Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: CU Coaches Caravan Postcard - Day One
May 13, 2013 | General, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - And they're off . . .
The Colorado Coaches Caravan, State Stampede circa 2013, hit the road Monday morning - and the road didn't hit back. Fact is, the road was quite hospitable, thanks to Horizon Coach Lines.
Head coaches aboard on Day One: Mike MacIntyre (football), Tad Boyle (men's basketball), Linda Lappe (women's basketball), Anne Kelly (women's golf), Ann Elliott (lacrosse). Athletic Director Mike Bohn and a gaggle of his administrative crew also suited up.
First-day stops included IBM in Boulder, the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center, the Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins, the Weld County Garage in Greeley, the Bolder Boulder store on the 29th Street Mall, and Ted's Montana Grill in Boulder for the day's final stop.
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| Women's basketball coach Linda Lappe addresses the crowd at the Ptarmigan Country Club. |
Hitting the highlights:
- No news flash here, but IBM is vast and its inner workings fascinating. It's also very CU- and community-friendly, sponsoring "Read With The Buffs" (37 CU student-athletes participated this year) at local schools. Thanks to Pete Lorenzen and his crew for the welcome and helping kick off the tour.
- At the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center, MacIntyre apparently made a lasting impression on Lila Jean Stewart, a longtime, thoroughly avid CU supporter. Ever the Southern gentleman, MacIntyre called on his roots in addressing and answering the Longmont hostess. Said Stewart with a laugh: "I've heard more 'Yes, maams' from you than my husband."
Added Stewart: "Bringing the CU coaches to Longmont and highlighting the Longmont Museum was a terrific way to show some wonderful connections between our communities. I wished the coaches all the best for their coming seasons and encouraged them to help further the museum's capital campaign."
- Boyle addressing the lunch crowd at the Ptarmigan CC: "Today's our first day . . . you get our best shot before our eyes are all glassed over on Friday."
- When Boyle asked the group if there were any questions, he should have known this was coming: "Was Sabatino Chen's shot at Arizona good?" Boyle's answer: "Absolutely, and I've got the pictures (a sequence) to prove it." But he hasn't decided whether they should go on his office wall at the Coors Events Center.
- CU received a signed national letter-of-intent on Monday from George King, a 6-5 freshman from San Antonio (Brennan) who was offered a scholarship by Boyle on the same Sunday (April 28) that Andre Roberson elected to declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft. King fits Boyle's scheme because he can play multiple positions - "He can rebound, block shots, shoot and defend," Boyle said.
Boyle said CU was "kind of late to the party" in recruiting King, who conceded he was a "late bloomer" and didn't start attracting major attention until late in his senior season and went through the April signing period unsigned.
Boyle had seen King in a tournament in Kansas City and thought he was a nice player. The thought passed. Later that weekend, when Boyle's oldest son, Jack, was playing in a tournament in Denver, King was there, too. MacIntyre's son, Jay, also was playing in the tournament. He eyed King, too. "Hmmm," said both Buffs coaches.
Men's basketball coach Tad Boyle signs up for the 2013 Bolder Boulder Monday. Trouble was, Boyle didn't have a scholarship. That changed after he and Jack returned from a short lunch break. About 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 28, Boyle received a call from Roberson, who said he was going pro. King went from being a blip on CU's radar, to a prospect, to a signee. And Boyle thinks King rounds out his 2013 recruiting class very nicely.
- Kelly was anticipating Monday night's "Big Break/Mexico," a Golf Channel special that featured one of her former stars - Emily Talley. You had to tune in to see how Talley fared in her debut episode; her agreement with the show's producers swore her to secrecy. Talley's contract called for a hefty fine if any results were divulged. The show has 12 episodes. Tune in next time.
- A year from now - unless her team reaches the postseason - Elliott's first CU lacrosse season will be in the books. Of course, Elliott is hoping the Buffs are still playing in mid-May of 2014. Elliott's 20-member all-freshman squad is tentatively scheduled to open in Florida (Stetson) on Feb. 14, 2014, then return to Boulder on Feb. 22 for her sport's home debut. Plans are for the Buffs to run onto Folsom Field behind Ralphie.
- Lappe called her team's 2012-13 season - the Buffs reached the NCAA Tournament, as did Boyle's bunch - "a stepping stone to where we want to go." Lappe called three of her four incoming recruits very physical players. And replacing Chucky Jeffery, noted Lappe, won't be done with one player: "A few of our returning players are going to have to step up."
- MacIntyre is campus-bound, but has coaches currently recruiting in Colorado, California and Texas. He said nine in-state prospects have been offered for the 2014 class, with that number potentially rising to 12-14. "We want to build a wall around Colorado," MacIntyre said, "but I know it's a little hard to do at 1-11."
The summer months, said MacIntyre, are critical for the development of quarterback Connor Wood, whose improvement in the final half of spring drills moved him to the forefront at his position. "He became very accurate," MacIntyre said. He also became the most experienced QB on the roster with the transfer of Nick Hirschman.
Nonetheless, MacIntyre is holding fast to his plan of eyeballing incoming freshman Sefo Liufau and charting Sefo's August progress before naming a starter for the Sept. 1 opener against Colorado State. As will the other CU freshmen, Liufau will get roughly two months of summer work and indoctrination before camp opens on Aug. 5. Liufau's high school graduation is on the morning of June 2, and MacIntyre expects him in Boulder that night.
Liufau appears humble and well-grounded. "He's not a 'golden child,'" as some players at his position can be, MacIntyre said, noting that Liufau has two autistic siblings and has been instrumental in helping raise both.
MacIntyre told of a recent lunch meeting with former CU coach Bill McCartney. "I took about 1,000 pages of notes," the newer "Mac" said. "He's a phenomenal man . . . he's very, very positive and excited about where we're going."
- MacIntyre will be out of town on Memorial Day and therefore won't run this year's Bolder Boulder. But he says he plans to register and run next year. Boyle signed up Monday on the Caravan's next-to-last stop. Race founder and former CU Regent Steve Bosley told Boyle he was putting him in the sub-40 minute wave, but by his own choice Boyle wound up in the plus-60 bunch. Better fit, said Boyle.
For Tuesday's public tour stops visit CUBuffs.com/coachescaravan
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
