Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Open Paradise Jam Friday Vs. Quinnipiac
November 16, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
LYNCHBURG, Va. — After opening the season with two games at the Coors Events Center, Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes will get a taste — a very big taste — of life away from home this weekend.
Beginning Friday, the Buffs will play three games in three days in the Paradise Jam in Lynchburg, Va. The tournament, originally scheduled to be played in the U.S. Virgin Islands, was moved to the campus of Liberty University after Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria struck the islands in September.
The 2-0 Buffs open play Friday afternoon with a 4 p.m. game with Quinnipiac. Colorado will then play either Drake or Wake Forest on Saturday, followed by a Sunday game against one of the remaining four teams: Mercer, Drexel, Liberty or Houston.
The entire tournament will be broadcast by FloHoops, a subscription-service provider.
Boyle likes the challenge the tournament will provide his young team, especially that of having to prepare and learn game plans for three different teams in such a short period of time.
"We have to make sure our guys are dialed in to what we want to do," Boyle said. "That's going to be a test for us, especially with this young group. The game plan changes and we have to adjust. Quinnipiac is going to be different than Drake or Wake Forest. And then whoever we play that third day ... it will be another opportunity for our guys with really quick turnarounds."
While the Buffs do have four scholarship freshmen on the active roster — and two more redshirt freshmen — they also have a handful of seniors who should be able to help the youngsters make the necessary adjustment.
"What helps is a love for the game," senior George King said. "I want to play all the time. Obviously you have to take care of your body when doing that, but I want to play all the time. The toughest part is going from team to team in three nights. … It will be very pivotal for the freshmen to really understand how important it is to be elite in our concentration and effort."
While most of the players (and coaches, for that matter) were probably looking forward to a trip to the Caribbean, the change of venue is actually a plus for King, as it means a long list of family members will have the chance to see him play. King's father is from nearby Halifax County — only about 20 minutes away — while his mother is from North Carolina, just a couple of hours away.
Both of King's grandmothers will be in attendance, as will numerous relatives from his father's and mother's sides of the family.
The Virginia portion of his family "has never never seen me play. Ever. This is going to be a highlight of their year. It's going to be lot of fun for me and a lot of fun for them."
The Buffs are coming off an 89-62 win over Denver on Tuesday, a game in which they broke open a relatively tight game early in the second quarter to slowly pull away for their second win of the year. The Buffs have produced balanced scoring in each of their wins thus far, and Boyle hopes to see his players — particularly the freshmen — continue to commit to "elite-level effort and elite-level concentration."
"If you get those two things early in the year, usually good things happen," Boyle said. "We're going to have to eventually get to elite-level execution. But right now give me elite-level effort and elite-level concentration, I'll take it. We'll work on the execution as we go along."
After two games, four Buffs are averaging double-figure scoring, led by King at 11.5 per game. CU has also received solid games early from freshman McKinley Wright IV (11 points per game, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists), along with junior Namon Wright (10.5 ppg) and sophomore Deleon Brown (10.0 ppg).
King also leads the team in rebounding (8.0 rpg) while sophomore Lucas Siewert is averaging 6.5 boards per game.
Quinnipiac, 1-1 after a loss to Brown earlier this week, is coached by Baker Dunleavy, son of former NBA player and head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. The Bobcats are led by 6-foot-9 power forward Chaise Daniels, who leads the team in scoring (19.5 ppg) while also averaging 5.5 rebounds. Qunnipiac also gets a boost from 6-4 guard Isaiah Washington, a transfer from Penn State who is averaging 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, and 6-6 guard Cameron Young, a senior who leads the team in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and is scoring 11.5 points per game.
If the Buffs win Friday, they will play the winner of Drake-Wake Forest in a 6:30 p.m. game Saturday. A loss will match them against the Drake-Wake Forest loser Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
PARADISE JAM NUTS AND BOLTS:
First game: 4 p.m. Friday vs. Quinnipiac
Where: Vines Center, Lynchburg, Va.
TV: The games will be available on the internet subscription service FloHoops
Radio: 850 AM KOA with Mark Johnson
Listen online: CUBuffs.com
Live statistics: CUBuffs.com
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
