Yesterday we looked at the first group of returning players -- the frontcourt. Today we look at the backcourt which will be led by two phenomenal freshmen from Southern California. Along with the super frosh, the Buffs have a few intriguing players who could help determine on if the Buffs will be able to repeat as PAC-12 champions or if they're going to fall towards the middle of the pack.
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| 2011-12: Adams came in with huge expectations, and to say that he didn't quite meet them would be an understatement. Adams lit it up in both high school and JUCO levels and while no one was expecting 20 ppg, I think everyone expected a bit more from him. Because of his offensive struggles (his offensive rating was the worst on the team) and a concusion, he had a hard time finding minutes at first. When he did play, he showed some impressive defensive ability. Unfortunately, his shot just wasn't falling. Finally, late in the season, news broke that Adams was also dealing with the recent discovery that he has diabetes. That, combined with the concussion explain some of the struggles that Adams had this season. 2012-13: So if Adams posted such horrible numbers this season (and his ORtg, shooting percentages and TORate are REALLY hard to swallow), why have I and others mentioned him as a potential starter for next season? In my case it might just be pure blind optimism. From all accounts Adams was tearing it up in practice all year, but just struggled in games. If he can get over that hurdle, we should be able to see the practice player -- and we started to see brief glimpses in the PAC-12 and NCAA Tournaments. Also, with an entire off-season to adjust to dealing with diabetes, he should feel stronger and more confident as well. If that happens, he could be a strong defender on the wing who can hit the open jumper -- something this team needs desperately. Adams could be a huge part of next season's team, and could ultimately decide if we're a decent team or a good one. |
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| 2011-12: Numbers don't lie. I stand by that statement 99.9% of the time - especially in basketball where statistics don't lie. It's why three of the four teams in KenPom's top 4 are in the Final Four. That said? Ski's stats lie. Ski has the third worst offensive efficency numbers on the team. Now, is he the most efficent player out there? No. But how much of that is because he was forced to be on the floor at the same time as Sabatino Chen, Jeremy Adams, Shane Harris-Tunks and either Nate Tomlinson, Spencer Dinwiddie or Carlon Brown. There's a reason that Ski led the team in usage stats this season and it's because he was forced to do more with less than anyone else on the team this season. Despite that, he almost put up double digits in points per game and had a decent turnover rate. 2012-13: So what happens next year? Honestly, I expected to see Ski continue his role off of the bench to provide scoring. However, in his end of the season press conference, Tad Boyle gave all indications that Ski would be starting. Starting or coming off of the bench, it's a safe bet that Ski will be in the top four on the team in scoring and will push the tempo regularly. I really think next year we'll see his efficiency and shooting percentage numbers all rise a bit. Starting or coming off of the bench, Ski will be expected to play 25 minutes a night next season and could be a Monte Ellis-type player who could be capable of putting 25+ on any given night, and who will continue to remind the PAC-12 teams that they all made a mistake by not recruiting him. |
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| 2011-12: There was a lot of bitching that came out when it was announced that Boyle gave Sabatino Chen a scholarship -- including from myself. Then the Super Nin-Chen-do came out and won us all over. Like a pit bull on crack, Chen is relentless out there. He's not the most talented player, but he knows his role and can single handedly change the momentum of a game if the Buffs are off a bit. He was forced to guard every position from the point guard to power forward this season, and never complained -- even when he was going up against guys who were 6" taller and 50 lbs. heavier than he is. Not only that, but Chen has agreed to be on a year-to-year scholarship to give the team flexibility in recruiting. Plain and simple, if you're not a Chen fan, there's just no hope for you. 2012-13: Now that you've seen my love letter for him, let's also ground ourselves in reality a bit. He's incredibly limited offensively and while he tries a lot, he's not the most talented guy. As Boyle gets more and more talent coming in, Chen's numbers are going to be limited. But he's the kind of guy that every successful team needs -- the annoying guy who goes 100% in every practice, diving for every loose ball and causing everyone on the team to work harder. I think he'll have a similar season to last year, with slightly less minutes. He'll be in the rotation and he'll get minutes. And on senior night, he'll get the standing ovation that he deserves. |
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| 2011-12: "The Mayor" came in from day one and earned a starting spot in the CU backcourt. His season got off to a rocky start, but after the Air Force game Boyle sat him down and told him to just play his game and that he wasn't worried about him. Almost immediately we saw a different Spencer. The next 9 games he scored in double digits while also keeping his turnovers relatively low. He appeared to hit the freshman wall a little bit by the end of the season (excluding the Arizona game where he was huge and forced me to inform the Swan that our firstborn will be named Dinwiddie), but put up solid numbers all season, and actually led the Buffs in offensive efficiency for the season (finishing 393rd in the nation). The Mayor also showed a great ability to get to the FT line and was actually 86th in the nation in FTRate. 2012-13: I see no reason why next season won't be even better for Spencer. He's a gym rat who will spend all summer working on his game and getting better. While he deferred to Nate Tomlinson at the point last season, it wouldn't surprise me to see him take more control over the offense next season. He had the second lowest turnover rate on the team and has proven to have great floor vision. Combine that with the fact that we're looking at a depth chart at PG with just Spencer and the two freshmen -- one of which will probably redshirt -- and it appears we're looking at our starting PG for next season and beyond. All in all, I fully expect Spencer to be named All-PAC-12 during his time at Colorado and he honestly has a legit chance of going pro after his junior season. |
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| 2011-12: Gamble sat out this season due to transferring from Santa Clara. 2012-13: Gamble is probably looking at a similar season to the one that Beau Webb had. The walk-on will be expected to provide quality minutes in practice and will get some time at the end of games, but I wouldn't expect him to see the floor in too many PAC-12 games. |
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| 2011-12: Shannon got limited minutes this season, usually appearing in garbage time but he also had a few games this season where he was brought in as a change of pace at the point guard position. He played in the first five games, getting decent minutes, but once Booker & Dinwiddie started to settle down there just weren't a lot of minutes available for Sharpe. 2012-13: There are rumors that Sharpe might be considering a transfer to a lower level school. Knee injuries robbed him of some of his athleticism, but he's still capable of playing quality D1 ball. If he does stay in Boulder, he'll probably have a season similar to this past one, but there is the potential of a slight uptick in minutes, depending on how the two incoming freshman PG's progress throughout the season. If Shannon has played his final game for the Buffs, I'll always remember him for his highlight dunk against Cal in the NIT two seasons ago which was ESPN's Play of the Day. |
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| 2011-12: Webb was, along with Ben Mills, the human victory cigar for the Buffs this season. Webb played in six games this season and except for the Wichita State game in which he started, the Buffs won all of them. 2012-13: Expect a similar season for Webb. He'll provide quality minutes in practice, push players, and get spot minutes here and there. But I wouldn't expect him to see much time in PAC-12 games. |
