Brooks: Fletcher Hopes Buffs Buds Help Fill Big Need

BOULDER - Tre'Shaun Fletcher's mission isn't impossible, but at this point it might be questionable teetering toward improbable. No pressure, but the Fletchers of Tacoma, Wash. (and no doubt several others) are counting on him. Heavily.

Before Sunday afternoon, "Tre" or "Fletch" - he answers to either - likely will have approached all of his Colorado basketball teammates, perhaps most of the CU staff, plus any willing member of the traveling party about obtaining tickets to the Buffs' game at Washington (1 p.m. MST, Fox Sports 1).

"Fletch" could use, oh, about 40.

"Or maybe 20 or 30," he said, already beginning to downsize his request the day before boarding a bus to DIA on Tuesday morning. "I've got my mom, brother, sister, nieces and a lot extended family - cousins, aunties, uncles - that want to come to the game. Just a bunch."

A big bunch . . . and he didn't mention high school coaches or former teammates and friends, but I'm guessing he's also received several of those requests. Fletcher played for Tacoma's Lincoln High School, which gets five stars in the creative category for its athletic teams' nickname - the Abes.

"Yeah," Fletcher admitted with a grin, "it's kind of unique."

So was Fletcher's high school career. He left Lincoln as the Abes' (I'm fighting the urge to use it in every sentence) all-time scoring leader, averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as a senior.

When Fletcher arrived in Boulder last summer, another former Tacoma high school athlete (not a fellow Lincoln Abe) already was on campus. Bellarmine Prep quarterback Sefo Liufau had been recruited by CU's former football staff and honored his commitment by signing with new coach Mike MacIntyre.

Fletcher and Liufau competed in high school basketball in Tacoma as well as in AAU circles. They were in the same league through their sophomore years, Fletcher said, before Lincoln moved down a classification to 3A and Bellarmine stayed at 4A.

"He was a pretty good basketball player," Fletcher said of Liufau. "But he stuck with football. I stopped playing football in the eighth grade and stayed with basketball. We still talk and text a little bit."

During Fletcher's recruitment, the Buffs eventually worked their way to the head of an impressive pack that included five Pac-12 schools (Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon State, UCLA, CU) as well as Boise State, Gonzaga and Santa Clara. All were impressed with his wingspan, height - he's grown an inch to 6-7 - and skill set, but Fletcher was most impressed by CU. He joined a touted Buffs signing class that's already contributed to a 13-2 record (2-0 Pac-12) and No. 15 national ranking.

Fletcher, CU's first men's hoops player from the state of Washington since Sam Sanders in 1999-2000, is averaging 10.3 minutes game (3.4 points, 1.9 rebounds). He only played 5 minutes, getting three points and one rebound, in the Buffs' 100-91 win over then-No. 10 Oregon last weekend, but he expects his minutes to climb again.

"I've got to work my way back in," he said, alluding to a couple of missed practices due to a minor injury. Fletcher's minutes are third among CU's four true freshmen, trailing Jaron Hopkins at 17.0 and Dustin Thomas at 12.9. George King is getting 5.6.

After 15 games - or roughly halfway through the regular season - freshmen should shows signs of latching onto their coaches' daily directives. I asked CU coach Tad Boyle if he was close to the point where he can stop thinking of his freshmen as freshmen.

"To some degree, yes," he answered. "I think sometimes late in the game, no. (Sunday) late in the game there were some guys that were fatigued and I wanted to make a substitution but I didn't because I didn't want to put a freshman in that situation. I still think like that probably more in the second half than I do in the first half or early in the second half. It's a process as well."

But Boyle does note progress in the process and hopes his newbies now are noting that progress is made in practice. "I think freshmen sometimes think practice is something you get through to get to the games," he said. "I want them to approach practice a little differently."

Junior guard Spencer Dinwiddie saw extensive minutes (27.4 a game) as a freshman and can identify with the difficult first-year lessons being learned. "I think you're seeing them learn what the college game is about," Dinwiddie said. "They're settling into their roles. I think a lot of them came in thinking it was going to be as easy as high school. You learn that it's not, but once you settle in, talent starts to take over. We've gotten amazing play from 'Tre,' Jaron and the rest of the freshmen."

The 6-5 Hopkins, Boyle said, "has solidified himself as a key guy off the bench." He also said he has confidence in Thomas, Fletcher and King, adding, "They may not be getting as many minutes lately, but that could change. They have to be ready for that. And I have to make sure I'm developing our bench and not get too locked in to five or six guys (as reserves)."

Fletcher's goal coming off the bench is "to give good energy, take care of the ball, play defense and rebound. And make plays when the opportunity comes." Fletcher has done that, with perhaps his most memorable play so far a steal and coast-to-coast dunk on Kansas' fab frosh Andrew Wiggins in CU's 75-72 win on Dec. 7.

If Fletcher and the other first-year Buffs are slowly growing into their roles at this level, a new experience - the Pac-12 road - awaits this week. Before Sunday afternoon's game in Seattle, CU plays Washington State on Wednesday night in Spokane.

"The freshmen haven't see a true road game in the Pac-12 . . . we'll see how they handle it," junior guard Askia Booker said. "I think Spencer and myself, Josh Scott and Xavier (Johnson), we know what to expect and we're going to be prepared for it."

The CU frosh, said Booker, are going to experience "rough crowds; they're going to say stuff to you that you probably won't like. They'll try to get under your skin." Also, said Booker, "You might not get calls that you get at home. You're going to have to play through it and be physical, be aggressive."

Fletcher's immediate goals are more consistency on offense, defense and in his effort. Boyle and CU's staff have pointed out those areas for improvement "somewhat," he said, "but it's something I've told myself because I know where my game's at right now. I just need to go out and do it."

Overall consistency and improvement will come, he said, because he's always been harder on himself than any coach he's played for: "Yeah, for sure . . . it's the standards I've set for myself and for the future. I'm just trying to reach my goals."

Getting those 40 tickets - or 20 or 30 - by Sunday might be doable.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU