Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: For CU Seniors, Their Day Is All About A 'W'
February 25, 2012 | Men's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
If there was something else to do on nights/afternoons when the Buffs were playing basketball, something else usually got the 'W.' Plan Bs were plentiful: TV, movie, dining, various social endeavors, maybe even an academic pursuit or two (often known as studying).
Times - and the CU hoops culture - are changing. Last season brought a school-record five sellouts, with three more this year. Students, with props to the "C-Unit," have tuned in and turned on. Four-year seniors Tomlinson, Dufault and Eckloff have witnessed a rebirth of passion at the venerable Events Center. And Carlon Brown is an upperclassman who caught wind of the delicious change last season while sitting out after transferring from Utah.
A lasting memory for all of them will be more wins, bigger crowds and finally, hoopla over hoops . . . mega heads, a few costumes, and lots and lots of noise from a student section that once was as quiet as an empty corner of Norlin Library.
"When Austin and me and Nate came in here, no one was really in the student section and we were struggling to win games," Eckloff recalled the other day. "Now, it's a packed house (almost) every night and a great student section. And just the vibe on our team is that much better. We all came in expecting the program to grow, and I think all three of us really brought it up."
That threesome and Brown observe their final regular-season home game Sunday afternoon (3:30 p.m., FSN) when CU (18-9, 10-5) meets Pac-12 Conference leader California (23-6, 13-3). The game is sold out.
All four seniors have family and friends coming in for the occasion. Dufault's parents are Events Center regulars, but they will be joined by about 30 other friends, relatives and high school buddies who will bus in from Killdeer, N.D.
"It'll be a lot of fun to see people I haven't seen for awhile . . . I think it'll be pretty emotional and pretty special," said Dufault, a very atypical four-year starter at forward who justifiably takes pride in that as well as adapting to playing out-of-position (inside) at the college level and learning to rein in his emotions.
Starting for four years "was a kind of a goal coming out of high school, at least having the opportunity to contribute as much as I could from the beginning," Dufault said. "Looking back, it's something I'm proud of; it's definitely an accomplishment I take pride in. Also, making the transition of playing inside - that's another thing I'm pretty proud of because I'd never played in there before. Coming into that from the high school level was pretty difficult."
Tomlinson's parents, sister and "a couple of friends" also will be in attendance. They arrived at mid-week, none of them by bus. The Tomlinsons are from Sydney, Australia.
Nate and "AD" have talked frequently about the tangible uptick in CU hoops since their arrival. "That's what it's about," Tomlinson said. "It's great now playing at home. Me and Austin can look back at our first (home) games and it was lucky if there were 2,500 people in the stands. That's on us. (Fans) want to see a team that will win and play hard, and that's what we've tried to do the last four years."
I asked Tomlinson if he feels like his college career has been a "blink-and-it's-over" passage. He laughed. "After long practices, no it doesn't . . . but the games go really quick," he said. "The last two home games this week, that's hard to believe. It seems like my first game was a long time ago. But things have changed; we've gotten better every year, bigger crowds are coming out. And that's made my time here very enjoyable. If we can be remembered for anything, it's that we changed it."
Brown has been a part of it for only two years, counting his transfer season, but he's aware of the transformation. His parents, coming from Southern California, and an uncle will be on hand Sunday afternoon, and he's hoping their presence might do something to snap him out of a shooting slump that's lingered over the last half of the month. "It's something new for me; I've never gone through anything like this," he lamented.
But while working through it, Brown is doing the "other" things that will keep him on the court - playing defense, rebounding and trying to facilitate the flow for his teammates. He said he stocked up on a "cool amount of memories" from his time in Boulder, but an overall evaluation of his time at CU is premature: "I can't really put a price tag on that yet because we haven't accomplished our goal - to win the conference championship if not the conference tournament . . . I don't have any complaints or regrets, but I still feel like I've got work to do. I want to win, I want to win a championship."
Eckloff's Senior Day entourage will have the shortest trip to Boulder, coming from Englewood. But they won't see Eckloff play; a recent diagnosis of mononucleosis will sideline him at least until Monday, March 5. He's expected to resume practice that week as the Buffs prepare for the Pac-12 Tournament in Los Angeles.
Eckloff, who has been accepted for law school at CU and the University of Denver, has logged the least playing time of any of the four seniors. But coach Tad Boyle said Eckloff's contributions as basically a practice player have been significant. "You help guys get better every day," Eckloff said. "You're with the team every day. You're a part of it - traveling, practicing, you know you're a part of it. Even if I don't get in the game I know I have a large role in just changing the culture . . .
"I enjoyed it a lot and couldn't see myself anywhere else. Great teammates, great coaching staffs - both coaching staffs (former coach Jeff Bzdelik signed Eckloff) have been amazing. Great place to go to school; the whole package has been fantastic. I've left it all on the court and all in the classroom. Both have been great experiences. I feel like I've maximized my potential in both (areas)."
Not much of a nudge is necessary, but Boyle has reminded his four seniors that with three regular-season games remaining (CU plays at Oregon and Oregon State next week) they can be a part of the first Buffs teams to win 20 games in back-to-back seasons.
Said Boyle: "One of the things I've talked to our seniors about is if we can get to that 20 mark, somehow, some way, your legacy is going to be doing something that no other player here has ever done. Ever. That's pretty special, but we have to get there. And it's not going to be easy. Winning games in February, late February . . . it gets harder and harder as the season goes on."
Added Eckloff: "I think when you come into an established program and you win 20 games you just expect it. When you've been through the rough times and you're only winning single digit games on the year, you definitely appreciate it a lot more, that's for sure. Being a part of a team that kind of established that winning culture means a little more to us, too."
The trio of four-year seniors and Brown, said Boyle, have impacted the CU program and this season in different ways. His two years with them began with a smooth transition and their immediate "buy in," which he values as much as anything.
"What I'll remember about this group is how they kind of set the tone," Boyle said. "Especially with our (staff) only being here for two years, they really the tone for the guys who came into the program this year. They really kind of took to what we're trying to build here.
"They didn't fight us, they accepted us as coaches and we accepted them as players. It's been a great two years. Going through a coaching change, like three of them went through, is not easy. I think I'll remember the grace and the maturity they showed through that process."
Most Senior Days start as reflective and emotional, but the Buffs don't have time for much of that Sunday. If their full attention isn't on Cal, which comes in on a six-game winning streak, a disastrous replay of Thursday night's loss to Stanford awaits. CU suffered its worst defeat of the season (74-50) and its first Pac-12 home loss. The Buffs dropped from second place in the conference into a tie for fourth with Oregon, and a trapdoor was left open for a further freefall in terms of seeding for the conference tournament. CU could end up with one of the top four seeds, drawing a first-round bye, or tumble as low as a seventh seed.
"We've got to win the next game; that's what we've talked about the whole year - just winning the next one," Tomlinson said. "We haven't lost too many games back to back (only twice). Yeah, it's Senior Day but it doesn't really matter at the end of the day; getting a win is all that matters."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
