the ESPN family of networks; three will be on FS1 and one on AT&T Sports Network.

Colorado’s schedule features 15 contests at the CU Events Center, 12 road dates and the three-game Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu at the end of December.

Colorado will open the 2018-19 campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at home against Drake (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network). The Buffaloes will play their first two and six of their first eight at the CU Events Center. Following back-to-back trips to San Diego and Air Force Thanksgiving Week, Colorado returns home for its next four highlighted by a battle with Colorado State on Saturday, Dec. 1 (1 p.m., Pac-12).

After a nationally televised game at New Mexico on Tuesday, Dec. 11 (7 p.m., ESPN2), Colorado will take an 11-day break for finals before competing in the previously announced Diamond Head Classic. The Buffaloes open with Indiana State on Saturday, Dec. 22, play either UNLV or Hawai’i on Sunday, Dec. 23 and wrap up the classic on Christmas Day. All three games will be televised on one of the ESPN networks.

Colorado begins the Pac-12 season on the road for the fourth-straight year by visiting defending league champion Arizona on Thursday, Jan. 3 (7 p.m., FS1). The Buffaloes will be road heavy early with five of their first seven away from Boulder.

Colorado opens its home Pac-12 schedule the following week with Washington State on Thursday, Jan. 10 (7 p.m., Pac-12) and Washington on Saturday, Jan. 12 (8 p.m., ESPNU).

For the first time in five years, Colorado will see the trio of Arizona, Oregon and UCLA all at the CU Events Center. Seasons past have showcased one or two of the three at home, but all three travel to Boulder for the first time since 2013-14.

Oregon will visit the CU Events Center on Saturday, Feb. 2 (7:30 p.m., Pac-12). The Wildcats are on tap for Sunday, Feb. 17 (6 p.m., ESPNU). UCLA will the second contest in Colorado’s three-game home stand to end the regular season on Thursday, March 7 (7 p.m., ESPN2/U).

Eight of the Buffaloes’ final nine opponents advanced to postseason play last year, including all five coming to the CU Events Center.

Colorado men’s basketball season tickets are on sale now and begin as low as $160. Visit CUBuffs.com/tickets or call 303-49BUFFS for more information.

2018-19 COLORADO MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME (MST) TV

Saturday, Nov. 3 COLORADO MINES (Exh.) BOULDER 4 p.m. 

Tuesday, Nov. 13 DRAKE BOULDER 6 p.m. PAC12

Friday, Nov. 16 OMAHA BOULDER 7 p.m. PAC12

Tuesday, Nov. 20 at San Diego San Diego, Calif. 8 p.m. ESPNU

Saturday, Nov. 24 at Air Force USAFA, Colo. 4 p.m. ATTSN

Wednesday, Nov. 28 PORTLAND BOULDER 7 p.m. PAC12 

Saturday, Dec. 1 COLORADO STATE BOULDER 1 p.m. PAC12

Tuesday, Dec. 4 SOUTH DAKOTA BOULDER 7 p.m. PAC12

Saturday, Dec. 8 UIC BOULDER 4 p.m. PAC12

Tuesday, Dec. 11 at New Mexico Albuquerque, N.M. 7 p.m. ESPN2

Diamond Head Classic 

Saturday, Dec. 22 ^-vs. Indiana State Honolulu, Hawai’i 1 p.m. ESPNU

Sunday, Dec. 23 ^-vs. UNLV/Hawai’i Honolulu, Hawai’i 2:30/5 p.m. ESPN2/U

Tuesday, Dec. 25 ^-vs. TBA Honolulu, Hawai’i TBA TBA

Thursday, Jan. 3 *at Arizona Tucson, Ariz. 7 p.m. FS1

Saturday, Jan. 5 *at Arizona State Tempe, Ariz. 4 p.m. PAC12

Thursday, Jan. 10 *WASHINGTON STATE BOULDER 7 p.m. PAC12

Saturday, Jan. 12 *WASHINGTON BOULDER 8 p.m. ESPNU

Sunday, Jan. 20 *at Utah Salt Lake City, Utah 4 p.m. ESPNU

Thursday, Jan. 24 *at California Berkeley, Calif. 9 p.m. PAC12

Saturday, Jan. 26 *at Stanford Stanford, Calif. 6 p.m. FS1

Thursday, Jan. 31 *OREGON STATE BOULDER 7 p.m. PAC12

Saturday, Feb. 2 *OREGON BOULDER 7:30 p.m. PAC12

Wednesday, Feb. 6 *at UCLA Los Angeles, Calif. 7 p.m. PAC12

Saturday, Feb. 9 *at USC Los Angeles, Calif. 8 p.m. ESPN/2/U

Wednesday, Feb. 13 *ARIZONA STATE BOULDER 8:30 p.m. FS1

Sunday, Feb. 17 *ARIZONA BOULDER 6 p.m. ESPNU

Wednesday, Feb. 20 *at Washington State Pullman, Wash. 8 p.m. PAC12

Saturday, Feb. 23 *at Washington Seattle, Wash. 8:30 p.m. PAC12

Saturday, Mar. 2 *UTAH BOULDER 4 p.m. ESPNU

Thursday, Mar. 7 *UCLA BOULDER 7 p.m. ESPN2/U

Saturday, Mar. 9 *USC BOULDER 3 p.m. PAC12 

March 13-16 Pac-12 Tournament Las Vegas, Nev. TBA TBA

March 19-20 NCAA First Four Dayton, Ohio TBA TBA

March 21-24 NCAA 1st & 2nd Rounds TBA TBA TBA

March 28-31 NCAA Regional TBA TBA TBA

April 6-8 NCAA Final Four Minneapolis, Minn. TBA TBA

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September 24th

… CU in the Arena … 

CU men’s basketball non-conference schedule uninspiring

From the Daily Camera …

CU isn’t planning to release its nonconference schedule until this upcoming week, likely in tandem with the full Pac-12 Conference schedule. If the idea was to shroud the underwhelming nonconference names with the reminder that Oregon, Arizona and USC are coming to town, it’s not the worst marketing ploy in the world. Still, for a program that on one hand has witnessed a steady decrease in attendance in recent years while expecting to need every power-ranking point it can muster come March, the ledger doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Unless each and every one of the following schools is posting erroneous information on their respective websites, here are the teams coming to the CU Events Center during the season’s first two months.

Nov. 13: Drake.

Nov. 16: Omaha.

Nov. 28: Portland.

Dec. 1: Colorado State.

Dec. 4: South Dakota.

Dec. 8: Illinois-Chicago.

Those dates are in addition to road games at San Diego (Nov. 20), Air Force (Nov. 24) and New Mexico (Dec. 11), plus three games at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii beginning Dec. 22 against Indiana State.

… Continue reading story here …

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August 27th

… CU in the Arena … 

Former Buff guard Nate Tomlinson joins staff as a coaching intern

From the Daily Camera … During his playing days at Colorado, former guard Nate Tomlinson provided the sort of heady floor generalship that head coach Tad Boyle always believed would serve Tomlinson well when the day came for him to turn his sights toward a potential coaching career.

That time apparently has arrived for Tomlinson, and his coaching journey will begin right back at the University of Colorado.

In a new twist to the setup of Boyle’s staff, Tomlinson will be rejoining the Buffs for the 2018-19 season as a coaching intern. It is a position that has not been utilized during Boyle’s previous eight seasons at the helm, and Tomlinson’s specific duties won’t be clarified until he begins his new job in mid-September. Yet when the Buffs open official preseason practices in early October, Tomlinson will be back in the mix seven years after his senior season in Boulder.

“A very high basketball IQ,” Boyle said. “He’s the son of a coach. He’s got coaching in his blood. I knew when his playing days were over with, he was going to be a coach. It was just a matter of where and when. So here we are. I told him when his playing days were over with to let me know and we’d help any way we can.”

… Continue reading story here …

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August 24th

… CU in the Arena …

Tad Boyle not sure if new metrics will help or hurt Buffs’ chances for an NCAA bid

From the Daily Camera … If all goes according to plan, by next March the NET worth of Tad Boyle’s Colorado basketball team will spark an invitation to the NCAA Tournament.

On Wednesday, the NCAA announced a shift in the primary metrics used to evaluate credentials for the 68-team NCAA tourney. The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), in play for over 35 years, no longer will be the primary barometer for inclusion, and seeding, in the tournament field.

Instead, the upcoming 2018-19 season will introduce the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), which reorganizes some of the priorities of the RPI while adding new dynamics to the equation.

“Until we go through a season, and until we go through a selection process…we can see maybe where it helps, or does it make a change? Is it any different? We don’t know,” Boyle said. “I’m not a statistician. That’s not my business. I thought the RPI was good in the sense that it took into account road games versus home games. Is the new metric going to be better? I don’t know.”

… Continue reading story here …

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July 19th

… CU in the Arena … 

CU men’s basketball looking for two more non-conference opponents

From the Daily Camera … This week’s announcement of the weekly pairings for the Pac-12 schedule left just a few holes to fill before CU announces its full schedule for 2018-19 season. Yet Boyle and his staff recently hit a snag in those plans. After getting down to just one home game to fill on the nonconference schedule, one undisclosed school backed out of an agreement with the Buffs.

CU currently is attempting to fill two home dates on its nonconference schedule before announcing the non-league dates and opponents.

“We’re working on it every day,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said. “We need two home games. Our road games are kind of settled. We need quality home games, and those are even harder to do. We can get weak teams to come here. But we need some quality opponents. That’s what difficult.”

The Buffs will complete contractual agreements in 2018-19 with visits to New Mexico, San Diego, and Air Force. CU also will face Indiana State in its first game at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii on Dec. 22, with a contest the following day against either UNLV or Hawaii. The Buffs will play a third game at the tournament on Christmas against either Bucknell, Rhode Island, TCU, or Charlotte.

… Continue reading story here …

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July 16th

… CU in the Arena …

CU men’s basketball Pac-12 pairings announced

Press release from CUBuffs.com … The Pac-12 Conference has released the weekly matchups and site designations for the league’s 2018-19 men’s basketball season.

The announcement reflects the games being played and the home/away designations each week of the Pac-12 regular season. Specific dates and times for each game within a week will be announced later this summer after selections by the league’s television partners are finalized. All 108 conference games will be televised by either the ESPN family of networks, FOX/FS1, CBS or Pac-12 Network.

2018-19 PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL WEEKLY PAIRINGS (Wednesday-Sunday)

Week of Jan. 2-6
Colorado/Utah at Arizona/Arizona State
California/Stanford at UCLA/USC
Oregon State at Oregon
Washington State at Washington

Week of Jan. 9-13
Washington/Washington State at Colorado/Utah
Arizona/Arizona State at California/Stanford
UCLA/USC at Oregon/Oregon State

Week of Jan. 16-20
Colorado at Utah
California/Stanford at Washington/Washington State
Oregon/Oregon State at Arizona/Arizona State
UCLA at USC

Week of Jan. 23-27
Colorado/Utah at California/Stanford
Arizona/Arizona State at UCLA/USC
Washington/Washington State at Oregon/Oregon State

Week of Jan. 30-Feb. 3
Oregon/Oregon State at Colorado/Utah
Arizona at Arizona State
Stanford at California
UCLA/USC at Washington/Washington State

Week of Feb. 6-10
Colorado/Utah at UCLA/USC
California/Stanford at Oregon/Oregon State
Washington/Washington State at Arizona/Arizona State

Week of Feb. 13-17
Arizona/Arizona State at Colorado/Utah
UCLA/USC at California/Stanford
Oregon at Oregon State
Washington at Washington State

Week of Feb. 20-24
Colorado/Utah at Washington/Washington State
California/Stanford at Arizona/Arizona State
Oregon/Oregon State at UCLA/USC

Week of Feb. 27-March 3
Utah at Colorado
Arizona/Arizona State at Oregon/Oregon State
USC at UCLA
Washington/Washington State at California/Stanford

Week of March 6-9
(Regular season ends Saturday, March 9)
UCLA/USC at Colorado/Utah
Arizona State at Arizona
California at Stanford
Oregon/Oregon State at Washington/Washington State

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July 15th

… CU in the Arena … 

Team Colorado bounced in second round of The Basketball Tournament

From the Daily Camera … Team Colorado’s run at The Basketball Tournament surprisingly ended on Saturday.

No. 2 seed Team Colorado couldn’t recover from a slow first quarter, in which they fell behind by 18 points, and was upset No. 7 Eberlein Drive in second round in Los Angeles.

Marcus Hall’s 22 points led the way for Team Colorado, which failed in its quest to reach a third straight Super 16.

Eberlein Drive’s Donald Sloan connected on 11 of 15 fromt he field, going 6-for-9 from three-point range, in leading Eberlein Drive to the win. Jerome Randle contributed 18 points, and Alex Kirk added 17 points, including the final two from the foul line, to clinch the win for Eberlein Drive.

Christopher Copleand scored 17 points for Team Colorado and Richard Roby contributed 13 in the loss.

Team Colorado only led the game for a total 58 seconds.

Eberlein Drive 83, Team Colorado 76

At Los Angeles

Eberlein Drive

Randle 6-16 5-5 18, Sloan 11-15 4-4 32, Amundson 1-4 1-2 3, Braun 1-3 2-2 4, Kirk 5-8 5-6 17, Eldridge 3-6 0-0 9. Totals 27-52 17-19 83.

Team Colorado

Hall 9-15 1-4 22, Relphorde 4-13 2-4 12, Roby 5-13, 2-4 13, Coleman 1-3 0-0 3, C. Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Sharpe 4-6 1-1 9, Wright 0-0 0-0 0, Copeland 6-12 3-4 17, J. Williams 0-2 0-0 0, Dufault 0-0 0-0. Totals 29-64 9-17 76

Score by quarters:

Eberlein Drive 34 17 16 16 — 83

Team Colorado 16 23 16 21 — 76

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July 14th

… CU in the Arena …

Team Colorado wins its The Basketball Tournament opener in a rout

From the Daily Camera …Team Colorado opened the The Basketball Tournament with an easy win over Kimchi Express in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Richard Roby connected on nine of his 13 field-goal attempts and finished with a team-high 20 points in the victory. Marcus Relaphorde added 15 points for Team Colorado.

Team Colorado blew the game open in the third quarter when they outscored Kimchi Express, 34-13. Team Colorado has won four straight opening round games.

Byron Wesley led Kimchi Express with 20 points, and Will Davis II pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds in the losing effort.

Team Colorado will play their next game on Sunday in Los Angeles against the winner of the Eberlein Drive/Broad Street Brawlers game.

Team Colorado 105, Kimchi Express 73

Kimchi Express (1-1)

Coleman 7-19 4-4 20, Davis II 3–15 3-6 9, Guercy 2-5 0-0 6, Austin 6-11 2-6 17, Wesley 7-16 5-7 21. Totals 25-66 14-23 73

Team Colorado (1-0)

Hall 3-9 0-0 8, Relaphorde 6-12 0-0 15, Roby 9-13 0-0 20, Coleman 3-6 0-0 7, Williams 1-1 2-2 4, Sharpe 2-3 1-2 5, Talton 2-3 0-0 5, Wright 2-3 0-0 6, Copeland 2-3 0-0 4, J. Williams 2-5 3-5 8, Morandais 6-11 0-0 17, Dufault 2-6 0-0 6. Totals 40-75 6-9 105.

Here is a link to the YouTube video of the highlights

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July 11th

… CU in the Arena … 

CU to open against Indiana State in Diamond Head Classic

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado will open the 2018 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic with a first-time meeting against Indiana State as the tournament’s bracket was revealed on Wednesday.

The Buffaloes will face the Sycamores in Game 1 of the Classic on Saturday, Dec. 22, at 1 p.m. MST at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

Colorado’s half of the bracket includes UNLV and host Hawai’i who will square off in Game 2. The first round winners will play in one semifinal on Sunday, Dec. 23, at 2:30 p.m. MST while the losers will play a consolation game Sunday at 5 p.m.

All of Colorado’s games at the Diamond Head Classic will be televised live on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

The Buffaloes have a little more history with UNLV and Hawai’i. UNLV holds a 4-2 series lead over Colorado, with the most recent meeting a 68-64 Colorado win in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament in Albuquerque. Hawai’i has won all three prior meetings with Colorado, including a 69-66 decision at the 2014 Diamond Head Classic.

The other side of the Diamond Head bracket includes TCU, Rhode Island, Bucknell and Charlotte. Following a day off, the final games will be played on Christmas Day culminating with the championship scheduled for 7 p.m. MST.

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July 8th

… CU in the Arena … 

Pat Rooney – Best games in the history of Coors Events Center

From the Daily Camera … Farewell, Coors Events Center.

Welcome back, CU Events Center.

This past week, the University of Colorado made official an announcement BuffZone.com first reported in April. After 28 years, the venue originally known as the CU Events/Conference Center will return to its original moniker. The beer may still flow at Buffaloes basketball and volleyball games, but the arena affectionately known by several generations of students as “The Keg” is no more.

The home of CU basketball since 1979, the Events Center was christened the Coors Events Center in 1990 thanks to a $5 million gift from the Adolph Coors Foundation. The university stands to collect a far more substantial payoff the this time around, and hopefully some of that cash will be parlayed into long-needed renovation projects at Folsom Field and the Events Center. The $160 million spent on the Champions Center was a sound investment with the indoor practice facility, athletic offices, and even the opening of fresh revenue streams. However inside Folsom, the aesthetics of the pristine northeast corner of the stadium alongside the antiquated restroom facilities and rusting bleachers prevalent throughout the rest of the seating bowl is embarrassing.

… Continue reading story here …

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July 5th

… CU in the Arena … 

Tory Miller-Stewart winds up in Denver

From the Daily Camera … For the second time in his basketball career, Tory Miller-Stewart entertained the recruiting overtures of Rodney Billups.

Also for the second time, Miller-Stewart was intrigued enough to join Billups’ program.

On Thursday a long-rumored transaction finally became official, as Billups announced his University of Denver men’s basketball program is adding Miller-Stewart, a graduate transfer from Colorado. Miller-Stewart will be eligible for one final season for the Pioneers in 2018-19.

Billups, a former Buffaloes assistant before taking over at his alma mater two years ago, originally recruited Miller-Stewart at CU.

“For me, it was sort of a no-brainer,” Billups said. “I recruited Tory and know what kind of person he is, what kind of student and obviously basketball player he is. It was a no-brainer for me to get a guy like that to into my culture and help with growing our program. Tory is perfect for that.”

… Continue reading story here …

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July 2nd

… CU in the Arena …

Jay Humphries helping Team Colorado prepare for TBT

From the Daily Camera … Given his lengthy NBA career and a coaching career that has kept him busy traveling the world over the 20-plus years since his playing days ended, Jay Humphries has had few opportunities to return to the University of Colorado.

That has changed of late.

Most prominently, the point guard who helped so many Buffaloes teammates net easy baskets during his playing days at the CU Events Center had his selflessness rewarded last fall with his induction into the CU athletics Hall of Fame. Now, for the second consecutive season, Humphries is serving as an assistant coach for Team Colorado as the group of CU basketball alums prepares for another run at the $2 million, winner-take-all The Basketball Tournament.

Scheduling conflicts prevented Humphries from attending last year’s training camp weekend for Team Colorado, but he was back at the CU Events Center this past weekend helping head coach Dwight Thorne prepare the club for its July 14 tourney opener.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 30th

… CU in the Arena … 

Team Colorado reunites for TBT

From the Daily Camera … It perhaps takes a little longer for their old joints to loosen up, and at first Friday morning there were quite a few bricks being laid around the practice gym at the CU Events Center.

Inevitably, however, the skills that still make this particular group of Colorado basketball alums solid pros in a variety of leagues worldwide were dusted off, and once again Team Colorado was off and running. On Friday, Team Colorado began its annual weekend training camp at the University of Colorado in preparation for The Basketball Tournament, the ESPN-sponsored, winner-take-all, $2 million competition that begins in two weeks.

Team Colorado nearly hit the jackpot two years ago but let an early lead slip away in the championship game. Despite adding Josh Scott and Chris Copeland to the mix a year ago, Team Colorado was eliminated in the Sweet 16. While Scott is focused on building on a solid pro season in Japan, Copeland and a familiar group of former Buffaloes have reunited once again in pursuit of the $2 million prize.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 28th

… CU in the Arena … 

Tyler Bey: “I think we all know we have to get better”

From CUBuffs.com …  By all accounts, Colorado’s Tyler Bey had a solid freshman season last year for Tad Boyle‘s Buffaloes.

But it may have been just the tip of the iceberg. If Bey continues to make the strides he has made thus far in the offseason, the CU forward could be a dominant Pac-12 force next season.

“In 25 years of Division I coaching, Tyler’s one of the top five guys I’ve had in terms of having a great spring,” Boyle said this week. “He’s made unbelievable improvement. His jump shot, his activity level, he keeps getting stronger — everything. He’s maturing physically, he’s working in the weight room and just getting better at everything he does.”

Bey was one of CU’s more pleasant surprises last year, making the jump from a part-time starter in non-conference play to starting every Pac-12 game for CU.

The 6-foot-7, 210-pounder also improved his numbers in conference play. While he finished the season as CU’s second-leading rebounder with 5.1 per game, he averaged 5.3 boards in Pac-12 games. He also shot a team-leading .543 from the field in conference play while averaging 7.0 points and had 18 of his 22 blocked shots against conference foes.

But he will be expected to do even more next year for a team that loses seniors George King (a second-round draft pick of the Phoenix Sun) and Dominique Collier.

“I have to expand my game,” Bey said. “I need to shoot better, rebound better, play better defense — everything. I think we all know we have to get better.”

… Continue reading story here …

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CU pipeline to the NBA likely to continue 

From the Daily Camera … This week, Sports Illustrated released an early look at the top 60 players projected to reach the 2019 NBA draft.

Not surprisingly, no Colorado Buffaloes were among the Pac-12 players predicted to reach next year’s draft festivities. A total of seven Pac-12 players cracked the list, with incoming freshmen Louis King (Oregon) and Kevin Porter Jr. (USC) topping the league’s selections at No. 14 and No. 18, respectively.

Like Porter, Oregon has another incoming freshman boasting NBA heritage in 7-foot-2 Bol Bol, who was listed at No. 21, while UCLA sophomore Kris Wilkes was the league’s top returning player to reach the list at No. 35.

The Buffs’ omission, however, doesn’t mean there isn’t NBA potential on CU’s roster. Bear in mind similar lists the past two summers included neither Derrick White, a first round pick of San Antonio a year ago, nor George King, who was selected late in the second round by Phoenix last week.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 23rd

… CU in the Arena …

Evan Battey recovery from a stroke an ongoing process

From the Daily Camera … Throughout the inordinate level of turbulence experienced by Evan Battey in a basketball career that already feels weathered beyond its years, his positive energy and an unflappable demeanor have been as impenetrable as the hulking shoulders sitting atop his sturdy 6-foot-8 frame.

When family drama and the immaturity typical of a young teenager conspired to convince his mother he needed a change of scenery when forced to repeat ninth grade, Battey gamely accepted the challenge and developed, on and off the floor, into one of the top prep post players in southern California.

When that repeating of ninth grade eventually cost him his eligibility as a senior in high school and again as a freshman at the University of Colorado, Battey shook off the respective setbacks, winning a prestigious character award for his off-court role as a senior in high school and dedicating himself to improving his conditioning for the Buffs when the NCAA sat him down for the 2017-18 season.

Making the best of a bad situation always has been a focal point of Battey’s world view. So in late December, when a groggy Battey turned to his half-paralyzed face to his mother and tearfully lamented, “Why is this happening to me?” Rosalind Lewis knew her son was in trouble.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 22nd

… CU in the Arena … 

George King taken in the second round by the Phoenix Suns

Press release from CUBuffs.com … University of Colorado’s Gorge King was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft with the 59th overall pick Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

A native of Fayetteville, N.C., King was named to the 2017-18 All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team after averaging 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a senior. King is Colorado’s fifth NBA draft pick in the last eight years, marking the coach Tad Boyle era.

“If you look at the core values of our program: trustworthiness, character and work ethic, he has all three,” Boyle said. “Combine that with his athleticism and continued improvement, you’ve got a guy who moved himself into the top 60 players coming out this year. It shows that hard work and perseverance pays off. It’s refreshing to see and I’m really happy for him.”

Overall, he is Colorado’s 35th NBA Draft pick and the third Buff picked Suns joining Jay Humphries (13th overall in 1984) and Brian Johnson (212th in 1981).

King finished his career second in team history in 3-point shooting at 40.1 percent (181-451). He also ranked fifth in 3-pointers made, sixth in 3-point attempts, seventh in games played (127), 13th in starts (90), 14th in rebounds (681), 18th in scoring (1,294) and 20th in minutes played (2,866) in the Colorado record books.

On the overall Pac-12 charts in 2017-18, King ranked third in defensive rebounds (6.1 drpg), fifth in overall rebounds, 12th in offensive rebounds (1.8 orpg), 14th in free-throw percentage (.782) and 3-point percentage, 15th in 3-point field goals (1.9 3mpg), 22nd in scoring.

King led the Buffaloes in rebounding 18 times and led the team in scoring in eight outings. Following the season, King earned the team’s Stephane Pelle Rebounding Award for the second-straight season and earned a share of the inagural Tebo Family P.A.S.S. Award (along with freshman Evan Battey), created to recognize the player, or players, that best exemplified the virtues of Perseverance, Attitude, Selflessness and Success.

He played in the annual NABC All-Star game prior to the Final Four where he was named MVP of the East team after scoring 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting with nine rebounds and three blocked shots. He then participated in the Portsmouth Invitational, a pre-NBA Draft showcase for college seniors. King was named to the Portsmouth All-Tournament team averaging 18 points and 7.7 rebounds in three games. For his efforts, he received an invitation to the 2018 NBA Draft Combine.

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June 21st

… CU in the Arena … 

Three Pac-12 players taken in the first round

From the Pac-12 … Arizona’s Deandre Ayton was the No.1 pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, going to the Phoenix Suns to give the Pac-12 back-to-back No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft for the first time in conference history. The Pac-12 also saw Oregon’s Troy Brown and UCLA’s Aaron Holiday go in the first round, with Brown going 15th to the Washington Wizards and Holiday selected 23rd to the Indiana Pacers. This marks the eighth consecutive year that the Pac-12 has had at least three guys go in the first round of the NBA Draft.

No. 1 overall: Deandre Ayton (Arizona)

As widely expected, the Suns made Ayton the No.1 pick, marking the first time in program history that Arizona has had a player go No.1 overall. The native Bahamian had a stellar freshman season in Tucson, averaging 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game en route to being named Pac-12 Player of the Year, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player and earning a nod on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team, making him the only player in conference history to do all of that in the same year.

Ayton is the fourth Pac-12 player to go No. 1 (excluding Utah’s Andrew Bogut and Bill McGill, who played for the Utes before they joined the Pac-12), following Washington’s Markelle Fultz in 2017, UCLA’s Bill Walton in 1974 and UCLA’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1969.

No. 15 overall: Troy Brown (Oregon)

Troy Brown became the second Pac-12 player drafted in 2018 when the Washington Wizards selected the versatile Duck outside the lottery at No. 15. Projected to go in the low-20s by many of the mock drafts this week, Brown averaged 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game in his lone year in Eugene. The Pac-12 All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention selection will provide backcourt depth to a Wizards squad that boasts John Wall and Bradley Beal.

No. 23 Overall: Aaron Holiday (UCLA)

UCLA’s Aaron Holiday was the third Pac-12 player drafted Thursday night, going 23rd overall to the Indiana Pacers. Thought to be in the running at No. 16 with Phoenix’s second first-round pick (Deandre Ayton even made a case for the Suns to get Holiday when he joined the ESPN crew on set), Holiday “fell” into a nice situation with the Pacers, a team looking to build upon a near-upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.

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June 14th

… CU in the Arena … 

Freshman guard Elijah Parquet recovering from broken foot

From the Daily Camera … First, some introductions for Colorado basketball fans.

Guard Elijah Parquet, one of the Buffaloes’ newcomers out of Beaumont, Texas, prefers to go by Eli, and he already is confident he can provide the Buffs with a steady 3-point shot.

Secondly, a word of caution. Parquet suffered a broken foot late in the high school season and has spent the past few months largely on the sidelines. Those baby steps typically taken by freshmen during their first weeks on campus will be even smaller this month for Parquet.

Last week, Parquet and Denver East’s Daylen Kountz arrived on campus to begin summer classes and go through their first workouts with their new CU teammates. Junior college transfer Shane Gatling arrived earlier this week, while forward Jakub Dombek is not expected to arrive until at least later in the month.

Parquet’s injury did not require surgery, but he will spend the summer getting acclimated to the speed of the college game at a more deliberate pace.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 12th

… CU in the Arena … 

CSU back on men’s schedule for 2018-19 campaign

From the Daily Camera … The proposed alterations to the Pac-12 Conference basketball schedule remain in deliberations. Yet at least Colorado Buffaloes fans know they can greet a familiar foe next season at the CU Events Center.

As was first reported over the weekend by the Loveland Reporter-Herald, the Buffs indeed will resume their annual state rivalry with Colorado State next season, a matchup CU coach Tad Boyle felt lukewarm about renewing two months ago.

The teams’ contract expired after last year’s game, a 72-63 win for the Rams in Fort Collins that was the 128th meeting between the rivals. With the contract not yet finalized, Boyle did not offer any details on the length of the renewal other to say that CSU will visit the Buffs during the 2018-19 season, with CU returning to Fort Collins during the 2019-20 season.

In April, Boyle cited his RPI concerns and the lagging attendance for the rivalry games at both arenas as reasons to perhaps pull the plug on a matchup that has been continuous for 27 seasons. Conversations since then with new CSU coach Niko Medved helped change Boyle’s mind.

“I think it’s a good game for our state. It’s a good game for basketball in Colorado,” Boyle said. “My job is to make sure we’re scheduling the right number of teams in terms of RPI. We’ve just got to make sure we play as good of a schedule as we can with an opportunity to win games against quality opponents.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 7th

… CU in the Arena … 

Game time set for Team Colorado’s first game in The Basketball Tournament

From the Daily Camera … The Colorado basketball alums on Team Colorado officially have an opponent and destination for the fifth edition of The Basketball Tournament.

The former Buffaloes, who finished a heartbreaking second in the $2 million, winner-take-all competition two years ago, received the No. 2 seed in the West region and will play Dubois Dream/Kimichi Express in the opening round on July 14 in Los Angeles. Tipoff is set for noon MDT.

Team Colorado will feature a number of familiar faces from its recent rosters, including Chris Copeland, Austin Dufault, Michel Morandais, Richard Roby, Marcus Hall, Dominique Coleman, and Marcus Relphorde. Guard Xavier Talton, a 2016 CU graduate, also joins a club that once again will be coached by former Buff Dwight Thorne II. Thorne currently is the director of basketball operations at the University of Denver under former CU assistant Rodney Billups.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 5th

… CU in the Arena … 

Jerry Palm Bracketology for 2019 NCAA tournament

From CBS Sports … It is too early to start talking about a bracket for the 2019 NCAA Tournament?  Yes, it is, but we don’t let little things like a calendar stop us. At least we now know who has decided to stay in the NBA Draft and who is returning to school

The first projected bracket of the season is up and it has a lot of familiar names in reasonably familiar places. Kansas is the overall No. 1 seed followed by Duke, Tennessee and Gonzaga.

We are certainly used to seeing the Jayhawks and Blue Devils on the top line of a bracket. Kansas has been a No. 1 seed 14 times in the 64+ team tournament era, including in each of the last three tournaments. Duke has started from the top of the bracket 13 times, including a stretch of five consecutive years from 1998-2002.

From the Pac-12 … 

Oregon – No. 4 seed

UCLA – No. 5 seed

USC – No. 8 seed

Washington – No. 10 seed

Arizona … First four out

… See entire bracket here …

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Jon Wilner: CU the No. 6 team in the Pac-12 for 2018-19 season

From the San Jose Mercury News … After a brutal winter, the Pac-12 experienced an encouraging spring with seven key players passing on the NBA Draft and returning for the 2018-19 season.

Rosters were strengthened both at the top and in the middle, creating the potential for the conference to not only secure a respectable quantity of NCAA berths but also to send multiple teams into the second weekend.

Below are the Hotline’s updated projections for the conference race.

(The early-April outlook is here.)

The Pac-12 … 

1. UCLA … 2. Oregon … 3. Washington … 4. USC … 5. Arizona

6. Colorado
Previous: 4
Comment: In contrast to the immensely spring roster overhaul in Tucson, we have stability in Boulder … stability and what should be a quiet confidence: The Buffaloes are the Hotline’s No. 1 sleeper pick for 2019, partly because of McKinley Wright, one of the conference’s top point guards — he averaged 14.2 points and 5.5 assists per game — and partly because of an undervalued set of returnees that includes sophomore wing Tyler Bey, who just might emerge as the Pac-12’s most improved player. CU’s homecourt advantage is also part of the calculation, in that it limits the number of likely losses.

7. Arizona State … 8. Utah … 9. Stanford … 10. Oregon State … 11. Cal … 12. Washington State

… Read full story here …

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May 29th

… CU in the Arena … 

Stanford’s leading scorer and rebounder to transfer to Kentucky

From the San Jose Mercury News … Reid Travis, who led Stanford in scoring and rebounding last season, has decided to withdraw from the upcoming NBA draft to be a graduate transfer at Kentucky, FRS Sports Network reported Wednesday.

He would be eligible to play next season for the Wildcats, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Travis, 6-8 and 240 pounds, prepped at De La Salle High School in Concord. He averaged 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Cardinal last season. He was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection at Stanford and is 16th on the school’s career scoring list with 1,427 points.

… Continue reading story here …

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May 17th

… CU in the Arena … 

Vote for Team Colorado 

If you click on the link below, and click the box that says to become a fan and support the team, you just need to register and you’re a supporter.

Buffs are currently in 8th place, getting them into the tournament (eight teams per region), but Team Colorado needs your support.  Then … pass this information along to other Buff fans/family/neighbors!

… Sign in here (it’s free) …

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May 16th

… CU in the Arena … 

Original Team Colorado looking for one last shot at TBT

From the Daily Camera … The group helped turn Team Colorado’s entry in The Basketball Tournament into an annual tradition, making the summer workouts in Boulder a bridge between Colorado basketball stars of the past with coach Tad Boyle’s current roster.

For many, the 2018 edition of Team Colorado will be the final go-around for that original group.

Next month, Team Colorado — the group of CU basketball alums who compete annually in the $2 million winner-take-all, ESPN-sponsored The Basketball Tournament — will again hold its pre-tourney workouts in Colorado. While some roster tweaks may still unfold, the bulk of the 2018 team is intact, with several familiar faces expected to fill the rotation.

However, with guys getting older the inevitable changing of the guard is looking as if it is just one year away.

“For the guys playing overseas, their basketball season typically is nine to 10 months. If they’re overseas for nine or 10 months and they come home in the summer and they have two or three months, it’s hard for me to put the pressure on them to want to play and want to be part of this thing,” said former CU player Beau Gamble, who once again is serving as one of Team Colorado’s general managers.

“You go from having 60 days guaranteed of vacation and rest before you’re back to your grind of training camp for your next season. If you’re going to do this, you’re not going to have any down time at all. That’s the hardest part of getting the highest-level guys because they have to take care of their bodies. It just shows the commitment we get from guys like Austin Dufault, who is just finishing up his sixth year of playing pro.”

… Continue reading story here …

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May 5th

… CU in the Arena … 

Pac-12 move to 20-game league schedule more a question of when, not if

From the Daily Camera … At this point, it seems it only is a matter of when, not if, the Pac-12 Conference will move to a 20-game basketball schedule.

That will be a good thing for the Colorado Buffaloes. And their fans, too.

The Pac-12 held its annual summer meetings this week in Scottsdale, Ariz., and one of the biggest topics of conversation circled around the expected move to a 20-game league slate beginning in the 2019-20 season.

The change will keep the Pac-12 in pace with the Big Ten, which will play a 20-game league schedule for the first time next season, and the ACC, which does the same in 2019-20.

Given the priority placed on RPI numbers in the competition for NCAA Tournament berths, a 20-game league schedule will benefit the Buffs on a number of fronts. Most immediately, it will erase the discrepancy that occurs when teams play two sets of opponents just one time apiece. This past season the Buffs hosted the northern California schools, Cal and Stanford, but didn’t visit them. Same with the Oregon schools, which CU visited but didn’t host. That deprived the Buffs of extra winnable games against Cal and OSU, while the young squad was forced to play the league heavyweights in Arizona and Los Angeles twice.

… Continue reading story here …

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May 1st

… CU in the Arena … 

George King invited to NBA Combine

From the Daily Camera … George King’s impressive postseason is leading to bigger and better opportunities.

Following standout performances at the NABC All-Star game during Final Four weekend and at the Portsmouth Invitational, the former Colorado men’s basketball standout has received an invitation to the NBA draft combine.

The annual event runs May 16-20 in Chicago, one month ahead of the June 21 NBA draft.

King’s name still isn’t landing on standard mock draft boards, yet he certainly has helped his cause in a big way since the Buffaloes’ season ended on March 8 with a loss against Arizona in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament.

… Continue reading story here ..

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April 25th

… CU in the Arena … 

Commission on basketball report: “The state of the game is not very strong”

From the San Jose Mercury News … The Commission on College Basketball sharply directed the NCAA to take control of the sport, calling for sweeping reforms to separate pro and college tracks, permit players to return to school after going undrafted by the NBA and ban cheating coaches for life.

The independent commission, led by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, released a detailed 60-page report Wednesday, seven months after the group was formed by the NCAA in response to a federal corruption investigation that rocked college basketball. Ten people, including some assistant coaches, have been charged in a bribery and kickback scheme , and high-profile programs such as Arizona, Louisville and Kansas have been tied to possible NCAA violations.

“The members of this commission come from a wide variety of backgrounds but the one thing that they share in common is that they believe the college basketball enterprise is worth saving,” Rice told the AP Tuesday night, before addressing NCAA leaders on Wednesday morning. “We believe there’s a lot of work to do in that regard. That the state of the game is not very strong.

“We had to be bold in our recommendations.”

… “The goal should not be to turn college basketball into another professional league,” the commission wrote in its report.

Rice presented the commission’s report to the NCAA’s Board of Governors and Division I Board of Directors at the association’s headquarters Wednesday. She called the crisis in college basketball “first and foremost a problem of failed accountability and lax responsibility.”

The two groups of university presidents planned to meet after Rice’s presentation to consider adopting the commission’s recommendations. If adopted, the hard work of turning the recommendations into NCAA legislation begins.

… For the details on the full report, continue reading story here …

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Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott’s reaction

From the Daily Camera … On Wednesday morning, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott offered this reaction to the Commission on College Basketball report:

“The Pac-12 Conference commends former Stanford Provost Condoleezza Rice and the NCAA Commission on College Basketball for the report it released today and its recommendations for basketball reform. They reflect the Commission’s diligent work, its dedication to the integrity of college athletics, and its commitment to student-athletes.

“We are particularly pleased that many of the Rice Commission’s recommendations parallel those of the Pac-12 Task Force, which were unanimously embraced by our conference’s 12 presidents and chancellors in March. We look forward to working with the NCAA and our members to evaluate and implement the recommendations.”

… Continue reading story here …

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April 20th

… CU in the Arena … 

Lazar Nikolic the odd-man out as CU makes room for Shane Gatling

From the Daily Camera … For the third consecutive season, the Colorado men’s basketball team is losing a player through a European exchange.

To make room on the roster for newly-signed junior college guard Shane Gatling, freshman Lazar Nikolic will be leaving coach Tad Boyle’s program to pursue professional opportunities in Europe. Nikolic, a native of Serbia, is following a similar path as former CU guard Thomas Akyazili, who returned to his native Belgium last year after spending two seasons in Boulder.

Two years ago the Buffs also lost little-used Bosnian forward Kenan Guzonjic, who eventually landed at Division II Barry University in Florida.

Nikolic’s departure puts the Buffs back at the full allotment of 13 scholarships for the 2018-19 season. Boyle said Nikolic first offered his thoughts about going back to Europe on the Monday following the Pac-12 Conference tournament more than a month ago but took several weeks to mull his final decision.

… Continue reading story here …

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April 17th

… CU in the Arena … 

Boyle on Namon Wright:  “There were some flashes of brilliance and some moments that were, ‘Yeah, that’s why we recruited him.’ “

From the Daily Camera … Namon Wright still has the feel of a newcomer with the Colorado men’s basketball team. Such has been the vast and thorough nature of the roster turnover since Wright arrived from Missouri two years ago.

Despite playing an active role with the Buffaloes for just one season so far, Wright suddenly has become the elder statesman on a team that will feature a rotation heavy on freshmen and sophomores in 2018-19. With the departure of 2018 seniors George King, Dom Collier, and Tory Miller-Stewart, Wright now has been in Boulder as long as any player on the roster, and barring further unexpected changes he will be CU’s only senior during the 2018-19 season.

“It’s long overdue. I’m old,” Wright said. “I sat out a year, so it’s weird. I came into college in Dom’s year, so seeing Dom graduate wakes me up a little bit. Josh Perkins and everybody else that was in my class in high school. Karl-Anthony Towns is a third-year guy and going to the playoffs in the NBA, and he was in my class in high school.”

Head coach Tad Boyle described Wright’s 2017-18 season as a sort of microcosm of how things unfolded for the entire team — flashes of brilliance, certainly, but balanced with a potential muted by inconsistency.

… Continue reading story here …

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April 16th

… CU in the Arena …

CU announces the signing of Shane Gatling

From CUBuffs.com … Junior College All-American Shane Gatling has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball and continue his education at the University of Colorado in 2018-19, head coach Tad Boyle announced Monday.

Gatling, a 6-2 guard from Baldwin, N.Y., is the fourth member of Colorado’s signing class for 2018-19, joining Jakub Dombek (Ostrava, Czech Repulic, Get Better Academy), who signed this last weekend and Daylen Kountz (Denver East HS) and Elijah Parquet (Beaumont, Texas, West Brook HS), who signed in November.

Gatling earned NJCAA Division I All-America honors this past season at Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, averaging 16.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. He helped lead the Warriors to a 33-1 record, with their only loss coming in the second round of the NJCAA Tournament.

The addition of Gatling will help to fill a need on the perimeter. Colorado graduated its top two 3-point shooters from this season – seniors George King and Dominique Collier. Gatling matched the Indian Hills school record for 3-pointers made in one season at 102 en route to Region XI Player of the Year honors. He shot 39 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the free throw line.

“As I look at next year’s team, what we lost and what we need to add, Shane is a perfect fit,” Boyle said. “He is the true combo guard we were looking for.”

… Continue reading story here …

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April 15th

… CU in the Arena … 

Verbal commitment … Shane Gatling

Shane Gatling has tweeted that he is joining the Buffs. Gatling is a 6’2″, 170-pound shooting guard from Indian Hills Junior College. Originally a member of the Recruiting Class of 2016, is considered a two-star prospect.

According to JUCO Recruiting, Gatling is the No. 23 junior college recruiting prospect this season. Gatling is a three-point shooter who earned NJCAA All-America and Conference Player of the Year honors. Reportedly, schools interested in Gatling included Akron, Dayton, Memphis, Missouri, and UNLV were among the programs to offer Gatling.

Indian Hills Community College story on Gatling … Indian Hills sophomore guard Shane Gatling has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NJCAA Division I All-America Team.  There are 10 players on the NABC elite squad, all of them sophomores.  It’s the second All-American honor for Gatling, who earlier was selected to the NJCAA first team.

After transferring to Indian Hills from Niagara University in New York, Gatling led the Warriors in scoring this past season with his 16.6 average and was one of the most prolific long-range shooters in school history, tying the record for most 3-pointers in a season with 102.  He made 39 percent of his 3-point tries and hit at least one three in all but two of the Warriors’ 34 games in their 33-1 season.

IHCC head coach Hank Plona noted that Gatling had an outstanding year and called him a “pleasure to coach.”  Plona praised the All-American guard saying, “Shane is a hard-working young man who has improved every day he’s been here.  He’s a dynamic guard that can score and make plays in many different ways.  I’m thrilled he has received this honor and can’t wait to see him continue to succeed at the NCAA Division I level next year.”

Here is a YouTube video of Gatling in action:

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George King named to pre-draft tournament team in Portsmouth

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado’s George King is having an excellent pre-NBA Draft showcase tour thus far.

Over the weekend, King put together three outstanding efforts in the Portsmouth Invitational, a gathering of seniors from around the nation for a three-game tournament in front of NBA and other pro scouts. King earned all-tournament honors while leading his team to a 2-1 record in the event.

King’s weekend was one of the most productive of any of the participants. He finished as the tournament’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 18.0 points per game, while also averaging 7.7 rebounds, tied for eighth-best in the event.

King also produced at a high efficiency. He finished with the third-best shooting percentage (22-for-38, .579 — the best percentage among any player with at least 30 shots), had the third-best 3-point field goal percentage (7-for-13, .538), and made all three of his free throw attempts.

King had 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting and five rebounds in his team’s opening win, then followed that with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in another victory. His team came up short in the final game, losing by one point, but he still finished with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, along with eight rebounds.

… Continue reading story here …

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April 14th

… CU in the Arena … 

CU announces the signing of Jakub Dombek

Press Release from CUBuffs.com … Jakub Dombek has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball and continue his education at the University of Colorado in 2018-19, head coach Tad Boyle announced Saturday.

Dombek, a 6-10 forward from Ostrava, Czech Republic, is the third member of Colorado’s signing class for 2018-19, joining Daylen Kountz (Denver East HS) and Elijah Parquet (Beaumont, Texas, West Brook HS), who signed in November.

Dombek is attending the Get Better Academy in the city of Prague, where he has averaged 9.5 points and 7.3 rebounds this season in the Czech Men’s First League. He is an intriguing signing for the Buffaloes, who certainly were after a player with size to fortify their frontcourt. Dombek is relatively new to the sport, having played organized basketball only the last three or four years, but has the size and skillset Colorado was looking for.

“Jakub is a guy who has a tremendous upside,” Boyle said. “He runs the floor for a guy that’s 6-10, he shoots the ball from the perimeter and has got good skill. He has not been playing organized basketball for very long, but when you look at a kid like this, his upside is unlimited.”

Dombek will be the 16^th international player for the Buffaloes since the mid-1950s, the eighth in the Boyle era and fourth in the past three classes.

Colorado learned about Dombek through assistant coach Bill Grier‘s connection with Get Better Academy head coach and director Julian Betko, who played at Butler under Brad Stevens from 2004-08, and started the GBA in 2012.

“I had contacted Julian about some of his guys and we talked about Jakub,” Grier said. “(Julian) thinks he has a chance to be a pro and a lot of others I talked to feel the same way. (Jakub) is really athletic, aggressive and shoots it really well.”

Boyle was able to see film on Dombek in the fall and “absolutely loved him.” In January, assistant coach Kim English was able to watch Dombek play in a prep school tournament in Rhode Island and Boyle caught him on the same trip in New York City.

“He’s got a chance to be as good as he wants to be given his size, his skillset and the fact that he hasn’t been playing basketball for an extended period of time,” Boyle said. “He’s going to need to get in the weight room, and we know with foreign kids coming over here there is an acclimation period they go through.

“He’s going to go through a lot of changes over the next year – physically, mentally, emotionally, academically, but we’re very excited about his future. He’s a guy that could be a very good player for Colorado moving forward.”

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April 13th

… CU in the Arena … 

“They know how critical this offseason is going to be”

From CUBuffs.com …  It is a college basketball maxim that players make their biggest jumps in improvement between their freshman and sophomore years.

If that is indeed the case, the Colorado Buffaloes might be in the midst of one of their most important offseasons in recent memory — simply because the Buffs have so many freshmen in position to make such a jump.

“Now they know what their weaknesses are, they know what college basketball is all about, they know what the Pac-12 demands of them,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said. “Now when they go into the offseason, they understand that.”

It means those freshmen’s job will be to address their weaknesses in the weight room and in the gym between now and next fall.

“It’s a crucial offseason for us,” CU strength and conditioning coordinator Steve Englehart. “We have some guys that need to gain some weight, some guys that need to get stronger, some guys that need to improve their stamina. It’s a little different for every guy, but every player needs to put some work in if we’re going to get better.”

There’s no doubt that this year’s freshman class will be the heart and soul of next year’s team. It begins with point guard McKinley Wright — the team’s MVP this season — and continues with forward Tyler Bey, wing D’Shawn Schwartz, wing/guard Lazar Nikolic and big man Evan Battey, who redshirted last season.

“When they’re incoming freshmen, it’s the old adage that they don’t know what they don’t know,” Boyle said. “It’s not their fault, but they don’t know what they’re going to face. Now they’ve seen it first hand and they know how critical this offseason is going to be.”

… Continue reading story here …

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April 11th

… CU in the Arena … 

Evan Battey working his way back from mid-season stroke

From the Daily Camera … It may not qualify as a tweet-heard-’round-the world, but for Colorado basketball fans it certainly was a heartening update.

On Tuesday evening, freshman forward Evan Battey posted a video of teammate McKinley Wright in the CU weight room, capping the update with the grammatically challenged yet highly encouraging declaration, “yeahhh im back.”

Sidelined since suffering a stroke over the holidays while in his southern California hometown, it is looking more likely the affliction will not lead to a premature end to Battey’s basketball career. However, while the 6-foot-8 forward is ramping up his strength and conditioning drills, head coach Tad Boyle still is erring on the side of caution by not yet inking Battey into his 2018-19 rotation.

To use an analogy favored by the CU football team, consider Battey a part of the “pencil” rotation.

… Continue reading story here …

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April 9th

… CU in the Arena … 

Jon Wilner: Colorado a “sleeper pick” to win the Pac-12 in 2018-19

From the San Jose Mercury News … Calling my shot now, with rosters in flux and seven months from tipoff, while fully acknowledging the potential for immediate mockery and longer-term ridicule:

The Pac-12’s basketball product will be vastly improved next season.

Actually, check that: The middle will be vastly improved.

The top might not be sterling — in fact, it probably won’t be.

Game out the 2019 season, and there are few reasonable scenarios in which the Pac-12 produces more than one or two teams worthy of a high seed in the NCAAs.

But the middle should be respectably, impressively sturdy:

Too many teams have too many returnees (or talented newcomers) for the conference to be anything but stout in the midsection.

Small top, wide middle and weak bottom — that’s the likely shape, to be reflected in the NCAA participation numbers.

We’ll figure on six or seven bids, most of the in the No. 6-10 seed range …

1. Oregon: Judged solely on returning production, the Ducks would be anything but a clear favorite: Only one player, Payton Pritchard, averaged double figures this season. But combine the presumed development of returning role players (Kenny Wooten, for instance) with the impact of uber-recruits Bol Bol and Louis King and Dana Altman’s coaching … and the end result is the best team and safest pick for the regular-season title. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ducks finish two or three games clear of the competition.

4. Colorado: My first sleeper pick, based on current roster projections. The Buffs lose underrated George King but return the majority of their rotation. The group includes one of the top point guards in the conference, McKinley Wright, and wing Tyler Bey, a major talent who should become an impact scorer. And don’t discount the Buffs’ immense homecourt advantage, which limits their downside in the conference standings and puts them just a few road wins away from breaking into the upper tier.

… Continue reading story here …

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April 6th

… CU in the Arena …

Boyle: CU/CSU series may take a hiatus

From the Daily Camera … With their season-ending exit from the Pac-12 Conference tournament now a full month into the background and spring break complete, the Colorado men’s basketball team already has begun focusing exclusively on the 2018-19 campaign.

That includes finalizing the nonconference portion of the Buffaloes’ schedule, a process that is in full swing. Once it’s complete, next season’s slate could very well be devoid of a familiar state rival.

This past season’s edition of the CU-Colorado State rivalry — the Buffs suffered a 72-63 road loss on Dec. 2 — marked the end of the games under contract between the regional foes. CU head coach Tad Boyle didn’t dismiss the possibility of the rivals squaring off for the 129th time next winter. Yet he stopped far short of assuring local basketball fans the state’s two biggest programs would meet again next season.

Myriad factors, from Boyle’s RPI concerns for his program to the ho-hum attendance figures from the recent rivalry games, could spell the end of a series that has been continuous for 27 seasons. Though CSU has won three of the past four games against CU, the Rams are facing a rebuild under recently-hired coach Niko Medved after a tumultuous 11-21 season.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be renewed or not. There’s going to be discussions,” Boyle said. “I’ve got to give it some serious thought. We’ve got games still to get for next year’s schedule, so we’ve still got work to do.”

… Continue reading story here …

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April 5th 

… CU in the Arena … 

McKinley Wright named team MVP at annual awards banquet

From CUBuffs.com … The University of Colorado men’s basketball team celebrated the 2017-18 season at its annual Awards Banquet Wednesday evening at the George Boedecker, Jr., Practice Gym at the Coors Events Center.

McKinley Wright IV received the Chauncey Billups Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player. The Chauncey Billups MVP Award is one of five voted on by Colorado men’s basketball student-athletes. Dallas Walton won the Most Improved Player Award, Tyler Bey the team’s Best Defender, Josh Repinewas voted Most Inspirational and George King and Evan Battey were co-winners of the inaugural Tebo Family P.A.S.S. Award.

In addition, two statistical champion awards were handed out. King won the Stephane Pelle Rebounding Award while Wright earned the Jay Humphries Assist Award.

Wright led Colorado by averaging 14.2 points, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and 77 percent from the foul line. The freshman point guard also paced the team in field goals made and attempted while ranking third in rebounding and fourth in blocked shots.

Wright was named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman Team while earning honorable mention to both the overall All-Conference and All-Defensive teams. He topped all Pac-12 freshmen in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9) and ranked third in scoring.

Wright won the Jay Humphries Award, named after the Buffaloes’ all-time leader in assists (562 from 1980-84). His 175 assists are the most by a freshman in team history and ranks second overall on Colorado’s single-season list.

… Continue reading story here …

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April 4th

… CU in the Arena … 

More on Jakub Dombek

Thanks to CU at the Gamer Jenda for this post:

Hi all, I’m chatting with a friend in the upper echelons of Czech basketball about Jakub. He sent me this link (below) with his game by game stats. (It’s in Czech, but Stats are recognizable). The NBA has been scouting him for a year now, and he’s certainly one of the best players among his peers there. His strengths are more on the defensive side, with rebounds and blocks in particular. He averaged a bit over 7 pts a game, with 5+ rebounds and nearly a block a game.
At 17 he attended the euro Jordan camp, which only admits 20 15-18 year olds, so he’s been pretty well decorated over there. His hustle pops off the film.
http://www.cbf.cz/souteze/hrac_8010_soutez_2060.html

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April 3rd

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs pick up commitment from Jakub Dombek, a 6’10” forward from Czech Republic

From the Daily Camera … The void in the frontcourt apparently has been filled for the Colorado men’s basketball team.

According to a tweet Tuesday afternoon from Get Better Academy, a basketball training organization in Europe, the Buffaloes have received a commitment from Jakub Dombek, a 6-foot-10 forward out of the Czech Republic.

Dombek will enter CU as a freshman with four years of eligibility. It is the second European player in as many years landed by the Buffs since assistant coach Bill Grier joined the staff. Grier helped Gonzaga rise to prominence during a 15-year run as an assistant through 2007, with Grier serving as the recruiting coordinator over the final 10 years while bringing a number of international recruits to Spokane.

The 2017-18 roster also featured freshman guard Lazar Nikolic from Serbia.

The addition of Dombek completes a 2018 freshman recruiting class that already includes guards Elijah Parquet and Denver East’s Daylen Kountz. The open scholarship that remained in reserve for CU head coach Tad Boyle when those two players signed in November was temporarily, if not officially, filled when Tory Miller-Stewart considered returning for a fifth season following a season-ending foot injury after just six games. However, Miller-Stewart ultimately opted to transfer elsewhere to play his final season as a graduate transfer.

… Continue reading story here …

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