Woelk: Young Buffs Playing Some Must-See Hoops
December 02, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Since the day he took the job at Colorado, Tad Boyle's aim has been to build a program that fans want to see — every game, no matter who the opponent.
This year's Buffs are doing their part to become a must-see bunch. In fact, strictly from an entertainment standpoint, these Buffs might be as fun to watch as any Boyle team he's put on the floor in his nine years in Boulder.
Understand, we're not saying the best — not yet. These young Buffs have a long way to go to match the performance of Boyle's first two teams, squads that won 24 games and advanced to the NIT Final Four and NCAA Tournament second round, respectively. Those were veteran teams that featured future NBA players, and their entertainment value was top-shelf stuff.
But these current Buffs have future NBA-caliber talent and a host of players who can deliver game-changing, momentum-shifting moments — and they are playing the game with an unbridled enthusiasm that is infectious.
"Look, this is a fun team to watch, this is a fun team to coach," Boyle said after Saturday's 86-80 win over in-state rival Colorado State. "This is going to be a fun team to watch grow throughout the season."
Indeed. These Buffs — who started three sophomores against CSU and have just one senior on the roster — have plenty of room to grow. As Boyle constantly reminds the media, they are a work in progress. That youthful exuberance also produces some youthful transgressions. There are also enough newcomers and new combinations of lineups that means it is a team still figuring out how to mesh, particularly in crucial situations.
But there's also no doubt this is a team that plays an entertaining brand of basketball — the Buffs are currently averaging just a shade under 86 points per game — and is getting big moments from every position on the floor.
Saturday's win over CSU provided the perfect example. In the span of just a few minutes down the stretch, the Buffs got a huge rebound from Lucas Siewert that led to an assist from McKinley Wright IV on a breakaway dunk by Shane Gatling, a monster block and six straight free throws from Tyler Bey, and a game-changing, decisive step-up-and-make-the-play basket and free throw from Evan Battey.
As Boyle said later, players make plays — and the Buffs have plenty of players who can do just that. It is a balanced team that doesn't depend on one player to make the difference. Saturday, three Buffs recorded double-doubles against the Rams, the first time a CU team has managed such a feat in 15 years.
The best part? Gatling, a junior, is a newcomer and is just now getting comfortable. He's nowhere close to his ceiling. The 6-foot-10 Siewert, another junior, is also just now coming into his own. He has produced back-to-back double-doubles, and by the time Pac-12 play rolls around, will be a matchup nightmare for every other team in the conference.
Meanwhile, Wright and Bey are sophomores and Battey is a redshirt freshman— three players who could be the heart and soul of the Buffs for the next couple of years, never mind this season.
Wright is a floor general who is becoming more adept every week at directing traffic while still making key plays on his own when necessary, and is threatening to become the first Buff since David Harrison to record a triple-double (witness his 18 points, season-high 11 assists and seven rebounds against the Rams).
Battey is a blossoming talent who is still shaking the rust off of a two-year layoff. His comeback story — first from an NCAA-mandated redshirt season, then a life-threatening stroke — is enough to make any Buffs fan proud. His exuberance, emotion and talent are enough to make him a budding star in the league.
But it might be Bey who is the quiet glue for this team, a reliable rebounder, scorer and ferocious defender who is becoming a force on both ends. Already drawing comparisons to former Buff and current NBA player Andre Roberson, Bey may actually be a better athlete — and may also be a more impactful player than Roberson was at the same point in his career.
But the list of playmakers is more than just five players. Sophomore guard D'Shawn Schwartz is just beginning to show flashes of becoming a scoring threat and consistent rebounder. Senior Namon Wright is a do-everything sixth man who can score (25 points in the season opener against Drake), rebound (averaging 5.2 per game), play defense, and create plays for others. Junior Deleon Brown is a defensive stopper who can also score, and true freshmen Daylen Kountz and Eli Parquet are already providing quality minutes.
It might be Boyle's deepest and most talented team in several years.
But it is also one of his youngest, and with that youth will come some mistakes. We saw that youth show up in a road loss at San Diego, and there will no doubt be a few more of those nights in the future.
Still, as Boyle said, it is a fun team to watch — and it will be a fun team to watch grow throughout the season. In a year when there are no dominant teams in the Pac-12, these Buffs have the potential to make some noise in the conference.
But Boyle hopes fans don't wait for Pac-12 play to see the Buffs. After playing in front of 7,887 on Saturday, CU's coach implored fans to continue to lend his team some support — starting with Tuesday's home game against South Dakota.
"We're the University of Colorado Buffaloes, and it doesn't matter if we're playing Colorado State or South Dakota or Arizona, I want our fans, our students, to show up and cheer on the Buffs," Boyle said. "That's what high-level fans, high-level programs do, and they make a difference. They make a difference in wins and losses at home, and they make a difference in wins and losses on the road.I want our students to understand it is not a spectator sport, it is a participant sport. They participate in our wins, and they were a big reason we won today."
Yes, these Buffs are young. They are no doubt a work in progress. There will almost certainly be some off nights in the future.
But they are also playing some must-see hoops — and it will be well worth the time to watch them develop as this season continues.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu