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Huskies Put The Bite On Frigid Buffs
Jan 17th
By B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor
SEATTLE – The Colorado Buffaloes dug themselves a hole with frigid shooting here Wednesday night and left Alaska Airlines Arena in a deeper Pac-12 Conference hole.
But despite their 64-54 loss to streaking Washington, which won for the tenth time in 12 games, Buffs coach Tad Boyle and his players believe positive steps were taken – particularly on defense. Boyle said his team’s defense “was good enough to win . . . our guys played great (defense). We played with pride and some toughness. We lost to a good basketball team.”
The Huskies, playing their first home game since Dec. 22, remained unbeaten (4-0) in conference play and went to 12-5 overall while the Buffs slipped to 1-4, 11-6. If CU’s ‘D’ was exemplary, its ‘O’ was of the OMG variety. Credit the Huskies for some of that misfiring; they’ve now held four Pac-12 teams to under 40 percent from the field.
The Buffs shot a season-low 29.2 percent in the first half and finished at 36.2 percent (21-for-58) for the game – the team’s second-lowest mark this season. CU also tied a season low in assists with six and made only one of 10 three-point attempts. But the Buffs held the Huskies to 33.9 percent (20-for-59) from the field and outrebounded them by one (38-37). It wasn’t an aesthetically pleasing game for either team, but UW coach Lorenzo Romar didn’t care.
Asked about “winning ugly,” Romar said, “You can color it any want to color it. I just know that when you go out and you play two games in a row and you have single digit turnovers (UW had 9, CU 12), you hold four teams to under 40 percent from the field, you outrebound three out of the four, you’re beginning to do things right. The only ‘ugly’ thing, if you want to call it that, is that we haven’t been making shots. Two out of the last four games we haven’t made shots. Other than that, I think we’re doing everything else OK.”
Boyle said the Huskies’ 15 offensive rebounds “really killed us in the second half. We had some stops and couldn’t finish the possession with getting the rebound. That hurt us. And then we put them on the foul line in the second half. For some reason we don’t get to the foul line on the road; I don’t know why.”
Sophomore Spencer Dinwiddie, who led CU with 15 points, said the Buffs played with more overall intensity than in previous conference losses to Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA.
“For sure,” Dinwiddie said. “That’s one thing we talked about. We talked our positives; we finally started playing with our principles – we rebounded the ball decently. There were a couple of possessions where they got three or four offensive rebounds. If we cut that out and they don’t make a run, the game’s different.”
The only other CU player in double figures was junior Andre Roberson with 10 points, marking the first time this season only two Buffs reached double digits. Roberson also had 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season and the 32nd of his career.
Roberson said the Buffs “stepped it up big time on the defensive end . . . we just didn’t get the rebounds when it mattered and we didn’t make the tough stops. Our offense has to get better; our motion is terrible right now. That’s one thing we have to improve on big time. Just executing on the offense end is a main thing. That’s why we struggled with this team.”
Sophomore guard Askia Booker fouled out with 34.4 seconds to play after scoring nine points, while freshman forwards Xavier Johnson and Josh Scott had nine and eight, respectively. Scott got all of his points in the second half.
The Huskies’ C.J. Wilcox, the conference’s leading scorer (21.3 ppg), finished with 25, while teammate Scott Suggs added 13. UW had no other double-figure scorers, but Desmond Simmons (12) and Aziz N’Diaye (11) accounted for 23 rebounds.
CU scored a season-low 20 points in the first half and trailed by eight at intermission. The Huskies opened 10-point leads three times in the game’s final 8 minutes, an 11-point advantage in the last 3 minutes, and never allowed their visitors closer than seven points during that span. Trailing 28-20 at intermission, the Buffs might have gone to their locker room thankful for that deficit. When they caught the Huskies at 17-17 on a layup by Johnson – he started against in place of Sabatino Chen – they appeared to have corrected their early problems.
CU committed four of its seven first-half turnovers – a high for a half in league play – in the game’s first 6 minutes and fell behind by seven points. Then the Buffs strung together an 8-2 run – their most productive offensive stretch of the opening half – and pulled even.
But things went south from there. After Johnson’s layup produced the tie at 17 with 8:56 left before the break, CU scored only three more points to finish with its lowest first-half total of the season.
The Buffs opened the second half with three points from Roberson and pulled to within 28-23. But the Huskies trumped that with a four-point play from Scott Suggs to take their largest lead of the night – 32-23 – to that point. The nine-point advantage became 10 (37-27) on a trey by Wilcox. But taking advantage of the 7-foot N’Diaye taking a rest, the 6-10 Scott hit back-to-back baskets to draw the Buffs to within five (39-34) with just over 11 minutes to play.
CU’s threat ended there. A 5-0 run restored U-Dub’s 10-point lead (48-38), leaving the Buffs just over 7 minutes to retaliate. Boyle called a timeout at the 7:12 mark, but the closest his team could get was 52-45 on a three-point play by Dinwiddie with 3:52 to play.
“With our defense tonight and our pride, I’m proud of our guys for the way they hung in there,” Boyle said. “It got away from us at the end there and you look at a 10-point loss on the road and we couldn’t shrink the lead because we couldn’t score. But it wasn’t because of our defense.”
The Buffs’ road trip continues with a Saturday game (8 p.m. MST) at Washington State. The team will fly via charter on Thursday morning from Seattle to Spokane, have Thursday and Friday practices at Gonzaga, then fly to Pullman on Saturday morning.
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Woodyard’s skills and dedication make him a team leader
Jan 10th
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Five years ago, linebacker Wesley Woodyard
was fighting for a roster spot as an undrafted free agent out of Kentucky.
was fighting for a roster spot as an undrafted free agent out of Kentucky.
This season, he fought for a Pro Bowl berth as one of the AFC’s most productive linebackers. Through 15 games, Woodyard is one of just four AFC players with at least 100 tackles, a sack and an interception. He’s set career highs in almost every category this season, including his three interceptions and four sacks.
“I’m trying to continue to work on my craft and get better every day,” Woodyard said. “My teammates believe in me, and I’ve just been having fun out there this year. Not worrying about anything, just going out there and playing football.”
Wesley Woodyard is a team leader
He’s already earned some hardware this season, taking home his first career AFC Defensive Player of the Week Award after becoming the first player in team history to post one sack, one interception and one forced fumble in the same game during Denver’s 34-14 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 8.
As he’s gotten more time in the starting lineup, Woodyard’s confidence and comfort level have grown.
“Whenever we step on the field, we expect to win and we know we should win every game we play,” Woodyard said. “That confidence just seeps out of everybody’s pores in the game. You actually smell that confidence in the game. It’s not being overconfident, it’s just having fun and enjoying the game.”
While his season might have caught some people off guard, Woodyard’s teammates knew what he was capable if given an opportunity.
“It was only a matter of time,” cornerback and fellow team captain Champ Bailey said. “It’s all about opportunities. Most guys make the best of them and he’s one of them. I’m happy for him because I’ve seen how much he’s grinded away and worked up to this point.”
Linebacker Von Miller saw first-hand how hard Woodyard worked on the practice field and in their position’s meeting room.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Miller said. “Since I’ve been here, he’s been making big-time plays, doing big-time things, so for him to come out here and have the type of season that he’s having isn’t a surprise at all.”
UNDRAFTED UNDERDOG
In 2008, 253 players had their names called during the NFL draft, but Woodyard wasn’t one of them. Despite earning first-team All-SEC honors during his final two seasons at the University of Kentucky, where he led the conference with 10.6 tackles per game as a senior, Woodyard went undrafted.
He joined the Broncos as a free agent and immediately opened eyes with his work ethic and playmaking ability.
“I came in my rookie year and I just wanted to give them my all and have a shot to play the game that I love to play,” Woodyard said. “It was just exciting. It was a lot of hard work and determination. I just stuck by myself and believed in myself.”
He has played double-digit games in each of his five seasons, but still remembers where he started his career.
“I keep that chip on my shoulder,” Woodyard said. “I never take anything for granted. Always work hard and outwork whoever is out there beside you. It keeps me humble.”
After starting his rookie season as an undrafted free agent, he finished the year as a team captain. Woodyard has held that position ever since to become just the second Bronco in franchise history to serve as a captain in his first five seasons with the club, joining Hall-of-Fame running back Floyd Little with that distinction.
“I just lead by example,” Woodyard said. “I don’t like to talk a lot, I just like to go out there and do it the right way and do it the way I’ve been coached to do it. Do it the way my teammates depend on. That’s going out there and playing hard-nosed football until the end of the whistle every snap.”
Having climbed from the bottom of the depth chart to a starting role, Woodyard serves as a living example for the college free agents that join the team each summer fighting the odds for a spot on the roster.
“It gives me the opportunity to be on that same level and talk to them and tell them what they need to do and what they should do,” he said. “For the most part, they listen to me and they look up to me and they always seek out advice.”
In 2011, cornerback Chris Harris began the year as an undrafted free agent and has emerged as a starter this season.
Harris credits Woodyard’s leadership and example as a factor in his success.
“Just to always continue working,” Harris said about the advice he received from Woodyard. “Any time you see a guy go undrafted it definitely gives you a chance, knowing that you can come from the bottom and start in this league.”
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CAPTAIN
Woodyard has taken that leadership beyond the playing field and into the community.
Named the Broncos’ recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in each of the previous two seasons, Woodyard said he enjoys using his position as a football player to help people.
“I think that’s what it starts with,” Woodyard said. “It’s important that we give back to the community and help out the community that we’re in. I think that’s what our world is missing. We don’t reach out and we don’t help enough people. That’s something with my status of being a football player in the NFL, I take advantage of every opportunity that I can to help out.”
Woodyard even set up his own foundation, 16Ways, which works with at-risk youth. As a team captain, Woodyard has tried to impress upon the younger players the importance of taking the time to be active in community enrichment programs.
“I love seeing guys sign up for them,” Woodyard said about the team’s community events. “I used to be the first one to sign up, now it’s funny, when I come around the corner, now there’s 10 guys that have already signed up for an event. That’s always good. Now there are more rookies at every event than I’ve ever seen.”
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Boulder County celebrates first all-women Board of County Commissioners
Jan 9th
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County Commissioners Deb Gardner and Elise Jones were sworn into office today by 20th Judicial District Chief Judge Roxanne Bailin. Both commissioners, elected to four-year terms in November 2012, will serve their present terms until Jan. 10, 2017. Deb Gardner has been serving as County Commissioner for District 2 for the past year, as she was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Board in early 2012.
The swearing in of Elise Jones this morning as the District 1 County Commissioner marks the first time Boulder County has seated three women commissioners at the same time. While there is at least one other example of an all-female Board of County Commissioners in the State of Colorado, having three women serve on the Boulder County’s Board marks a historic event for our 151-year old county.
After taking her oath of office, Commissioner Elise Jones thanked the voters, her family and campaign team – many members of whom filled the room – and all of the people along the way who helped her during her 18-month run for office.
Boulder County’s historic commissioners. L-R, Elise Jones, Cindy Domenico, & Deb Gardner
“What an incredible honor it is to represent and support Boulder County in a position that Commissioner Toor just deemed the best job in the world,” said Elise Jones. “We’re blessed to live in such a remarkable place, and I look forward to taking part in tackling the challenges that lie before us and continuing the hard work of our present and past county commissioners.”
Jones went on to acknowledge the county’s historic role in being both leader and pioneer in tackling a host of pressing issues that will continue to demand attention in the coming years. Some examples of the challenges she named include fracking, climate change, transit improvements, achievement gap, poverty, and ensuring healthy and sustainable food production on county open space lands.
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“The county is fortunate to have such a highly skilled and talented staff to address these issues thoughtfully and strategically in the best interest of the community we represent,” said Jones. “I want everyone to know that I have an open door policy and want to hear from residents about what’s important to all of you going forward.”
Following an uplifting presentation by outgoing Commissioner Will Toor who captured in a series of inspiring words and photos the many successes and challenges of the past eight years of his service to Boulder County, the two sitting commissioners Cindy Domenico and Deb Gardner recapped the county’s past year’s highlights and events in a 30-minute State of the County address.
A luncheon was held following the swearing in session to honor all past women county commissioners. Able to attend in-person were former County Commissioners Maggie Markey (1974-1981), Josie Heath (1982-1990) and Jana Mendez (1995-2002). Linda Jourgensen (who served for one year in 1990) joined the women by phone.
The swearing in ceremony and both presentations will be available on the county’s website by the end of today at: http://www.bouldercounty.org/gov/meetings/pages/hearings.aspx.
As part of the annual County Reorganization meeting, Cindy Domenico was re-named Chair of the Board, and Deb Gardner will take over the role of Vice-Chair from outgoing Commissioner Will Toor, who was term-limited after serving two consecutive terms. The Chair and Vice-Chair appointments stay in place for one year.
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