University of Colorado Athletics
CU Men Open Fall Hoops Practice
October 02, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado basketball coach Tad Boyle has promised not to dwell on last season's disappointing performance.
But that doesn't mean the CU's sixth-year head coach isn't going to occasionally remind his team of last year's 16-18 finish — and what it will take to make sure this year doesn't yield a repeat performance, when the Buffs stumbled to their first losing season under Boyle and finished in a tie for seventh in Pac-12 conference play.
Boyle's Buffs officially opened their season Friday with the first practice of the year, bright and early at the Coors Events Center. Boyle had his team on the floor for about 2 hours and 15 minutes, and there was little — if any — time spent looking in the rearview mirror.
Instead, the Buffs began the process of installing some new wrinkles offensively and defensively, as well as reinforcing the tenets that produced success in Boyle's first four years in Boulder: defense, rebounding and taking care of the basketball.
“I'm not going to harp or dwell on last year,” Boyle said after practice. “But I do think we need to use it as a motivational factor and a basis for understanding what our standards are. … The body of work was not good and not what we wanted. These guys know that and they understand that. I think we're going to use it as a reminder that we're not interested in that — we want to go back to competing for championships and NCAA Tournament bids.”
Boyle and his staff welcomed a nice blend of returnees and newcomers to the opening practice.
“I was pleased,” Boyle said of the first workout. “The energy level was good, the mental part of it — guys were really in tune. They were coachable. For the most part, they did a great job absorbing what we're doing.
“If we can have nine out of 10 practices like today, this team's going to be fine. The challenge is to build on this. A lot of teams have good practices the first day … The challenge isn't being excited October 2. The challenge is being excited March 2, February 2, in the dog days of the season. That's when you've got to have the excitement. If you can sustain that, you've got a pretty special group.”
That might be one of the “reminders” Boyle drops on the Buffs on occasion. By last March, the Buffs' excitement level had dimmed considerably. Although they did advance to the preseason, their CBI appearance was a far cry from the three straight NCAA Tournament berths and NIT Final Four appearance that marked Boyle's first four seasons in Boulder.
Now, they'll revamp, revise and — hopefully — return to the basics that produced so much success in previous years.
“We've got to take care of the basketball. Turnovers were a big Achilles heel for our team last year,” Boyle said. “We've got to get back to Colorado basketball. Our values are defense and rebounding. Our goal every year is to be in the top three in the league in field goal percentage defense and rebounding, and we've got to get back to that. If we do those three things, we'll be all right.”
DIFFERENT DOM: There's a visible difference in point guard Dominique Collier, as a year in the weight room has added pounds of upper-body muscle. The slender freshman frame is gone, and he now looks much more like a Pac-12 point guard. Boyle said the extra muscle should help Collier improve in getting to the rim and finishing his drives, as well as being able to absorb blows on the perimeter.
“It was much needed, and he's not done,” Boyle said. “He's got to continue to fine-tune his body and get stronger, but I certainly like me better today than I did a year ago today because of his body makeup.”
It's no secret that Collier is already penciled in as the starting point guard, but Boyle said true freshman Thomas Akyazili could also see some time there, as could senior Xavier Talton.
WAITING GAME: One player who stood out in practice definitely won't be able to help the Buffs this year. Derrick White, a transfer from CU-Colorado Springs who has one year of eligibility remaining, has to sit out this year because of NCAA rules — but CU coaches already like what they see.
“He's going to be a really, really good player,” Boyle said. “He's got what it takes to be terrific. There's going to be times this year when we say we wish he was eligible immediately. I'm glad we got him in the fold for next year.”
SIDELINED: Three Buffs didn't participate in the opening practice: Talton, Tre'shaun Fletcher and Xavier Johnson.
Johnson, who underwent surgery for a torn Achilles tendon earlier this summer, is out indefinitely. Talton and Fletcher are both nursing much more minor injuries and are expected back relatively soon.
“I've never started practice with three guys on the sideline before, it's new to me,” Boyle said. “Staying healthy is going to be a key for this year's team.”
KING-SIZED: Another player who has put on some noticeable muscle is sophomore George King, who played sparingly as a true freshman before taking a redshirt season last year.
King came in as a slender 6-5, 205-pound guard/forward from San Antonio, but is now a robust 6-6, 220 pounds with much more upper-body definition. While it's obviously too early for any pronouncements, King looked good in the first practice and is expected to challenge for significant playing time if not for a starting spot.
TIDBITS: Newcomer Kenan Guzonjic, a 6-8, 240-pound from Sarajevo by way of Midland Junior College, was plenty active in Friday's workout, and should provide some frontline relief for Josh Scott and Wesley Gordon. … Belgian freshman Thomas Akyazili showed good “court sense,” and could end up seeing playing time at both guard spots. … Sophomore Tory Miller is another player who appears to have benefitted from a year in the weight room. Miller hasn't gained weight, but his upper body is much more defined.
