Andrej Jakimovski (23) and Bangot Dak (12) will compete for minutes on the 2024-25 Buffs. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffs have had a busy April.
While all eyes have been on Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes football team, Tad Boyle’s staff has quickly rebuilt a roster that lost six of its seven leading scorers to the NBA Draft and transfer portal.
In April alone, the coaching staff has recruited and signed three legit starters to go along with six returning players and three highly touted freshmen. The Buffs aren’t done — they’re looking for one more impact transfer — but it’s a good time to take shape of the roster as it currently stands.
Players departing: KJ Simpson (NBA), Tristan da Silva (NBA), Cody Williams (NBA), J’Vonne Hadley (Louisville), Eddie Lampkin Jr. (Syracuse), Luke O’Brien (Georgia Tech), Joe Hurlburt (Davidson)
Players incoming: Trevor Baskin (Colorado Mesa), Elijah Malone (Grace College), Andrej Jakimovski (Washington State), Andrew Crawford (#94 HS recruit), Sebastian Rancik (#139), Felix Kossaras (#160)
Players returning: Julian Hammond III, Javon Ruffin, Bangot Dak, Assane Diop, RJ Smith, Courtney Anderson
Projected starters:
PG — ???
SG — Julian Hammond III, Sr.
SF — Trevor Baskin, Sr.
PF — Andrei Jakimovski, Sr.
C — Elijah Malone, Sr.
Bench rotation:
G — Javon Ruffin, Jr.
G — RJ Smith, r-So.
G — Courtney Anderson, r-Fr.
F — Bangot Dak, So.
F — Assane Diop, So.
Freshmen:
G — Felix Kossaras
G — Andrew Crawford
F — Sebastian Rancik
Now that’s all on paper, there are some things to work through. The first is that final scholarship spot, which everyone from Trinidad to Wellington knows Tad Boyle is saving for a lead guard. The Buffs won’t find a direct replacement for KJ Simpson, but they need someone dynamic with the ball in their hands.
That someone could be Julian Hammond, but both the coaches and Hammond himself prefer the Cherry Creek grad to play mostly off-ball where his catch-and-shoot ability is better utilized. Last season may have been the best role for him, playing next to KJ off-ball, then filling in as backup PG when the star needed rest. Boyle will probably want that same role for him, only as a starter rather than coming off the bench.
Now, if the Buffs do land that starting PG and decide to keep Hammond as sixth man, it would be because they want more size and defense than the starting lineup I projected above. This would mean Bangot Dak or Assane Diop in a starting role, sliding Andrej Jakimovski from the 4 to the 3, and Trevor Baskin from the 3 to the 2. Positions don’t matter as much in CU’s five-out offense since everyone is fluid and capable with the ball in their hands. (There is the risk that Hammond transfers if he isn’t a projected starter.)
Speaking of Baskin and Jakimovski, these two senior transfers are locked in as starters. Baskin figures to be the best player on the team. He’s a 6’8 wing with legit athleticism and a well-rounded skill set. I would expect the Buffs to play through him and design their offense around his drive-and-kick game. As for Jakimovski, we saw at Washington State that he’s a glue guy who can catch fire from beyond the arc. He will contribute to defense and rebounding, hit some shots, and just generally play winning basketball.
The other locked in starter is our final transfer, big man Elijah Malone. He may struggle some with the jump from NAIA to the Big 12, but he’s a legit 6’10, strong and mobile, and has a bit of skill. The Buffs had to compete with Indiana and Notre Dame for his signature, as both those teams see him as a legit starter at this level of basketball. CU fans should be very excited for him, as he’s a better shooter and defender than Eddie Lampkin, and a world more polished than the center before him.
As for the bench rotation, that will depend on summer training and pre-season practices. Boyle clearly trusts Bangot Dak and sees a future for him, even if he’s extremely raw on the offensive end. Assane Diop flashed his potential in his limited time on the floor and will get more chances to grow. Javon Ruffin is a solid bench guard, but the question is always health rather than ability. Those three should figure into the rotation in some capacity, assuming health and steady growth.
Returning guards RJ Smith and Courtney Anderson represent mystery boxes. Smith redshirted as a freshman, played seven games this past season, then missed the rest of the year with an injury. Anderson redshirted in 2023-24. Both of them look like typical CU guards — big and strong, diligent on defense, a touch undercooked in terms of on-ball skill — but we don’t know much more about them. This is a big summer for both, as Smith returns from injury and Anderson has to show enough development to earn minutes.
If Smith or Anderson aren’t ready to play, or if Ruffin has another injury setback, Boyle will have two freshmen guards worthy of a look. Andrew Crawford is the big name, a top-100 recruit from in-state ThunderRidge. Felix Kossaras is the hipster pick as a late-rising, high-upside recruit from Québec. Both are 6’5 combo guards who show craft and intelligence. Crawford could use a year of weight training, while Kossaras is more physically developed and perhaps more ready for in-game reps.
The final freshman is Sebastian Rancik, who is originally from Slovakia and moved to California to pursue his basketball career. The 6’9, 210-lbs. forward is skilled as a shooter, ball handler and passer. He could use some strength training and defensive refinement, as all freshmen do, but he has a fire in him that can’t be taught. It will be good for him to learn from Jakimovski, who has a similar temperament and skill set, and become something of an X-factor for the Buffs moving forward.
This is a great crop of freshmen to bring in for the long term, but it’s to be determined how much we see of them this season. Those in the know have projected Kossaras as the most likely to break into the rotation, but the guard rotation is crowded with guys who are hungry for playing time. Same for Rancik, who will compete with the defensive-minded Dak and Diop for forward minutes. This is what a healthy program looks like — everyone is talented and the ones who develop and perform will earn minutes.
Overall, it’s clear that Tad Boyle is bringing in transfers and freshmen who fit Colorado’s defense and rebounding identity and can play in a five-out motion offense. Those guys are hard to find and Tad can sell them on a program that wins game and produces NBA talent. Landing players like Baskin, Malone and Jakimovski is a signal that this coaching staff wants to retool, rather than rebuild, and that the players themselves believe that this team will be competitive in the Big 12. (I’m not sure what competitive means in the Big 12, but something close to .500 in conference play will have us on the bubble.)
What’s more is that CU has retained all of their talented underclassmen and brought in a top-25 freshmen class. These players are staying in the program with no guarantee of playing time. They trust the coaching staff to develop them long term and that the minutes will come when they’ve proven themselves in practice. It also encourages a healthy basketball program where the team will win games in the present, foster competition and growth within the rotation, and those talented and committed will stand out as players to build around in the future.
by Sam Metivier
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