2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster
Julian Hammond III
- Position:
- Guard
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 181
- Class:
- Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Denver, Colo.
- High School:
- Cherry Creek
- Major:
- Communication (Leadership Minor)
Career: Finished his four-year career ranking third in free throw percentage (.898), 18th in games played (121), 19th in assists (251) and 3-point field goals made (122), 24th in steals (98) and 30th in minutes played (2,531).
2024-25 (Senior): Earned honorable mention to the 2024-25 All-Big 12 Conference team, leading the Buffaloes at 12.5 points and 3.2 assists per game. He also topped the Buffaloes in steals (40), field goals made (131), free throws made (98) and free throw percentage (.907). Led the Big 12 and ranked eighth in the nation in free throw percentage, making 98 of 108 on the season (.907), which included consecutive made streaks of 21 (between UNC and UCF) and 18, which ended against Cincinnati. His mark is the second-best single-season free throw percentage in team history. Averaged 11.0 points and led the Buffaloes in assists (3.7 apg) at the Big 12 Championship. He hit 18 of 20 from the free throw line, including all 11 attempts vs. Houston (3/13) and West Virginia (3/12). Against West Virginia, he hit 6 of 6 from the line, including four clutch in the closing minutes, while dishing out five assists. He had 16 points in the first-round win over TCU (3/11). Scored 19 points and matched a career high with seven assists in the Senior Day win over TCU (3/8). He was a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line. Scored in double figures a team-best 21 times, including six 20-point efforts. Scored a career-high 26 points at UCF (1/8), hitting 8 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line. Had 22 points in the home game against eventual NCAA runner-up Houston (2/8), including a career-high five 3-point field goals. Earned the Chauncey Billups Award at the team MVP, voted on by his teammates.
2023-24 (Junior): Averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and just under two assists in 24 games. Ranked fourth on the team in 3-pointers made (28) and tied for fifth in assists (44). Shot 40 percent from downtown (28-70) and 76 percent from the free throw line (19-25). Primarily the first guard off the bench, but also made five starts. Scored in double-figures in eight games, including his season best of 14 in back-to-back games against Grambling State (11/10) and Milwaukee (11/14). In the win over Grambling State, he also matched a career-high with six assists while hitting 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Made all four field goal attempts at Colorado State (11/29), finishing with nine points and four rebounds. Had 10 points and a career-high six rebounds against Northern Colorado (12/15). Matched that rebounding effort along with nine points in the home win over Washington State (12/31). Led the Buffaloes in assists and steals in four contests. Missed the final 11 games of the season with a knee injury.
2022-23 (Sophomore): Averaged 6.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists and was one of only four Buffaloes to appear in all 35 games. Ranked second on the team in assists (71) and free throw percentage (.813), third in steals (29) and free throws made (52) and fourth in 3-point field goals (26). Made five starts on the season, and was outstanding in that role averaging 15.2 points, 4.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 50 percent in those outings. In the home win over Utah (3/4), he had 15 points, five assists and five steals which proved to be the only 15-5-5 game by a Pac-12 player this season and the first by a Buffalo in 15 years to the day (Marcus Hall, 22-7-6, 3/4/08). The five steals were a personal best. He co-led the Buffaloes in scoring at the Pac-12 Tournament at 17.5 points per game while averaging 4.0 assists and shooting 59 percent from the floor. He had a career-high 21 points hitting 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free throw line in the first round win over Washington (3/8). Had a career-high six assists against UCLA (3/9) in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. Scored in double-figures nine times and led the Buffaloes in scoring in three games. Paced the Buffaloes in assists nine times and in steals on seven occasions. Shot 85 percent from the free throw line during Pac-12 games and made 16 straight to begin the conference season, including a career-best 8 for 8 performance in an 18-point effort in the home game with Washington (1/19).
2021-22 (Freshman): Averaged 3.0 points and just over an assist per game in 29 appearances as a true freshman. Averaged 12.5 minutes for the season, but saw his playing time increase significantly throughout the season and was inserted into the starting lineup for the final five games. His first collegiate start was memorable to say the least, helping the Buffaloes to a win in front of a sold-out CU Events Center over No. 2 ranked Arizona (2/26). Dished out 17 of his season’s 32 assists over the last six games (2.8 apg). Had a career-high five assists in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals against Arizona (3/11) along with nine points. Named the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week on Jan. 10 after his effort at home against the Washington schools, averaging 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.0 assists while hitting 55 percent. In the win over Washington (1/9), he scored a career-high 14 points in just over 12 minutes of action, hitting 5 of 7 from the field including all four 3-point attempts. Against Washington State (1/6), he grabbed five rebounds, had four steals and dished out four assists; the four steals would tie the team's single-hame high for the season. Prior to the WSU game he totaled all of one assist and one steal in his first eight career games. Made his collegiate debut against Maine (11/15) scoring eight points with four rebounds in 16 minutes. Co-winner of team’s Most Improved Player Award at the end of the season.
High School: A 2021 graduate of Cherry Creek High School. Averaged 19.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals over four seasons for the Bruins. As a senior, he was named the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year and the CSHAA Class 5A Player of the Year, averaging 22.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point rage. He helped the Bruins to a 17-1 record, a Centennial Conference championship and a trip to the state semifinals. Two-time all-state and Centennial Conference Player of the Year and a three-time all-conference honoree. Led the Bruins to a 19-5 record in 2019-20, averaging 21.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Holds the Cherry Creek record for career points and 3-pointers made. A two-time all-state and all-conference performer at quarterback for the Cherry Creek football team. Led the Bruins to a pair of state championships and had a 23-0 record as a starter. 247Sports listed him as the top player in the state of Colorado and the 25th best combo guard in the nation. Played club basketball for the Chauncey Billups Elite (now known as College Bound Elite). His U15 team was once ranked No. 18 nationally.
Academics: A Communication major with a Leadership minor at Colorado. Plans to pursue a professional career in basketball.
Personal: Born Oct. 2, 2002, in Denver. He is the son of Ruby and Julian Hammond II, who both also played basketball at Cal Poly and Loyola Marymount. His father played professionally in Australia and grandfather, Julian, Sr., played for the Denver Rockets of the ABA from 1967-72. He has two younger brothers, Christian and Jeremiah. Christian is a sophomore on the Santa Clara men's basketball team. Was recruited by Northern Colorado for both football and basketball, Denver and Wyoming for basketball and Idaho and Montana State for football. Chose Colorado because "It was the school I always wanted to play Division I basketball at."
