Four Walk-ons To Help Prep Boyle's Buffaloes

Team meals may be a little more crowded for the Colorado men's basketball team this season, but that is just fine for head coach Tad Boyle, especially if it leads to efficiency in other areas.

The Buffaloes will sport 17 players on their roster, matching the most in the Boyle era (2014-15). In addition to 13 scholarship players, four walk-ons will be on the team; three of them joining the program in the offseason.

Sophomores Frank Ryder and Aidan McQuade and true freshman Benan Ersek will join A.J. Martinka, the veteran of the group, to fill out the Buffaloes lineup.

Expanding the roster to 17 will give Colorado more bodies at practice, and down the road, help the development of a scout squad. Provided the Buffaloes stay healthy, they will have a group of players that can focus on simulating the opposition throughout the season.

"We can dedicate (those players) to what the other team is running and the things that they're doing both offensively and defensively, and it can free up some of the guys that are playing from having to do dual roles," Boyle said.

With a smaller roster, Boyle and his staff at times have had to call on that No. 10 or No. 11 player off the bench to learn to play as the opponent as well as their own sets. Late last season, the Buffaloes were down to 12 on-court players at practice, and given the typical bumps and bruises of a season, on occasion that number was less.

"Sometimes that's been a little challenging," Boyle said. "Especially once you get into the season, you have injuries, guys sitting on the sideline. You spend a lot more time preparing for the other team and I don't think it's time well spent. Hopefully these guys will alleviate some of those problems we've had in the past."

Martinka, a 6-foot, 5-inch guard, joined the team last fall just in time for the summer trip to Italy. He appeared in one game, getting his first collegiate action in the final minute of the home win over Utah.

Ryder, a 6-10 forward, is a Boulder native and transfer from San Diego, where he averaged 4.1 points and 1.7 rebounds as a true freshman in 2016-17. He did not play basketball last year due to medical concerns, but joined the Buffaloes for the fall semester. Ryder is the one player who will not see game action this season, as he is a transfer and will sit out this season.

McQuade, a 6-2 guard from Loveland, Colo., is new to the men's basketball team, but not to the Buffaloes. He is in his third year as a student at Colorado and served as a student manager for the women's basketball team the last two seasons.

Ersek, a 6-2 guard, is a native of Vienna, Austria, but he and his family have been in the Denver area since he was in middle school. He is a 2018 graduate of Kent Denver, where he helped the Sun Devils to the Colorado Class 3A Sweet 16 as a senior.

"They are four terrific young men that we have a lot of respect for," Boyle said. "They're important to this program. Our walk-ons have always been important, going back to Javon Coney when I got here, one of the most talented walk-ons we have had.

"Every one of them has played a different role and arrived here in a different way. We have had some really special ones: Brett Brady, Beau Gamble, Josh Repine, who just graduated. Walk-ons have been very important to this program and will continue to be."

Players Mentioned

Benan Ersek

Aidan McQuade

Josh Repine

Frank Ryder

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