Consistent Bey Could Be Big Weapon For Boyle's Buffs
November 09, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Not since Andre Roberson performed the feat in back-to-back years have the Colorado Buffaloes had a player average a double-double for a season.
Roberson, who now plays for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, averaged 11.6 points and 11.1 rebounds in 2011-12, then followed that with a 10.9/11.2 season a year later.
Since then, some other Buffs have come close. CU big man Josh Scott averaged more than 14 points and eight rebounds in three straight seasons (2013-16), and George King was in the neighborhood last year, when he averaged 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds.
But since Roberson, no Buff has managed the feat.
The latest best chance to hit the season double-double standard? Try sophomore Tyler Bey, who had a 16-point, 11-rebound effort last week in CU's 66-57 exhibition win over Colorado Mines.
On the surface, Bey might not appear to be the best candidates. After all, he averaged just 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds last year as a true freshman — barely halfway to a double-double. He also had just two double-doubles all year, a 14-point, 11-rebound game against Washington and a 14-10 effort against Arizona State.
But the 6-foot-7, 218-pound Bey also averaged just 20 minutes per game last season. He didn't hit the starting lineup until December, and his numbers improved markedly after that.
Perhaps most significantly, his numbers were much better in Pac-12 play, particularly in games in which he played at least 25 minutes. Bey hit the 25-minute mark eight times last year — including six Pac-12 games — and in those contests, he averaged 9.5 points and 8.1 rebounds.
Those are closer to the numbers CU head coach Tad Boyle believes Bey could produce consistently — with that key word being "consistently."
 "I don't think Tyler's going to be the guy that's going to come out and bang seven 3s in a game," Boyle said earlier this week. "But you're going to look and he'll have two or three 3s, he'll have two or three post moves, he'll get to the line and be 4-for-5, he'll make a 15-foot jump shot and now all of a sudden he's got 16, 18, 20 points — but he's got it in a variety of ways. He can get tip dunks, he can get stuff in transition. Today in practice he ran the floor as well as he has all year. That's the Tyler Bey we need."
It is no secret that Bey has been compared to Roberson since the day he arrived on campus a year ago. A long, athletic forward with a build similar to Roberson, Bey has a nose for the ball on the boards (he was second on the team in rebounding last year behind King), and has worked hard to develop an offensive game. He spent his offseason working on his outside jumper, as well as honing his post moves.
In practice this year, he's shown marked improvement with his offensive game around the rim.
"I've been working on my left a lot this summer," Bey said. "One of the things I wanted to improve was my post offense, improve my hook shot with both hands. I can step out on the 3, shoot the midrange — I want to do everything so we spread the floor."
Bey's improved shooting from the outside will no doubt help CU's offense spread defenders. But Boyle wants him to continue to concentrate on his post game — offense and defense — particularly with 7-footer Dallas Walton out for the year with a knee injury.
"What he has to understand is he can't forget how good he is around the basket," Boyle said. "Over the last two to three weeks he's gotten much better there. I think the first couple weeks of practice he was kind of floating around the perimeter, kind of hunting his jump shot. The whole thing with Tyler is, 'Your jump shots are going to come. Don't hunt them. Hunt the ball off the glass.' Try to get post touches, because he's really a good post scorer down there. … His jump shots will come as a result of the offense. If he just doesn't hunt them and lets the game come to him, he'll score a lot of points this year."
With Walton out, Bey's defensive responsibilities will also increase. He was second on the team in blocked shots last year behind Walton, another area Boyle wants to see improved.
And, of course, he wants Bey's rebound numbers to increase significantly — something that's not far-fetched if he plays the minutes he is expected to play. He logged 25 minutes against Mines to record his double-double.
"We need it on a consistent basis," Boyle said. "That's the biggest challenge for Tyler, to become that consistent player day in and day out."
SEASON OPENER TUESDAY: Boyle's Buffs will officially open the season Tuesday with a 6 p.m. home game against Drake. Colorado beat Drake early last season, 86-81, in the Paradise Jam, but the Bulldogs are virtually an entirely new team, beginning with new head coach Darian DeVries.
The last time Colorado opened the season against Drake was 1996. The Buffs, led by sophomore point guard Chauncey Billups, won that opener and went on to finish second in the Big 12 and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating Indiana in the first round before falling to North Carolina.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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