Colorado Basketball – 2023-24 Season highlight video/2024 NBA Draft coverage

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Colorado Basketball – Post-season video/2024 NBA Draft coverage

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June 29th

… CU in the Arena … 

CU in the NBA Spotlight: “I just want to be able to capitalize on the momentum”

From the Daily Camera … The Buffalo-shaped footprint in the NBA has never loomed larger, and it goes well beyond having multiple players picked in a single draft for the first time since the affair was shortened to two rounds in 1989.

Da Silva and former recruiting classmate Jabari Walker are playing for former Buffs head coaches, with da Silva set to play for Jamahl Mosley in Orlando and Walker recently completing his second season in Portland under CU legend Chauncey Billups.

When the Boston Celtics claimed the NBA title, Derrick White joined a club that includes Billups and Scott Wedman as former Buffs to win NBA championships. Having just finished his seventh season, White still has plenty of basketball ahead. The ageless Alec Burks just finished his 13th season in the league and put together several standout playoff performances for the New York Knicks. Spencer Dinwiddie averaged 12.0 points per game in his 10th NBA season.

In the aftermath of the greatest NBA June in the history of the CU men’s basketball program, it’s easy to start looking ahead.

… CU’s current roster, including the incoming freshmen, doesn’t feature a sure-fire future draft pick. But there’s likely one there somewhere, and Boyle understands there’s an opportunity at hand for his program to revel in its unprecedented NBA spotlight.

“I just want to be able to capitalize on the momentum, capitalize on the buzz of what these kids have done,” Boyle said. “We want to capitalize on this going forward. College basketball, college football, any sport you’re talking about, it’s all about recruiting and attracting the next group of guys that you feel like can help not only to elevate your program in Boulder, but hopefully continue to have success as pros.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 28th

… CU in the Arena … 

CBS: Utah gets an A+ for taking Williams; KJ Simpson taken “way too low”

From CBS Sports … The first two-day NBA Draft is officially in the books, and the burning questions we’ve had for weeks — about who would go No. 1, about who might trade up in the lottery, about where Donovan Clingan might land — have finally been answered.

Over the course of two days, we had dozens of transactions, drama, and surprises. Ron Holland going to Detroit at No. 5 registered as one, Tidjane Salaun getting scooped at No. 6 by Charlotte another and Clingan falling all the way to Portland at No. 7 was even more stunning.

And that was just part of the lottery.

With the draft in our rearview mirror and the picture of this year’s draft officially painted in full, we graded each team’s respective haul in the space below. Twenty-nine of 30 teams made at least one selection (sorry, Nets) so we had plenty of report cards to hand out this year.

Utah Jazz 

10. Cody Williams, F, Colorado
29. Isaiah Collier, G, USC
32. Kyle Filipowski, F, Duke

In my opinion, the Jazz had the best draft out of any team in the association. They were able to land Williams, who has the potential to be the best two-way wing in this class. Then, they followed it up by -picking Collier, who came into the season as a contender to be the No. 1 overall pick. Utah finished the draft by landing Filipowski at No. 32, who ranked 16th on our CBS Sports Big Board. This was a masterclass by Danny Ainge and company. Grade A+ 

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On KJ Simpson … Even in a down draft there are bound to be really good players who blossom years down the road. And no matter what draft you’re looking at, it is 100% guaranteed to see a lot of players taken far later than they should have been. With that in mind, and with the 2024 NBA Draft now over and the basketball offseason officially here, I wanted to share a postmortem on which players waited too long to be picked.

KJ Simpson (42nd to Charlotte)

The Colorado guard had to overcome questions about his 6-foot frame (with a wingspan under 6-5), but I tell you this: Simpson was WAY more often than not the best player on the floor for the Buffaloes last season, easily outpacing his teammates (Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva) who were taken in the first round. He’s got a good deep shot, was an excellent rebounder (5.8 per game) for a point guard and rated nearly as good as a Reed Sheppard in getting in the lanes to swipe for steals. It’s reasonable to wait until the second round to take a chance on a point guard (check the trends in recent years), and I don’t know if Charlotte is where Simpson will be best served, but if he can get enough time to hone his craft, he should emerge as one of the 30 best players in this draft and easily outperform his second round destiny.

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June 27th

… CU in the Arena … 

KJ Simpson taken in the second round by Charlotte (No. 42 overall)

… Related … My 2022 interview with KJ Simpson …

Press release from CUBuffs.com … Colorado’s KJ Simpson became the third Buffalo taken in the 2024 NBA Draft on Thursday when the Charlotte Hornets made him the 12th pick in the second round (42nd overall).

Simpson joins Wednesday first rounders Cody Williams (10th, Utah Jazz) and Tristan da Silva (18th, Orlando Magic) to make up the highest-ranked draft class in CU program history. The Buffs have had three players taken in one draft only two other times (1981 and 1955), but neither of those classes had all three players taken in the top 60 selections.

This is also the first time ever that the Buffs have had two first rounders in the same draft and Simpson becomes the 10th player selected in the Tad Boyle era.

Simpson played three seasons in Boulder. He stepped into the starting lineup as a sophomore and had an immediate impact, averaging 15.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He then increased those numbers to 19.7 and 4.9 last season, helping lead the Buffs to the Pac-12 tournament title game and two victories in the NCAA Tournament.

An emotional Simpson told ESPN immediately after his selection, “It feels good. Nobody expected me to be here. I know it’s not over. I can’t wait to keep going and prove people wrong. My story’s not written.”

Slightly undersized by NBA standards at 6-foot-1, Simpson nevertheless impressed scouts in his pre-draft workouts. He exhibited explosive leaping ability all year with the Buffs with some huge dunks and put up extremely efficient shooting numbers as a senior, hitting more than 47 percent of his field goal tries, including 43.4 percent from long range, as well as connecting on more than 87 percent of his free throw tries. Those numbers put him in the upper echelon of all shooters in the draft.

Colorado has now had at least one player taken in eight of the last 14 NBA Drafts — including five first rounders — in Boyle’s tenure.

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Two Buffs taken in the first round for the first time in program history

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado men’s basketball established a historic first for the program Wednesday night when two Buffaloes were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft at the Barclays Center.

Cody Williams heard his name called by the Utah Jazz with the 10th overall pick and Tristan da Silva became the 18th overall pick when he was picked by the Orlando Magic.

Williams became the fourth-highest draft pick in CU history, trailing just Chauncey Billups (3rd, 1997), Scott Wedman (6th, 1974) and Cliff Meely (7th, 1971).

It is the first time in CU basketball history that the Buffs have had two first-round picks and the eighth time in the 14-year Tad Boyle era that Colorado has been represented in the draft. Heading into Wednesday’s draft, the Buffs were tied for 11th in the nation with the most times represented in the draft over the previous 13 years.

Williams and da Silva became the eighth and ninth players from the Boyle era to be drafted and the fourth and fifth first-rounders, joining Derrick White (2017), Andre Roberson (2013) and Alec Burks (2011).

Williams is the first “one-and-done” player in CU history. While injuries hampered his only year as a Buff, limiting him to just 24 games, he still displayed enough talent and potential to become a lottery pick. An ankle injury took away some of his explosiveness down the stretch of CU’s NCAA Tournament season, but in his  14 games before the injury, he averaged 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 60.6 percent from the field.

Da Silva played four years in Boulder and steadily improved every year. Over the final 14 games last season, he averaged 17.1 points while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from long range while also averaging nearly five rebounds per game in that stretch.

Da Silva will be playing for another CU alum, former Buff standout Jamahl Mosley, who is now the head coach at Orlando.

Boyle was in Brooklyn on Wednesday to watch the festivities.

“An unbelievable feeling,” he said. “To me, this night is about three things: the player, the families and the program. It’s nice to see all three recognized.”

Boyle and his staff have developed a strong reputation for player development, as witnessed by the nine players selected in the draft during his tenure in Boulder.

“You want to help kids achieve their dreams,” Boyle said. “That’s what college basketball is about and you get to feel like you played a small part in helping them get there. Honestly, it’s a testament to our coaching staff, the administration, our strength coaches, our trainers — our entire program.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 25th

… CU in the Arena … 

Final ESPN Mock Draft: Buffs going at No. 9; No. 17; and No. 52

From ESPN … It’s officially 2024 NBA draft week, and the big storyline continues to be what will happen with the Atlanta Hawks and which player they will select as their No. 1 pick.

Ahead of the two-day draft, which begins Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET (on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+), Hawks general manager Landry Fields said his initial enthusiasm about landing the top pick has not been diminished as he and his staff have examined options such as French stars Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher, along with Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard and UConn center Donovan Clingan.

Trade talks are heating up as different scenarios are being laid out from NBA decision-makers depending on how the draft evolves.

ESPN will be tracking every bit of news and intel until the Hawks go on the clock at the Barclays Center podium Wednesday, with this version of the mock draft undergoing any and all necessary alterations up until draft time, based on our latest intel and any first- or second-round moves up until that hour.

9. Memphis Grizzlies … Cody Williams, SG/SF, Colorado | Age: 19.5

Williams has a wide array of suitors in the lottery, with every team in the range of Nos. 6 to 12 appearing to have interest. Where Williams actually lands could hang to some extent on trade activity in the top 10, but teams have remained intrigued by his upside, physical profile and flashes of strong play early in the season.

If the Grizzlies keep this pick, Williams would be an intriguing upside swing as the type of bigger, two-way wing their roster presently lacks. He is a late bloomer who will need time to actualize his skill set but could pay dividends over time as a player who was once viewed by some teams as a candidate for No. 1.

The Grizzlies also are said to be exploring opportunities to trade back from this spot, making this an interesting swing pick in the shape of the lottery. Other options for Memphis if it stays at this pick include Topic and Devin Carter.

17. Los Angeles Lakers … Tristan Da Silva, SF/PF, Colorado | Age: 23.1

The Lakers likely will explore the trade market to see what type of veterans they can add to give LeBron James, Anthony Davis and new coach J.J. Redick the best chance of competing this season, with NBA names such as Dejounte Murray and Collin Sexton being batted around by rival teams as possible targets.

Should the Lakers elect to stand pat, picking a plug-and-play wing/forward such as Da Silva would make lots of sense. He has excellent size at 6-foot-10. He made 40% of his 3-pointers. And he brings a strong feel for the game, unselfishness and competitiveness on both ends of the floor.

Da Silva should be ready to play fairly soon for a team that is hoping to take a step forward. Yves Missi, McCain, Holland, Carrington, Shannon and Edey are some of the names rival teams have suggested might be in play here, as well.

52. Golden State Warriors (via Bucks) … KJ Simpson, PG, Colorado | Age: 21.8

… Read full story here …

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June 19th 

… CU in the Arena … 

Tristan da Silva also invited to Green Room 

From coloradobuffaloeswire.com … Cody Williams won’t be the only former Colorado Buffalo men’s basketball player at the Barclays Center for the 2024 NBA draft next week. Tristan da Silva will be there too, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

Da Silva and Williams are among the 24 players who have accepted their green room invite to the draft. KJ Simpson, another Buff expected to be drafted, has yet to receive an invite and probably won’t given his second-round projection.

Before last season, the 6-foot-9 da Silva was regarded as one of the best returning forwards in college basketball. After an impressive postseason showing, da Silva is now widely expected to be a first-round selection. Most mock drafts have da Silva going in the 10-20 range, though he’ll likely land just outside the lottery.

Da Silva averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on 49.3% shooting from the field, including 39.5% from 3-point range, last season. He also showed his two-way upside, averaging 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per night while posting the 15th-best defensive win shares in the Pac-12 (1.6).

The 2024 NBA draft will commence on Wednesday, June 26.

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June 12th

… CU in the Arena … 

Cody Williams one of 12 players invited to NBA Draft Green Room

From ESPN … Twelve players have received invitations to attend the 2024 NBA draft and sit in the green room, sources told ESPN.

Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Donovan Clingan, Reed Sheppard, Matas Buzelis, Stephon Castle, Dalton Knecht, Tidjane Salaun, Ron Holland, Cody Williams, Devin Carter and Ja’Kobe Walter received the first batch of 12 invites sent out Tuesday.

Another 11-12 invites are expected to be sent out in waves starting next week, a source told ESPN.

The green room is a staging area in front of the NBA draft podium where players, families and agents await commissioner Adam Silver to call a player’s name upon selection.

This year, players will be allowed to invite six people to sit with them at their individual tables, down from 10 last year.

The process of deciding who to invite to the NBA draft involves communication with presidents or general managers of teams with first-round selections. Teams are asked to vote on the top 25 players they expect to be drafted first. This is to ensure players aren’t sitting for very long before a national television audience.

Receiving an invitation is considered a positive sign for a player’s draft stock, although there have been instances in the past of prospects falling to the second round while sitting in the green room — such as Bol Bol, Deyonta Davis, Nic Claxton, Maciej Lampe, Rashard Lewis and others.

The NBA draft will be conducted over two days for the first time. The first round is June 26 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, while the second round will be held June 27 at ESPN’s studio in lower Manhattan. For that reason, there may be additional scrutiny over the final players invited to the green room, so as to avoid a scenario where an invited player and their family needs to wait a full extra day to hear their name called.

… Continue reading story here …

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May 8th

… CU in the Arena … 

Mock NBA Draft has two Buffs going in the first round

From Sports Illustrated … The NBA draft is now less than two months away, with preparations in full swing. The 2024 draft is considered one of the weakest in the last two decades (particularly at the top) after plenty of young star power has come out of recent drafts. Despite that, teams are tasked with finding valuable pieces to help along rebuilds or extend contending windows, and the lack of top-tier choices has created plenty of uncertainty as we head toward the home stretch of the pre-draft process.

Here’s a look at Sports Illustrated’s Big Board, featuring the 25 best players in this year’s class.

8. Cody Williams, Colorado Buffaloes

It was an uneven lone season at Colorado for Williams, the brother of Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams. Cody Williams dealt with multiple injuries throughout the season and vanished from games too easily, especially late in the season and in key March moments. His three-point shot is a bit of a question mark after looking hesitant to fire from deep at Colorado, though he does possess some serious potential with his length and playmaking ability.

20. Tristan da Silva, Colorado Buffaloes

While lacking some of the physical strength and physicality that NBA teams will want to see, da Silva’s elite shooting stroke and feel for the game makes him an intriguing mid- to late-first-round option. He’s a savvy player who makes good decisions and can operate effectively as a shooter, screener or ballhandler. I’d bet on him finding a way to impact the game at the next level.

… Read full story here …

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May 7th

… CU in the Arena … 

Tad Boyle adds Danny Manning to coaching staff

Press release from CUBuffs.com … Former collegiate National Player of the Year, NCAA champion, NBA All-Star and long-time basketball coach Danny Manning has been named an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Colorado, head coach Tad Boyle announced on Tuesday.

Manning, who replaces Rick Ray on Boyle’s staff, joins the Buffaloes with 18 years of collegiate coaching experience on top of being one of the elite basketball players in the world for the last two decades of the 20th century. He will officially begin his duties on June 1.

“I’m very excited to join coach Boyle’s staff,” Manning said. “This staff has been together for quite some time and has had quite a bit of success, so I want to come in and be a sponge; learn from them, the things they’ve been doing to be successful and just try and add little nuggets that I can along the way in terms of my experience as a player and a coach.

“I’d like to thank (athletic director) Rick George and the administration for giving me this opportunity. I’m looking forward to being part of the Buffalo culture and can’t wait to get to Boulder.”

Most recently, Manning spent two seasons as the associate head coach at Louisville (2022-24). He has nine years of experience as a head coach at the NCAA Division I level with two seasons at Tulsa (2012-14), six at Wake Forest (2014-20) and a portion of the 2021-22 campaign as the interim head coach at Maryland, where he was initially an assistant before taking over for Mark Turgeon who stepped down mid-season.

His six-year run at Wake Forest was highlighted by an NCAA First Four appearance during his third season in 2016-17 as the Demon Deacons finished with a 19-14 record advancing to postseason play for the first time in seven seasons. Manning was the recipient of the 2017 Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, presented to the nation’s top coach who had success on the court and showed moral integrity off of it.

He mentored 14 future professional basketball players at Wake Forest including All-American John Collins, selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 19th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.  Manning saw 29 players accumulate 3.0 GPAs at Wake Forest with 16 making the Dean’s List.

“He’s going to help us on a lot of different levels,” Boyle said. “Danny brings the ability to connect with young people, being able to mentor them and let them know what they heed to do to get better but also what they need to do to achieve their ultimate goal, which is to be a professional basketball player, which a lot of our players aspire to be. His ability to recruit and connect with families is there as well.”

At Tulsa, Manning had a two-year record of 38-29, winning Conference USA Coach of the Year honors in 2013-14, as he guided the Golden Hurricane to a league championship and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years. He was the finalist for the Jim Phelan Award, given to the nation’s top coach, and the Ben Jobe Award, for the nation’s top minority coach.

Manning began his coaching career at his alma mater, Kansas. He was part of Bill Self’s original staff in 2003 as the director of student-athlete development/team manager. He was elevated to an assistant coach in 2007, helping the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA championship. Manning remained in Lawrence through the 2011-12 season, helping Kansas to a spot in the 2012 Final Four and advancing to the championship game.

The first pick of the 1988 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, Manning had a 15-year NBA career, playing for seven different teams. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year Award with the Phoenix Suns in 1998. He averaged 14.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 51.1 percent from the field over 883 career games.

… Continue reading story here …

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April 29th 

… CU in the Arena … 

Tad Boyle adds three graduate transfers to 2024-25 roster

Press release from CUBuffs.com … Colorado, in reload mode after a record-setting season, added three graduate transfers to its 2024-25 men’s basketball roster with the signings of Trevor Baskin, Andrej Jakimovski and Elijah Malone, head coach Tad Boyle announced on Monday.

Baskin, a 6-foot, 9-inch forward from Arvada, Colo., averaged 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists as a senior at Colorado Mesa, earning Division II All-America honors from both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the D2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). He led the Mavericks to a 29-5 record in 2023-24 as CMU won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title and advanced to the championship game of the NCAA South Central Regional.

“The first thing you look at when you see (Trevor) play is his diverse skill set,” Boyle said. “For a guy that’s 6-9 with a long wingspan, he can really shoot the ball, put it on the floor and he can pass and rebound. He can do a little bit of everything.”

Baskin was the 2023-24 RMAC Player of the Year and a First Team Academic All-American, scheduled to graduate this spring from Colorado Mesa with his degree in Business Administration and Finance.

A three-time All-RMAC First Team selection, and two-time all-region pick, Baskin averaged 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and shot 56.6 percent over four seasons at Colorado Mesa. He ranks fifth in school history with 1,656 career points and is sixth in rebounds (767) and second in blocks (145).

“When you lose a Tristan da Silva, who’s 6-9, with a great diverse skill set, and you’re able to pick up a guy like Trevor, it makes you feel better about Tristan’s loss. Trevor’s going to be able to impact the game in a lot of different ways, and the thing I like about him is he can play multiple positions offensively and guard multiple positions defensively. Anyone who has followed Colorado basketball knows it’s something that we value.”

Jakimovski, a 6-8 forward from Kriva Palanka, North Macedonia, comes to Colorado with some familiarity with the program after four seasons at Washington State. He averaged 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds as a senior, helping the Cougars to a 25-10 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Jakimovski started all 35 games for the Cougars in 2023-24, ranking second on the team in rebounding, 3-point field goals (67) and steals (21).

“We lost the majority of our 3-point shooting this year, and so to be able to sign a guy that is a proven 3-point shooter at the highest level of college basketball is something we needed to replace. The thing I love about Andrej is his toughness and his ability to rebound both offensively and defensively.

Jakimovski averaged 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds over 120 career games at Washington State. He made 184 3-point field goals during his career, ranking ninth on the Cougars’ all-time list.

“I think our five-out system is really going to help Andrej expand his game offensively and show some other things he’s capable of doing, that he didn’t have a chance to at Washington State based on their personnel (primarily playing with two bigs).  They had a heck of a team, finished second in the league, one spot ahead of the Buffaloes. I’ve got great respect for Andrej, and what he’s done in his career at Washington State and I think he can build on that has he comes to Colorado for a year.”

Malone, a 6-10 center from LaGrange, Ind., joins Colorado after a storied career at Grace College (Ind.). Malone was the recipient of the 2024 Bevo Francis Award, given to the nation’s best small college player, encompassing NCAA II, III, NAIA and junior colleges. He averaged 17.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks as a senior, guiding Grace to a 34-2 record and the NAIA Fab Four (national semifinals).

“Elijah could have left Grace College after his sophomore or junior years and very easily gone to the Division I level,” Boyle said. “But the fact that he showed loyalty to his teammates and coaching staff that he signed with coming out of high school, that tells you everything you need to know about his character and kind of person he is. His value system and our value system are aligned very well.”

The 2023-24 NAIA Player of the Year, Malone shot 63 percent from the floor, 37 percent from 3-point range and 81 percent from the line. He was the Crossroads League Player of the Year and earned a spot on the NAIA All-Tournament Team.

“He wants to be able to prove himself at the highest level of college basketball and playing in the Big 12 is going to allow him the opportunity to do that,” Boyle said. “The way we play our style and the way he played at Grace College are very similar. So I feel really good about him in terms of what we lost and what we need for next year’s team. He fits the bill perfectly.”

A two-time All-American and three-time all-league pick, Malone averaged 14.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks over 139 career games at Grace. He is the Lancers’ career leader in blocks (308) and field goal percentage (.653) and ranks ninth in both points (1,953) and rebounds (1,017).

“We all knew in terms of what we lost from last year’s team, we lost a lot of experience,” Boyle said. “To be able to replace them with these three that have experience and are battle tested and have size; that’s the big thing is we lost so much size on the perimeter and in the middle as well. With that, I think each one of these guys bring something a little bit different to the table and we’re excited about all three of them.”

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April 23rd 

… CU in the Arena … 

**Video: Men’s Basketball 2023-24 Full Season Recap**

From YouTube, courtesy of BuffsTV …

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April 12th

… CU in the Arena … 

KJ Simpson officially declares for the NBA Draft

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Tags: Cody Williams, Evan Battey, KJ Simpson, Tristan da Silva
This post, about the Colorado Basketball game, from the 2023 Season, is filed under Article.
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