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Bzdelik pleased with opener
Buff boss optimistic after first game
For openers, the Colorado men's basketball team looks to be much improved from the past two seasons, when the Buffs were a combined 19-40.
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Jeff Bzdelik has some very solid pieces in place with freshman point guard Nate Tomlinson, sophomore shooting guard Cory Higgins, freshman forward Austin Dufault and sophomore forward/center Casey Crawford.
The foursome combined for 51 points on 19-for-34 shooting during CU's 76-56 victory over Arkansas-Pine on Friday at the Coors Events Center in front of 5,689 seemingly satisfied customers.
Dwight Thorne, the only junior on scholarship, was the other starter and added eight points on a 3-for-5 night from the field.
Overall, Bzdelik was pleased to open the season with an easy victory. The second-year CU head coach will have a couple of things to bark about at practice tonight with the Golden Lions winning the rebounding battle 38-31 and the otherwise smooth-shooting Buffs only converting a head-scratching 60 percent (12-for-20) at the free throw line.
The Buffs will have a few days to work on those deficiencies before hosting Montana State on Tuesday night at the Coors Events Center (7 p.m., no television).
Bzdelik, a longtime NBA scout, wants fans to enjoy watching this young team grow up together this season while also projecting how the puzzle will be solved when the roster is dominated by seniors and juniors.
"I just feel real good about where we're headed," Bzdelik said. "I think what people have to do is think of these players in another year, in two years, in three years from now, coupled with the players we just signed. And you can see how we're trying to build this team."
Trey Eckloff, the youngest of the five CU true freshmen, added four points and two rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. Ryan Kelley and Toby Veal only played the final two minutes of the game and appear to have some more maturing to do before becoming a part of the rotation at this level.
Bzdelik signed three intriguing high school prospects -- Alecs Burks, Keegan Hornbuckle and Shane Harris-Yunks -- to national letters of intent last week. The coaching staff plans to add another player to the 2009 recruiting class during the spring.
Next season the Buffs play in the Maui Classic, joining a field that includes Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville, Maryland, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. CU is working on a deal to bring North Carolina to the Coors Events Center in 2010.
"We are going to be an extremely young basketball team and very inexperienced. That's the truth," Bzdelik said. "But we're exactly where we want to be at this stage of the rebuilding process."
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Posted by neb_cu_buff on November 16, 2008 at 2:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds good Bzdelik! I really liked what I seen on Friday. Good group of heatlthy, basketball smart, nice, young hard-working guys, who are going to get some nice wins potentially this year. Would love to see the Coors Events Center fill in better to support this team, especially after they start winning. Easy non-conference schedule should get these guys the experience they need under the lights and hopefully ignite them into the Big 12 schedule.... Let's Go Buffs!
Posted by pgordon5446 on November 16, 2008 at 9:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
GO BUFFS!!!
Posted by coereg on November 16, 2008 at 10:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I like the (YOUNG!!!!!) looks of this team. They have a better look of discipline, and have some good play from all-around, this is no longer just the R. Rby show. They have several players that can make plays, and shoot well.
This team will be fine. I expect maybe 13 to 16 wins this season, and they may (with an overall YOUNG Big 12) steal 4 to 5, maybe 6 in the conference, once we get there, and this team has some games under their belt.
The future is what looks bright.
CU showed some quality play at PG (w/Tomlinson); they will be good on the perimeter with the help of Higgins and Thorne; Their bigs played some minutes and all looked good in their roles .. Crawford and DuFault are the scorers, both can rebound and fill the middle some, and then with Eckloff, who will be looked at as the banger, but who can score as well.
Overall, CU will be good with these players ... however I would like to see them pick up a legitimate banger or two (perhaps Toby Veal?) for the future. I do feel that Eckloff is a good player, but once the conference begins to mature (since a lot of teams are young) -later this season- I'm not sure he CAN BE your only reliable big time to man the post ~ just MO.
Posted by claroofusjones on November 17, 2008 at 10:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That was an amazing turnout - 5600 people to watch Pine Bluff? Score one for the athletic department, effectively offering the preseason for free to get people excited about hoop. Such a better idea than having 1100 paying customers sit there and yawn collectively.
The game didn't tell us much, as Pine Bluff played about as ineffective a zone defense as is possible. It was only ineffective because we have a solid core of shooters in Tomlinson, Dufault, and Crawford. Higgins can't shoot but looks to be a star in the making.
We are really young, really little. If Bzdelik can get this team to rebound, he'll be deserving of the title Miracle Man.
How about Cool Hand Luke impersonator Nate Tomlinson? He ran point like he's been doing it for 15 years (which he has). 4 for 5 from the field - no bad shots. A real young field general with moxie and (it appears) 25-foot range.
Dufault is going to be a monster some day. I wouldn't doubt he'll make first team all Big 12 before he graduates.