Brooks: If CBI Sparks Leadership, Call It A Bargain

BOULDER - If things go well for the Colorado Buffaloes in the CBI Tournament, they'll be playing into the first week of April and will absorb and savor every ounce of the extra practice time and game experience that the event offers.

If thing go really, really well for the Buffs, they'll leave the CBI with a one-time trophy and a good idea of where their 2015-16 leadership will originate. Given a choice of the two, and based strictly on a gaping team need, I'd settle for the latter.

This season, the Buffs lacked a rudder - which is among several reasons they drifted into this tournament and didn't power into the more desirable one. They no doubt already have some thoughts on the leadership subject (as does their coach) but until it develops it's as nebulous as next month's weather forecast.

"Right now there's a leadership void on this team - and it's been there all this year," CU coach Tad Boyle said. "It needs to be filled."

College teams naturally, traditionally look to their seniors for leadership. The Buffs had one scholarship senior this season - Askia Booker. He led the team in scoring during his final regular season, put together a memorable career highlight reel, then skipped the CBI for personal reasons. His career ended on a loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Boyle will have five seniors on his sixth CU team. Four - Josh Scott, Xavier Johnson, Xavier Talton, Eli Stalzer - are on scholarship, with Brett Brady the lone walk-on upperclassman. Of that fivesome, Boyle would like to see Scott's considerable take-over capabilities match his stats, his steadiness and his stature among his teammates.

"It's going to be his team," Boyle said. "He's got to take it over. He's got leadership ability and the respect of his teammates. He's our best player. He's everything we've asked him to be and he knows what we want."

The leadership question frequently arose during the Buffs' subpar (15-17) regular season. Scott never balked at answering questions about the team's leadership void. In fact, Scott never balks at interview requests, post-practice or postgame, and is a media "go-to guy" who's considered straight-forward and stand-up. It sends a message - the right one - to his teammates about responsibility, accountability and, yes, leadership.

During the regular season, Scott's answers to the leadership question usually pointed at the point guard position and how natural it is for the "one" to be the one. Boyle agrees: "Josh is right - in a perfect world, a perfect scenario, you'd like it to be your point guard. (But) that's something Josh has to get over.

"It doesn't have to be (the point guard). It can come from a guy on the bench . . . but here's what I know about our team: it's available; it's there for the taking and it needs to be done. A lot of guys could be (leaders), but the question is, 'Who will be?' You look first to your senior class, then you move your way down. It's very rarely a freshman, it's usually somebody who's been in your program."

For the past three preseasons, the Buffs have gone through a regimen based largely on Navy SEAL training to develop team camaraderie and leaders. Boyle said there's a chance he'll "go in a different direction" next fall before practice begins: "We'll give it some thought as a staff. But we might go back to it . . . it's a good program."

BOYLE'S PLAY LIST PICKS UP four new members next season. Already on the roster are junior transfer Josh Fortune, who has spent this season practicing with the Buffs, and sophomore George King, who spent this season in a redshirt and practiced alongside Fortune. Both are shooting guards and either one could lend a hand in the leadership department.

But the Buffs' starter at the point next season is expected to be Dom Collier, who is wrapping up his freshman season with the CBI. The Buffs play Seattle U. in Seattle in Monday night's quarterfinals. (8 p.m. MDT, Live Stream). Despite their 19 turnovers, the Redhawks (17-15) eliminated Pepperdine in the first round, with seniors Isiah Umipig (24 points, five 3-pointers) and Jarell Flora (20 points, four treys) hitting all of their team's 21 3-point attempts. CU will have to clamp down on that duo as well as contend with a bigger front line than it faced in Gardner-Webb. Seattle, which starts a 6-11 center and has two 6-9 reserves, out-rebounded Pepperdine 40-22.

Collier was scheduled to start in last Wednesday night's win over Gardner-Webb, but tardiness to the game-day shoot-around broke a Boyle rule and put Collier on the bench for the opening tip. If he's to emerge in a leadership role for next season, being on time isn't an option. Bet on Boyle stressing that, as he always does.

Boyle calls Collier's leadership skills "a work in progress" that should benefit from the CBI experience as well as a year in the program and another year of maturation once the 2015-16 season begins.

Of Collier becoming CU's floor director, Boyle said, "He's got to become more vocal, take charge on floor. It's all tied to maturity and confidence, being that kind of point guard - the quarterback on the floor, the extension of the coach who gets guys where they need to be and gets them to do what needs to be done.

"He's got to be ready to rattle some cages. It has to happen sooner rather than later. I'm hoping he can grow into that, but he's not there yet and we won't pretend that he is."

But no pretending is necessary in recognizing Collier's skill set. In 22 minutes against Gardner-Webb, he finished with six points, five assists, three rebounds, one turnover and one blocked shot. "I love Dom and the way he plays, the way he sees the floor," Boyle said. "When we face zones, he's got a great feel for getting it to the right people."

The Buffs expect to see 40 minutes of 2-3 and 3-2 zones Monday night, and their Friday/Saturday practices reflected that. Running the offense against a zone is becoming less stressful for Collier, who says regular-season and Pac-12 Tournament encounters with Oregon State helped the Buffs acclimate to attacking the zone. They also faced it against Gardner-Webb and wound up shooting 53 percent from the field, which followed a 50 percent shooting outing against the Beavers in Las Vegas.

"I think we're doing pretty well now against zones," Collier said. "You move the ball like we've been doing, go inside-out and you should be successful . . . I like to play against it; I wouldn't say I'm more comfortable but it's gotten to be the same comfort as (facing) a man-to-man."

IN FACT, COLLIER'S OVERALL COMFORT level is on the rise and he believes extending the season courtesy of the CBI is a huge benefit for him. In the absence of Booker, Collier finds the ball much more in his hands, which he says "helps my teammates trust me to be that leader. It's really helpful to have a tournament before we go into the summer."

Collier wasn't a point guard at Denver East High School but he began playing the "one" in AAU ball and developed a knack for setting up the offense. That meant being more vocal than he's been in his first college season, and he's confident it will return.

"I have to work on it a lot," he admitted. "I was more vocal in high school because I knew those guys really well. We'd played together since the fifth grade, so I was more comfortable with them. But I've been more comfortable (recently) with this team. This tournament has been a big benefit for me in that."

When the Buffs finish playing, Collier's off-season assignments will be to improve his shooting, his overall game, and his strength. Now weighing 172, his target weight is 185-190 - which his 6-2 frame can easily carry. A specific goal for shooting improvement is quickening his release. He's currently shooting 35 percent from the field (26 from beyond the arc) and is averaging 4.5 points, with 42 assists to 36 turnovers in his 19 minutes per game.

Of the Buffs' 20 assists (38 baskets) against Gardner-Webb, Collier's five were the most by any player. Boyle likes those numbers: "Five assists and one turnover - that's what he brings."

If he can also bring mature leadership on the floor, that's all the better. The Buffs lacked it this season but they can't afford to be without it next season. Whatever else the CBI does for them, if it offers a nudge for someone to step up, we'll call it worth the price of admission.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU