BROOMFIELD — Devastation. Sleepless nights. Questioning the future.

As former Colorado basketball player Chris Copeland knows well, all are byproducts of having your dreams seemingly snatched away.

Having already signed last summer to play professionally in Spain, Copeland broke his right foot while playing at a Denver Nuggets mini-camp in June. Since he wasn't yet covered by the Spanish team's insurance policy, Copeland, a solid college player but one who didn't receive much recognition outside of Boulder, lost his first job — and chance to prove himself beyond the college level — before it even started.

"I was just pretty much (in Boulder), trying to figure out what to do next," Copeland said before his Fort Worth Flyers faced the Colorado 14ers at the Broomfield Event Center last week. "'Should I call it quits and get into coaching or something like that?'

"It was devastating to say the least. I had to have a lot of people come to my aid and help me stay confident and to know that I could still make something happen with this game."

Turns out Copeland's broken foot was actually a blessing — a word he uses a lot now — in painful disguise. Now with the NBA Development League's Flyers, Copeland is just one level away, instead of an ocean, from realizing his dream of playing in the NBA.

"I'm definitely blessed to be here, no question about it," Copeland said.

Copeland's gig with the Flyers began with a helping hand from D-League vice president Chris Alpert, who saw Copeland play last summer at a mini-camp and helped the player get connected with the 14ers to do rehab last fall.

Once he was cleared to play, Copeland signed with Fort Worth.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward has averaged 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19 games as a reserve since joining Fort Worth in January. His best game so far was a 23-point, nine-rebound performance when his new friends, the 14ers, played at Fort Worth in March.

"Those guys were really encouraging to me, and I kind of wanted to prove to them that I was good enough to play in this league and show them, 'Hey guys. All of your help helped,'" Copeland said.

Although Copeland had to sit out Fort Worth's game in Broomfield last week because of a concussion he suffered a few days earlier, the road trip was his first chance to personally thank some others who'd propped him up while the boot on his leg tried to bring him down.

During his recovery and rehab, Copeland lived in a house in Boulder with former Buff teammate Richard Roby, who spent plenty of time working out with Copeland and listening to him vent his frustrations. Copeland also often received visits from Buffs Marcus Hall and Dominique Coleman.

Another lift came from CU associate athletic director Ceal Barry, who helped Copeland re-enroll in the courses he needed to complete his psychology degree while his foot healed. Copeland left school early last spring to begin working out for pro teams. He now has just one internet class left to finish to earn his diploma.

"Everything that's happened to me, it seems bad," Copeland said. "But I've been blessed and I got to see who was there for me. I know who my real friends are."

As the Flyers push toward the D-League playoffs, Copeland continues to develop exponentially as a player.

Limited mostly to inside duty with CU because the Buffs were short on forwards, Copeland has evolved into more of a perimeter player with Fort Worth, a role he feels more comfortable in. He's shooting 43 percent from 3-point land.

The new role is giving Coleman the versatility to play the 3, 4 or 5 positions.

"He's still growing as a player," Flyers coach Sidney Moncrief said. "I think over the next two or three years if he continues to improve he'll be a nice player.

"I never predict if guys can get to the next level. It just depends on how badly they want it and how quickly they develop. But he has the size and he has certainly some of the things that can help him get to the next level."

Copeland, who also had a tryout with the San Antonio Spurs lined up last summer before breaking his foot, hopes to catch on with an NBA team's summer league squad this summer and earn a roster spot for next season.

But if that doesn't pan out quite yet, Copeland said he hopes to land back in the D-League.

Although he is forever thankful to the 14ers staff for their help with his rehab, he said has found a new place to call home in Fort Worth. For one thing, he raves about the instruction he's gotten from Moncrief: "I've learned in three months ... things I never thought I could do." He also knows the Flyers have as good of a track record of any team of its players getting called up to the NBA. Four have made the jump this season.

"I believe there's a purpose for everybody," Copeland said. "And whatever that is I'm going through my journey right now and I think it's making me stronger, making me tougher, making me learn that no matter what happens you can push through it and get better and find your way to whatever success it is."