Colorado University Athletics
Colorado Signs Rider Portela
November 12, 2025 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER – Rider Portela has signed a Financial Aid Agreement to join the University of Colorado men's basketball program for the 2026-27 season, Buffaloes head coach Tad Boyle announced on Wednesday.
Portela is a 6-foot, 6-inch, 175-pound small forward from Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, one of the state of Arizona's premier basketball programs. Coached by his father, Ray, Rider Portela has helped the Vikings reach two of the last three Arizona Open Division state title games.
"We're really excited about Rider," Boyle said. "When I first saw him play, I had a gut feeling that he would be great for our program. He's got a great feel for the game. He's got great size, versatility, toughness, all the things we look for in a player, the things that you can't coach. He comes from a great family. He's got great character, great work ethic, and a guy that's just going to be a really good Buff."
Portela averaged 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals as a junior in 2024-25, helping Sunnyslope to a 21-9 record. He was named to the Arizona Republic's All-Arizona Team.
"It's a dream come true," Portela said. "I always wanted to push myself to (play NCAA Division I), and I had other offers, but I wanted to challenge myself and that's the only way I see fit to get better. I chose Colorado because of the teams they play against and how they like to play. That's what I loved about my visit, they just played hard, and that's exactly what I was looking for."
As a freshman, Portela averaged 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, aiding the Vikings to the state title game before falling to a Perry squad that featured former Buff and NBA Lottery Pick Cody Williams in 2022-23.
Over his three-year varsity career, Portela has averaged 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 86 games, shooting 44 percent from the field and 78 percent from the line. He made 102 of 118 free throws his junior year (.864).
Portela is rated as the ninth-best player in the state of Arizona and 45th-best small forward in the nation by 247Sports.com. His versatility on the court, willingness to play defense and rebound will help make him a great fit for the Buffaloes.
"My playmaking, defense and rebounding all really match up to the next level," Portela said. "I want to gain a lot more muscle, a lot more weight, and I feel Colorado is the perfect fit for that."
With just one senior on the 2025-26 Colorado Buffaloes, Boyle and his staff made it a priority to seek out a versatile athlete that could be used in multiple spots.
"In today's world of college athletics, we don't know what we're going to need in the spring," Boyle said. "We don't know exactly what we're going to need on next year's team. So you want somebody that you can plug into different positions and that's what Rider brings us. This is the first time, maybe since I've been at Colorado, we've just signed one guy, and part of that's because we only have one senior. The other part of it is just the fact that, in today's world, I believe that retention is the most important part of what we're going to be doing, certainly with this year's team, we want to retain our good young players, and hopefully by signing one guy, we can just a better chance to do that. If not, we'll readdress our needs in the spring."
Portela is a 6-foot, 6-inch, 175-pound small forward from Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, one of the state of Arizona's premier basketball programs. Coached by his father, Ray, Rider Portela has helped the Vikings reach two of the last three Arizona Open Division state title games.
"We're really excited about Rider," Boyle said. "When I first saw him play, I had a gut feeling that he would be great for our program. He's got a great feel for the game. He's got great size, versatility, toughness, all the things we look for in a player, the things that you can't coach. He comes from a great family. He's got great character, great work ethic, and a guy that's just going to be a really good Buff."
Portela averaged 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals as a junior in 2024-25, helping Sunnyslope to a 21-9 record. He was named to the Arizona Republic's All-Arizona Team.
"It's a dream come true," Portela said. "I always wanted to push myself to (play NCAA Division I), and I had other offers, but I wanted to challenge myself and that's the only way I see fit to get better. I chose Colorado because of the teams they play against and how they like to play. That's what I loved about my visit, they just played hard, and that's exactly what I was looking for."
As a freshman, Portela averaged 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, aiding the Vikings to the state title game before falling to a Perry squad that featured former Buff and NBA Lottery Pick Cody Williams in 2022-23.
Over his three-year varsity career, Portela has averaged 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 86 games, shooting 44 percent from the field and 78 percent from the line. He made 102 of 118 free throws his junior year (.864).
Portela is rated as the ninth-best player in the state of Arizona and 45th-best small forward in the nation by 247Sports.com. His versatility on the court, willingness to play defense and rebound will help make him a great fit for the Buffaloes.
"My playmaking, defense and rebounding all really match up to the next level," Portela said. "I want to gain a lot more muscle, a lot more weight, and I feel Colorado is the perfect fit for that."
With just one senior on the 2025-26 Colorado Buffaloes, Boyle and his staff made it a priority to seek out a versatile athlete that could be used in multiple spots.
"In today's world of college athletics, we don't know what we're going to need in the spring," Boyle said. "We don't know exactly what we're going to need on next year's team. So you want somebody that you can plug into different positions and that's what Rider brings us. This is the first time, maybe since I've been at Colorado, we've just signed one guy, and part of that's because we only have one senior. The other part of it is just the fact that, in today's world, I believe that retention is the most important part of what we're going to be doing, certainly with this year's team, we want to retain our good young players, and hopefully by signing one guy, we can just a better chance to do that. If not, we'll readdress our needs in the spring."
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