Buffs' Gordon Aims To Take Game Up To Next Level

BOULDER — In 34 games last year — 31 starts — Colorado forward Wesley Gordon recorded four double-doubles and finished the year averaging 6.6 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game.

Head coach Tad Boyle would like Gordon to improve those numbers this year.

As in a lot.

As in, “I look at Wes Gordon and say why couldn't he average a double-double?”

Gordon, the 6-foot-9 redshirt junior, says there's no reason he can't — and thus, he'll be making that one of his season's goals, beginning with Friday's season opener vs. Iowa State (3 p.m., ESPN2) in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Gordon possesses the rebounding skills. He had seven double-figure rebounding games a year ago, including a 17-board effort against Washington and 14 against Washington State. When fellow big man Josh Scott was out of the lineup with a back injury, Gordon bumped his game up a notch, averaging 10.3 rebounds per game in that eight-game stretch.

Now, Boyle would like Gordon to make that bump a season-long result.

“I'm pretty sure I can do that,” Gordon said this week. “I've always been a pretty good rebounder. I think that should be expected.”

It's the offensive end, however, where Boyle and the Buffs need Gordon to take a big step forward. A career 51 percent shooter, he spent his offseason working on his shot, and the Buffs have been concentrating on involving him more in the offense thus far in practice. Gordon has never been a big scorer — his career high is 16 points against Auburn last year — but part of the reason, Boyle said, is that he's never made it a point of looking for his shot.

“We've got to get him the ball,” Boyle said. “We've got to look inside and he has to be aggressive. He's a naturally unselfish player, which I love, but he can score the ball.”

Scott will still be the Buffs' No. 1 focus on offense. Scott has also improved his outside shot, and he's added to his already impressive inside repertoire of moves.

But if other teams choose to double-team Scott — which is expected — Gordon will be a key option.

“It's going to free up guys like Wesley and Josh Fortune and Fletch (Tre'Shaun Fletcher),” Boyle said. “We're going to have to make plays off those guys.”

Gordon admits he's been content in the past to rebound and let others take care of the scoring. But, he said, he's more than willing to take on a larger role on the offensive end.

“Usually I just let Josh do his thing and I try to get an offensive board,” Gordon said. “But coaches have been telling me a lot I need to look for my shot, so I'm trying to get into the habit of doing that more. I just have to stay aggressive.”

Thus far in CU's fall practices, Gordon's game has improved in all areas. He's always been a solid defender — he's already No. 11 on CU's career blocks list with 88 — and he's done his best to be more aggressive when he has the ball in his hands.

But the biggest difference thus far in the Buffs, at least from Gordon's perspective, is the team chemistry.

“Last year, we just kind of went off into our own thing,” Gordon said. “We just didn't come together as a team.”

But this year, he said, “There's a lot more togetherness within the team. Everybody just has a little bit more understanding of what we need to do. I think we're in a pretty good spot.”

The Buffs are an interesting amalgam of experience and potential this season. Scott, generally considered to be one of the nation's best big men (he's on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar watch list), will no doubt be the anchor. After that, it's a question of if they can turn their potential into production. Fletcher and George King give them versatility on the wings, and transfer Josh Fortune brings some much-needed 3-point shooting to the table. Sophomore point guard Dominique Collier is still a work in progress, but the Buffs can also turn to senior Xavier Talton at the point, and freshman Thomas Akyazili has made great strides in recent weeks.

But one of the biggest x factors might be Gordon. If he takes his game to the level Boyle and his staff are expecting, he could give the Buffs a dynamic frontcourt punch that will be hard to stop.

So, Wesley, what about averaging that double-double?

“That's the goal,” he said. “I can definitely do that if I stay aggressive and keep working. That's what I'm aiming for.”

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu