Posts tagged Wesley Gordon
The Buffs were “perfect” entering the Pac-12 season
Dec 29th
By B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor
BOULDER – Ready or not, the Pac-12 Conference schedule is fast approaching – and the Colorado Buffaloes appear ready.
No. 21 CU was perfect at the free throw line – the Buffs set a school record by hitting all 26 of their attempts – imperfect at times elsewhere, but all-in-all good enough on Saturday night to march past Georgia 84-70 at the Coors Events Center.
“I told our team in the locker room, this is a good win against a quality SEC opponent,” said Buffs coach Tad Boyle. “These guys are going to win a lot of games in the SEC. They are a talented group, but this is a time for us to exhale for a day.”
Then the heavy breathing will commence and not slow until March. The Buffs open Pac-12 play on Thursday (8 p.m.) against Oregon State at the CEC, then host Oregon on Sunday, Jan. 5 (3 p.m.). Boyle will give his team Sunday off, then call the Buffs back on Monday morning to start preparations for the Beavers.
Rebounding from a 78-73 loss to No. 7 Oklahoma State in Las Vegas that snapped a 10-game winning streak, CU finished its non-conference schedule 11-2 and matched its best start in 34 years.
“To be 11-2 with the caliber of schedule that we played says a lot about this group, and we’ve got a lot of basketball ahead of us,” Boyle said. “Season number one is over with, our nonconference portion is done, and now we are going into an 18-game marathon of the Pac-12. Our league is very good, and we’re going to have to be ready mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, the whole nine yards. We’re excited about it, and I’m proud of what our guys did tonight.”
The individual pride of his players, said Boyle, was responsible for the 26 consecutive free throws, which broke the former school mark of 14-for-14 set in 1980 against Nebraska. The Pac-12 record is 28-for-28 by Washington State (vs. Oregon, 2009), the NCAA record is 34-for-34 (three teams).
Boyle was reminded during the game by assistant coach Jean Prioleau that the Buffs had not missed a foul shot. “I asked him not to speak about it again,” Boyle said. “Coach (Rodney) Billups came up a few minutes later and said it on my right. I asked him not to talk about it again. Obviously, I’m proud of what the team did at the line, but I don’t talk about it when we miss them, and I’m not going to talk about it when we make them.”
Boyle called free throw shooting “a personal thing, an individual thing, and I want our guys to take individual pride, and when they do that, nights like this are fun when you don’t miss any. I don’t want to discount it, but I don’t want to be a hypocrite about it, pat the guys on the back when they do and call them out when they don’t. It’s an individual thing, but I was proud of them. It’s such a mental thing, and I want our guys relaxed. I want them confident.”
He called setting the school record “nice,” but added, “In the big picture of things, there might be some games where we’re going to want some of those back. That’s just basketball.”
Post Josh Scott hit all eight of his free throws on the way to 14 points – he also grabbed 13 rebounds – and guard Spencer Dinwiddie was perfect on his seven foul shots in contributing 17 points. They were among five Buffs in double figures, topped by guard Askia Booker’s 19 – 12 of them in the second half. Also in double digits were forwards Wesley Gordon (10) and Xavier Johnson (13).
Johnson scored 11 of his total in the first half when he hit his first three 3-point attempts, enabling the Buffs to go ahead 11-6 and never look back. Leading by as many as 18 points in the first half, the Buffs allowed the Bulldogs (6-5) to close to within eight with 10 minutes to play. But CU clamped down defensively, allowed Georgia to get no closer and left the CEC with its 53rd home win (seven losses) under Boyle.
“It was good just being able to have Spencer give me the ball for open jump shots, and I was able to knock them down,” said Johnson, who managed only three points in last weekend’s loss. “It’s always easier to shoot at a court you’ve been shooting on for two years. So, it was good. I enjoyed it.”
Georgia had four players in double figures, led by Nemana Djurisic and Kenny Gaines with 12 each.
Boyle undoubtedly will want his defense tightened by Thursday. The Bulldogs shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27) in the second half and finished at 50 percent from the field for the game (28-of-56). But the Buffs shot 51 percent for the game (25-of-49) and outrebounded the Dawgs 34-22.
Boyle credited Georgia for its marksmanship but added, “I just feel like defensively, we have to get better. There’s going to be nights in Pac-12 conference play where we don’t shoot 51 percent, and maybe we don’t outrebound the opponent by double digits. Those are the nights that we are going to have to rely on our defense, and it’s not good enough right now. Bottom line. Our defense is not good enough for Pac-12 level play if we want to compete for a championship. It has to get better . . . we have a short time to get that there.”
The Buffs led 46-35 at intermission, scoring their most points of the season in an opening half. The Bulldogs never led and managed only one early tie (3-3) before falling behind by as many as 18 twice before the break.
Johnson led a 3-point flurry, connecting on his first three attempts from behind the arc before his fourth attempt from downtown rimmed out. But he wasn’t the only Buff who was dialed in from long distance; after Dinwiddie and Jaron Hopkins added treys of their own CU, had hit five of six 3-point attempts and led 21-15. The Buffs finished 8-of-20 from behind the arc.
With Georgia moving in and out of a zone defense, CU’s early barrage of treys no doubt was welcome. But the Buffs relied on getting to the rim and the foul line in a 15-3 run that opened a 36-20 lead with 5:25 left in the half. Booker scored all seven of his first-half points during that stretch.
Booker hit seven of his 12 field goal attempts (two of four from 3-point range), with his 19 points tying a season high. He also had a game-best four assists.
Boyle said Booker “was feeling it tonight. He was very efficient and he took good shots. I thought he was terrific . . . we’ll take seven-for-twelve from Askia every night. I thought his floor game was good. You could tell he was dialed in.”
With their 11-point halftime lead, if the Buffs could stay interested and maintain their intensity the second half offered little hope of a comeback for the SEC visitors. For the most part, CU did both – until Georgia finally cut its deficit to single digits (57-49) on a 3-pointer by Brandon Morris at the 10-minute mark.
But the Buffs quickly righted themselves with a 7-0 run and shot back ahead by 15 (66-49) on a conventional three-point play by Booker with 8:33 remaining. CU regained its 18-point advantage in the final 2 minutes and sent the CEC crowd of 10,848 home happy – and anxiously awaiting Pac-12 play.
The Buffs believe they are ready. “I mean, we’re 11-2,” Scott said. “We’ve played really good teams, and had a really good out of conference schedule. We’re feeling pretty confident going into Pac-12 play. We’re going in trying to win it. So, it’s good.”
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
GAME NOTES
• An 11-2 record to start the season, matches the 1979-80 season (34 years ago) after 13 games.
• CU improves to 19-5 record in December games overall under the Boyle coaching staff, 16-1 in December home games.
• Under the Boyle coaching staff, the Buffs are now 30-1 (.968) at the Coors Events Center in November and December (only home loss, Wyoming, Dec. 9, 2011, 65-54 stopping CU’s 22-game non-conference home winning streak).
• During the opening two months of the season (Nov. & Dec.) CU is now 39-12 overall (.765) in home, road, neutral games.
• 9-0 home record this season at the Events Center and the 53rd win at home out of 60 games (.883) over the last four years.
• Second straight win against Georgia; third win versus the Bulldogs – all at home, and trails UGA in the all-time series, 6-3.
• CU closed out the 2013-14 regular season non-conference slate with an 11-2 record. Including 2013-14, the Buffs have won double-digit non-conference games in three of Boyle’s four seasons at the helm, amassing a 44-15 non-conference mark during that span.
• The Buffs tied a season high with 6 first-half three-pointers (Jackson State, Nov. 16; Arkansas State, Nov. 18). With 46 points in the opening frame, they also matched their highest first-half scoring output of the season (Jackson State, Nov. 16; Arkansas State, Nov. 18).
• CU has made at least one three-pointer in 379 straight games (dating back to Jan. 19, 2002). Tonight, the Buffs were 8-of-20 (.400) from beyond the arc.
•The Buffs were 26-for-26 from the charity stripe, marking their first perfect outing from the line since Feb. 27, 2010 (12-of-12 vs. Iowa State). Tonight marked the first time in program history that a CU squad shot 1.000 from the line while attempting at least 15 free throws.
•This was just the 10th known time in CU history that CU was perfect from the free throw line and just the sixth time with 10 or more FTAs.
10-of-10 at Kansas State, 2/12/75; 2-of-2 at Oklahoma, 2/9/80; 14-of-14 at Nebraska, 2/16/80; 12-of-12 at Nebraska, 1/21/81; 2-of-2 at Iowa State, 2/28/81; 2-of-2 vs. Oklahoma, 2/26/83; 4-of-4 vs. Oklahoma, 1/6/90; 11-of-11 at Kansas State, 2/18/06; 12-of-12 vs. Iowa State, 2/27/10; 26-of-26 vs. Georgia, 12/18/13.
•The previous mark for FT percentage with at least 20 attempts was 25-of-26 (vs. Oklahoma, Feb. 17, 1996).
• CU tied a school record 28 consecutive FTs made (all 26 tonight and the final 2 vs. Oklahoma State). The previous mark was previously set vs. CSU (last 23) and UC Irvine (first 5) on Dec. 7 and Dec. 10, 1983.
• CU outrebounded Georgia 34-22, marking the ninth time this season the Buffs have won the battle on the glass. They are 8-1 in those tilts.
• Five players scored in double figures: Booker-19, Dinwiddie-17, Scott-14, Johnson-13, Gordon-10.
Askia Booker
• Tied his season-high with 19 points (Oklahoma State, Dec. 21) to lead the Buffs in scoring for the fifth time in 13 games this season. He also chipped in a game-high 4 assists.
Spencer Dinwiddie
• Started his 82nd career game, tying for No. 12 all-time (Mike Reid, 1982-86).
• Finished with 17 points, the 12th time this season he has scored in double figures.
Josh Scott
• Grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and scored 14 points to post his 6th double-double of the season (8th career).
Wesley Gordon
• Scored 10 points (his third double-figure scoring effort of the season), while collecting six rebounds, a block, an assist and a steal.
Xavier Johnson
• Connected on a season-tying three treys, all in the first half, en route to a 13-point scoring output (one point shy of his season high, 14 vs. Kansas on Dec. 7). His double figure scoring effort was his 7th this season (19th career).
-COLORADO-
CU MBB: Scott returns home to rousing ovation
Dec 1st
Beats AFA 81-57
COLORADO SPRINGS — After more than a year of waiting, Josh Scott finally returned home on Saturday. An afternoon that began with a rousing ovation from the Clune Arena faithful culminated with one of the finest performances of his young career.
The 6-10 sophomore from nearby Monument had 16 points and a season-high 13 rebounds as the Buffs led the Air Force Falcons from wire-to-wire en route to a convincing 81-57 victory. Scott reached his third double-double of the year half way through the second half and then sat for the game’s final five minutes while the Buffs coasted to their seventh straight victory.
“It feels good, it’s good to show up for the home crowd,” said Scott. “I won’t lie, so it’s nice.”
After being held to zero points and just three rebounds for the first 12:17 of the game, Scott sprang off the mat to score 16 points and grab 10 boards over the remainder of the afternoon. His tenacious and spirited play in front of the hometown fans helped break a close game wide open in the second half.
Scott’s first bucket came at the 7:43 mark of the first half, as the Buffs were clinging to a tenuous nine-point lead. By the time he scored his final bucket nearly 18 minutes later, the Buffs lead had ballooned to 28 points mostly on the strength of the big man’s domination of an undersized and overwhelmed Falcon front court.
“Once I got the ball in the high-post, I was just looking for Josh down low and we executed well,” said freshman forward Wesley Gordon.
Scott’s play may have been the highlight of the game, but it was an effective Colorado defense that won it. The Buffs out-rebounded the Falcons 42-25 and forced them into a resounding 18 turnovers as AFA was held to a season-low 57 points. The 57 points were the fewest the Buffs have allowed in a road game since they gave up 47 at Oregon last year.
Despite all of the Air Force mistakes, the turnover issues were far from one-sided. The Buffs turned the ball over nine times themselves in the first half and it was the sloppy play that kept Air Force in the game for more than a half. The Falcons, who had more than twice as many turnovers (12) as assists (5), were down only 10 at halftime.
CU coach Tad Boyle later attributed the first-half carelessness to an Air Force zone that took his young team more than a half to decipher. After a few halftime adjustments, the Buffs then turned the ball over just five times in the second half.
“It’s not fun playing against the zone for 40 minutes,” said Boyle. “We tell our guys all the time, the reason they are playing a zone is because they don’t feel like they can guard you (in man-to-man defense). So, we have to be patient, and get the ball moved. Our guys would rather play 40 minutes against the (man-to-man defense), but we’re going to see a lot of the zone. It’s just the way college basketball is being played now, and people trying to stay out of foul trouble.”
Scott wasn’t the only Buff player who triumphantly returned to his hometown on Saturday. Gordon, who also hails from the Colorado Springs area, scored six points, pulled down three rebounds and had two blocks in his own successful return to the city.
“It was a big game for them, in front of their friends and family,” said Boyle. “Colorado Springs, and this community, means a lot to both those young men and their families – their families are obviously both still here and part of this community. So, it was big for them, and I was happy that they both played well. So, it was a good, good feel-good victory for both those young guys.”
The game began under a barrage of Askia Booker jump shots as the trigger-happy junior hit his four shots, two of them from three-point range, and scored eight of the team’s first 10 points. Booker’s success from the field came as the rest of the team combined for just four field goals in the game’s first 12 minutes.
Booker’s hot early shooting helped the team weather the initial struggles of the other go-to players on offense and gave them each time to find their own rhythm in a slow-paced first half. Booker then scored just three points after the game’s first four minutes, but by end of his hot streak the rest of the CU offense had gained their footing and was more than happy to take the weight off Booker’s shoulders.
“It was nice to see (Booker) come out and hit some shots and get us kind of going, and then we kind of took it from there,” said Boyle. “We came out first part of the second half and made some buckets and extended that thing and never let them get back in the game.”
After a season-opening loss to the Baylor Bears, the Buffs have now won seven straight for the first time since January 2011 as they now head into the gauntlet of their non-conference schedule.
The Buffs will travel to Fort Collins to play a solid Colorado State team on Tuesday at Moby Arena, where they haven’t won since 2007. CU will then play two of the following three games against teams currently ranked in the top five in the country – hosting No. 2 Kansas on Saturday, Dec. 7, then taking on No. 5 Oklahoma State in Las Vegas on Dec. 21.
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Boyle lands TOP high school prospects
Nov 13th
by B.G. Brooks CUBuffs.com contributing editor
BOULDER – Not long after Tad Boyle was named Colorado men’s basketball coach in April 2010, he began a courtship of a slight but highly skilled Denver point guard named Dominique Collier.
Boyle had to get in line.
On the national recruiting scene, the most elite high school hoops circles began and ended with Collier. Scholarship offers arrived at the Collier home from Arizona, UCLA, Gonzaga, Oregon, Kansas State, Iowa and other schools highlighted on basketball’s national map.
But as the recruiting process went on, the clearer Collier’s decision became to him, the Buffs and several of the schools in pursuit. “The longer it went,” said Boyle, “it became pretty clear that he was ours to lose.”
The Buffs didn’t. And after narrowing the field in early May, Collier verbally committed to Boyle and the Buffs.
On Wednesday, he completed the promise, signing CU’s binding national letter of intent on the first day that high school prospects are allowed to do so. Also signing and returning CU’s national letter of intent was power forward Tory Miller, of New Hampton (N.H.) Prep.
Collier told BuffStampede.com that he “just like the way that (Boyle) has changed the program around. I like the way he coaches, the team and the relationships I have with the staff. It’s great to be born and raised in Colorado, go to high school in Colorado and then college in Colorado. I’m a Colorado kid. To go there and have all the support you could have, to follow in Chauncey Billup’s footsteps (means a lot).”
For Boyle, landing Collier represents another in-state recruiting milestone. Boyle and his staff managed to keep the in-state Class of 2012’s highest profile members – Josh Scott of Lewis-Palmer and Wesley Gordon of Sierra – at home.
“And outside of Josh and Wes,” said Boyle, “Dominique was the marquee recruit we had to keep home. We did – and we’re thankful and happy for it. He won’t be the last, but it’s critical for the program that we continue to have the success that we’ve had with those three.
“I said three-and-a-half years ago that if players of (Collier’s) caliber can help us win the Pac-12, then it’s imperative for us to get them. That’s what kind of player he is. I appreciate that he wanted to stay home. I’m very excited about it.”
Collier, said CU assistant Rodney Billups, was targeted early by CU, a move that obviously paid off: “Coach Boyle always said, ‘He’s our guy,’ and he got our best shot.”
Collier already lists several current CU players as friends, among them Scott and Gordon. They played together two seasons ago in an all-star game when Scott and Gordon were finishing at their respective high schools. The 6-10 Scott played last season as a true freshman, while the 6-9 Gordon redshirted. The high school rivals finally are sharing court time on this year’s Buffs team, which plays Wyoming Wednesday (7 p.m.) at the Coors Events Center.
Boyle said the Collier family “became part of our family” during the recruitment process and called working with veteran Denver East coach Rudy Carey a “tremendous experience.”
Collier has often stated a desire to emulate CU legend Chauncey Billups, who went on to make a lasting mark in the NBA. Rodney, Billups’ younger brother, was key in Collier’s recruitment – “Maybe more so than I was,” Boyle said. “Rodney obviously has ties in the Denver basketball community. He really was our lead recruiter (on Collier). Dominique’s family (parents Lori and Darryl) love Rodney; he made a good connection with them.”
“I’ve had a relationship with ‘Dom’ for a long time now,” Rodney Billups said. “He started out with Billups Elite when he was a freshman, really going into his eighth grade year. I had a chance before I was even at Colorado to build a relationship with him and his family. Just talking to him and recruiting him was kind of easy for me.”
Collier, an only child, is “a great kid, shy at times, but his personality really comes out on the court,” Rodney Billups said. “There’s a good balance there for him to have a really good character. Staying home was important to him and his family, especially Lori – that’s her baby. She wants him close.”
Boyle said landing Collier and Miller fills two needs for the Buffs – a savvy ball-handler in Collier who is a “terrific talent and great defender” and a big-bodied “enforcer type” in Miller.
A capsule look at CU’s two 2014 signees:
DOMINIQUE COLLIER
Position: Point guard
Height: 6-1
Weight: 166
High school: Denver East
Vital stats/storylines: Averaged 20.1 points, 3.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game as a junior; East went 25-3, lost to Eaglecrest in the 5A state championship game at the Coors Events Center . . . . Four-star prospect, currently ranked No. 94 nationally . . . Collier was named Colorado Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year after junior season . . . . Top western schools – including Pac-12 members Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA – took an intense in Collier during his sophomore and early in his junior seasons. But as the recruiting process lengthened it became apparent that he had targeted CU . . . Iowa and Kansas State also joined the pursuit . . . . Collier verbally committed to the Buffs on May 7.
CU scouting report: A pass-first, very unselfish type of point guard who already has international basketball experience (USA Basketball, three-on-three competition in Indonesia with FIBA’s USA team) gained through summer travels . . . . Can get wherever he wants to on the court with his tremendous first step and ball-handling skills . . . . A very good on-ball defender with great anticipation.
Boyle’s take: “He’s got a good basketball body, but he’s a little slight right now and knows he going to spend some time in the weight room. I love that he can get wherever he wants to go on the court. Plus, he’s got lots of experience – more than the typical incoming freshman. I expect him to have an impact right away. In fact, I’m counting on it.”
TORY MILLER
Position: Power forward
Height: 6-8
Weight: 255
High school: New Hampton (N.H.) Prep
Vital stats/storylines: Averaged 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and shot 58.7 percent from the field last year in his junior season at New Hampton . . . . A three-star prospect whose rating could rise after his senior season . . . . Miller is from the Kansas City area and played on the same AAU team (Kansas City Run GMC) as fellow CU signee Collier . . . . Took official visits to Arizona State, Marquette and Iowa, but committed to CU over Marquette on Oct. 19 . . . . Eric Bossi, Rivals.com’s national basketball recruiting analyst, said Miller “can be a rugged rebounder and explosive finisher around the rim capable of playing through contact. (He) can also step out and make 12-to-15 foot jumpers with pretty good regularity . . . and he’s physically ready to play in the Pac-12.”
CU scouting report: Big, wide-bodied player who is physically ready to compete at the next level . . . . Roster is well-stocked with runners, jumpers and finesse-type players – and Miller also can play with finesse, but he’s best as an enforcer type . . . . Good hands, long arms make him a capable shot blocker; plays bigger than 6-8 . . . . What makes him special is his big body, his ability to use to his advantage on defense and his ability to lower his center of gravity, making him difficult to move.
Boyle’s take: “Tory gives us a wide presence that we haven’t had since I’ve been here. He’s a skilled player and very competitive. With his body type and strength, he can finish down low with contact. He doesn’t look like he would be a good jumper, but he is. Plus, he’s 19 years old now and will bring an age and maturity level to us that’s a little further along than you’d find in a typical freshman. He’s got all the physical tools necessary to be a very good Pac-12 player and he understands what it means to be successful.”
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