Youth, steady improvement among early themes for CU Buffs men’s basketball

Among the galore messages Colorado men’s hoops manager Tad Boyle shared during the university’s yearly wintertime sports media time were 2 chiseled and really polarizing thoughts.

The archetypal was thing new, arsenic the youthful, mostly new-look Buffaloes boast the constitution of a squad that expects to beryllium overmuch amended successful February that it is successful November and December. But also, and contempt that, Boyle doesn’t privation Buffs fans to merchantability tickets to the Dec. 21 showdown against Kansas to immoderate fans of the different side.

Boyle and his players met the section media Tuesday amid expectations astatine their accustomed lofty level wrong the program, yet mightiness beryllium much guarded connected the outside. Yet the gathering astatine the CU Events Center was a invited accidental to analyse the fast-approaching 2021-22 play 3 weeks up of the Nov. 9 opener astatine location against Montana State.

And conscionable being capable to stitchery astatine each was a reminder that 10 of CU’s 12 assistance players — everyone but seniors Evan Battey and Elijah Parquet — person ne'er played successful beforehand of a afloat assemblage arena acknowledgment to past year’s COVID-19 season.

The young Buffs, who could diagnostic up to 8 rotation players who are either existent sophomores oregon freshmen, volition beryllium tasked with increasing up successful a hurry.

“We’ve got 10 of our 12 assistance players that person ne'er played successful beforehand of a assemblage crowd. That’s a lot,” Boyle said. “This is going to beryllium a squad that’s going to beryllium a enactment successful progress. We volition not beryllium astatine our champion connected November the ninth. I’m hopeful we’ll beryllium amended than we were (Tuesday) astatine signifier and the mode we’ve been present the past week oregon so.

“This is simply a talented, talented radical of young players that we’re going to person to get to turn up rapidly arsenic the play unfolds. There’s going to beryllium immoderate adversity, immoderate headwinds, that are going to deed us, and that’s erstwhile we’re going to trust connected our enactment with Evan and Eli, and Benan (Ersek) and Will (Loughlin) to get done that.”

Given the Buffs’ youth, the execution and competitiveness connected show during CU’s 2 accumulation games mightiness beryllium much captious than successful different seasons. The Buffs’ Oct. 27 accumulation opener against Colorado Mines adjacent week volition beryllium the archetypal clip suiting up for the Buffs for freshmen Julian Hammond, Lawson Lovering, Javon Ruffin, and KJ Simpson. It besides volition people the archetypal clip CU sophomores Jabari Walker, Tristan da Silva, Nique Clifford, Luke O’Brien, and third-year sophomore Keeshawn Barthelemy volition play successful beforehand of an unrestricted assemblage astatine the CU Events Center.

Another cardinal preseason measurement for the Buffs volition beryllium the Oct. 31 foundation accumulation crippled astatine Nebraska, which has a accidental of offering a much raucous and competitory situation than the emblematic preseason game.

“That’s the crushed wherefore we agreed to the Nebraska scrimmage and foundation game,” Boyle said. “For this year’s team, we request that. It’s besides wherefore I didn’t docket a batch of games distant from the (CU) Events Center aboriginal successful November and December. I cognize successful the league we’re going to get 10 distant from our home, and past evidently we’ve got the Virgin Islands tournament. We’ll get capable roadworthy experience. That Nebraska crippled volition beryllium a large trial to spot wherever we are successful that regard.”