Patton, Past Buffs Laud CU Hoops Reunion
February 16, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — It is a scenario that has become an annual tradition with Colorado basketball.
Players and coaches from a past era walk into the CU Events Center for a morning Buffs practice. Smiles and handshakes abound as faces from the past are recognized. Very soon, stories are told, games are replayed and old friendships are renewed as Buffs from past years catch up on what their former teammates — and their families — are doing now.
But perhaps most importantly, the family bond of Colorado basketball is strengthened.
Every year for the last five years, CU head coach Tad Boyle and his staff have honored a past era from Buffs basketball by welcoming back a former CU coach and players from his era. They meet at a CU practice, have lunch with current players and are treated to a catered evening event. To cap off the weekend, they are then guests of honor at a CU game (this year, it will be Sunday's 6 p.m. matchup with Arizona).
Saturday, former Buffs coach Ricardo Patton and players from his era were the weekend's special guests. While players from every era are welcome each year to the event, one coach and his players are featured each year.
"I think it's a phenomenal idea, to re-engage these guys back with the university," said Patton, part of a contingent of roughly two dozen players, coaches and team personnel from his 12 years as CU's head coach who were at Saturday morning's CU practice. "These guys will be in position at some point to not only be back here, but also to give back. I think these guys feel a sense of pride about being here and the education they got and seeing this program take the shape that it has. The facilities are phenomenal, Tad has done a terrific job. It makes me proud to see it."
Patton, currently an assistant coach at Denver under Rodney Billups, was CU's head coach for 11 full seasons (1996-2007), compiling a 184-160 record in his tenure. His 184 wins are still second-most in Colorado history, trailing only Sox Walseth's 261. He led CU to two NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT berths. His 1996-97 team ended a 28-year NCAA Tournament drought at Colorado, and the Buffs then collected a win over Indiana and Bobby Knight in the tournament opener before falling to North Carolina and Dean Smith in the second round.
The Buffs also earned an NCAA berth under Patton in 2003, along with NIT appearances in 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2006. He recorded three 20-win seasons, and his second-place finish in the Big 12 in 1997 is still the best regular season finish by a CU team in the conference standings since 1969, when Walseth's Buffs won the Big Eight title.
"I always felt like we gave it our best and had some good moments," Patton said. "To see these guys come back and hear about what they're doing and having families. I'm really proud of all the lessons we tried to teach these young men and they carried it on and they're doing well."
While players and coaches were indeed glad to relive past moments of glory — highlights from the Patton era were playing on the Event Center scoreboard throughout practice — players were also eager to talk about what it meant to them to be invited to return to campus and re-engage with the university and basketball program.
"I really appreciate it when it comes to Coach Boyle," said Fred Edmonds, a member of the 1997 NCAA team. "For him to bring that back and  get that tradition coming, this is something we all look forward to. You're starting to see it again, that sense of family. … It kind of recharged the battery for me."
D.J. Harrison, the Buffs' leading scorer in the 2000-01 season, said he appreciated CU's effort to make the past part of the present.
"When you come back, you see all the things that have changed — the facilities, things like that," he said. "Those are all really cool. But it's also great that they are recognizing the past. When you remember your history, it helps guide your future. You can tell it's important to Tad that we're involved, and it's important to us. I honestly think you can see that attitude throughout the entire athletic department. You can reach out to (Athletic Director) Rick George and he'll get right back to you. I think it's great that they still recognize us as Buffs and want to involve us in the future."
Patton and the players were clearly excited to renew acquaintances Saturday morning. Patton was clearly proud as some of the young men he once coached introduced him to their wives and children.
"To see them with families — they are parents now, they are fathers," he said. "We did a lot of things — church visits, etiquette classes, jail visits — we tried to do a lot with them as young men other than basketball. It also speaks well about the education that they received here at the University of Colorado."
And, he noted, the lessons he and his staff tried to impart on their players had an effect.
"I've received some calls from guys who say, 'Yeah, coach, I understand what you meant now. I understand when you said 'Hey, nobody's going to care that you could dribble a basketball 20 years ago. What are you going to bring to the table now?'" Patton said. "And they're all bringing something to their careers now that has helped them be successful."
Patton is the fifth former head coach to have a reunion weekend. Previous coaches were Bill Blair, Tom Apke, Tom Miller and Joe Harrington.
"It's very important to have something like this," said point guard Jose Winston, who still holds the CU record for assists in a game (15) and season (194 in 2001). "I just believe that you really don't know where you can go until you know what's come before you. For Coach Boyle to set this up and be able to get all the guys back together and to see this new generation of Buffaloes is great. Kudos to Coach Boyle and his staff and everybody at the University of Colorado."
After practice, Boyle asked Patton to address the current players. The entire group then had lunch together.
"I can't say enough about this weekend that Tad has put together for the coaches," Patton said. "I'm sure every coach that has come back has left here feeling a lot better about their time here."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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