SportsFootball Chat replay: CU Buffs beat writer Brian Howell (Jan. 13, 2020) Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Chat replay: CU Buffs beat writer Brian Howell (Jan. 13, 2020) By Brian Howell | howellb@dailycamera.com | Boulder Daily CameraPUBLISHED: January 13, 2020 at 11:26 am | UPDATED: January 13, 2020 at 1:18 pmBuffzone.com beat writer Brian Howell takes your questions and leads discussion about CU sports today at Noon. That will do it for this everybody. Great comments and questions again this week. Much appreciated! Have a great week everybody and enjoy the national title game!Valid point, although I think the bottom half of the Pac-12 would look similar to the bottom half of most conference. In SEC football and Pac-12 women's basketball, it's the top end that is better than just about everybody else; not the depth. The bottom of SEC football isn't great, but the top 3-4 can beat anybody.If the SEC can whine and make the argument that they should get two teams in the four team football playoff every year, why can't the Pac-12 argue that every WBB team deserves an NCAA bid? I say we take the bottom half of the Pac-12 against the bottom half of every other conference and just see what happens.I'm not sure the plan for those. They were very popular, though. I even saw CU staffers saying those should stay. So, I imagine they'll find a way to work those into the rotation.oh yea....I had a (much) older sister who graduated in 68' ...and I still remember, and loved those "Buffs" unis over the weekend. It was a Balch Field House flashback !!Are they one and done with those ?I would envision seeing Sherman move back over to left, where he was in 2018, and Frank Fillip being a top candidate at right tackle. I do think Lee and Wray could compete, but they've also got Pursell and Kutsch back as returning starters; Roddick was a part-time starter. I think Kanan Ray and Austin Johnson are going to compete for starting jobs, and I wouldn't count out Chance Lytle.With Hambright and Lynott gone I'm a little worried about the O line next year. Who will play tackle besides Sherman and do Wray and Lee have a chance to start?I never did talk to Cameron, but did talk to one of her family members and have talked with people in the program. Bottom line, I don't think Cameron "deserved" more minutes during non-conference last year just because of her talent. Players have to perform in practice to earn playing time. Yes, it's unfortunate for CU that Cameron left. I do firmly believe that she was impatient and had she been patient, her time would have come. Unfortunately, we live in an impatient society. It's not just Cameron; it's people everywhere. Freshmen come in feeling a bit entitled because of what they did in high school and they need to realize there is a process to go through. Some are willing to go through it and they thrive in the end. Some aren't willing to go through it and they leave. Having had a chance to talk with Cameron a few times while she was here, she's a really nice girl and I'm glad to see her doing well at BC. Sounds like that's just a better fit for her.Did you ever reach out to Cameron Swartz when she opted to leave CU? What did she share about not wanting to play here? I wish she had been a little more patient. This team completely transformed its culture and adopted an unselfish style of team play that I think the would have thrived under. Love where this team is at, but I still think she was as great as a recruiting get as Jaylyn Sherrod. Hollingshed leads all CU players with 186 points. Swartz has scored 189 points this season on .434 shooting. I really wish JR had given Swartz the playing time she deserved in non-conference last year. I know she had the heart thing, but it seemed like JR was too loyal and giving too many minutes to a couple of seniors that would graduate but honestly had never won here. I still don't understand how JR didn't realize she needed to focus on the future. You can't recruit great players and then not play them. Simply put, they'll leave. Swartz only played 46 minutes for CU in her career. #whatcouldhavebeenI'm not sure what his plan is for this next season. When I asked him about his philosophy on captains last August, he told me that how he did it last year is not necessarily what he will do every year. What he did last year was, in part, because he didn't totally know the team yet. So, yes, I think there's a good possibility that Tucker would change how that's done this coming year. I could see him naming captains before the season.Brian, do you think that Coach Tucker will change the way he did Captains last year, and will put people like Landman in as a permanent captain of the defense? We would assume offseason needs leadership, so it would be nice to see consistent captains and maybe 1-2 that earn it each week.I don't know the earliest is could happen, but I've seen projections of it possibly happening after 2026.When is the earliest we could see an expansion to a logical 8 team play-off ?I don't know him, but sometimes players just see a better fit elsewhere. What I see a lot of times in Colorado is players just simply want to go somewhere else to live. They want to get out of the nest and try something new.Brain - I see the number one in-state Prospect / QB in next year's recruiting cycle recently committed to Kansas State of all places!! I think I read that he's been on campus almost two dozen times over the past two years... what am I missing here?I don't know if there's a timeline, and I think it's different in all sports. For football, you simply have to start winning. Mike MacIntyre did a great job here of winning a South title with a collection of 3-stars. Unfortunately that didn't turn into multiple years of winning. CU has the tools in football to get to bowl games. Start doing that and better players will come. Tucker is drawing better players because of who he is, but to keep that going, he's got to win. You can only sell the vision long enough before results are needed. MBB, Tad does a great job with the type of recruits they get as well. They don't get the elite players and I'm not sure CU ever will. But, they have to get the right guys (Wright, Bey, Battey) and develop. WBB, same thing. CU isn't going to get the elite players until they start winning a lot. JR has to figure out how to take the players she has and win consistently. She has to start squeezing into an NCAA Tournament or two.WBB - Stanford #3, Oregon #6, UCLA #7, Oregon St #8, ASU #18, Arizona #21 that's just a brutal conference right there. You follow recruiting for football. How does it work when a program has some some success in football and basketball and what is the timeline to getting those elite recruits? The Colorado men's team is ranked #20 despite seemingly half of CU faithful believing Tad has "peaked" every season. The CU women's team is competitive within the conference again. Mel Tucker upset Nebraska. What is the timeline in your mind, regarding how recruiting will be impacted for CU MBB, WBB, and football for the foreseeable future? It is just so hard for CU to compete in any of these three sports with 3-star players when the opponents have 4 and 5 star players.I agree, it's a nice change and I think the defense could take a step up. 3-0? That's tough to see when one of those games is a visit to Texas A&M.hey Brian, it is sure nice reading about high level recruits we are actually getting !Even more to see some of the schools they are passing on to come. What a nice change.3-0 in non-conference next year? I think our defense might take a really big step forward.I believe it was 17 that redshirted. That includes Mekhi Blackmon, Frank Fillip, Jamar Montgomery as veteransHow many scholarship players redshirted last fall?Haha! Could be!I'm no forensic expert, but I suspect about 3-4 of these posters are the same person.I'm not convinced Stanford is really that great. They are 3-0 in conference, but they've played Cal and the Washington schools, so they haven't hit any of the top teams yet. They don't have a great non-conference win, either. Looking at their schedule, it's interesting because they have UCLA and USC this week and then Cal next week. They could start 6-0 in conference. But, then they hit a tough stretch.I know you aren't following BB as closely, but what do you think about Stanford? They are on top of the Pac now, have a really high NET ranking, but still not getting top 25 votes. I thought the Buff were disrespected in the polls being under 2 teams they beat, but Stanford has more reason to complain. You think they might be a contender?I have not heard on those guys in a while, but no question, it would be nice to see Miller catching some breaks and staying healthy. He's really good when healthy. If everyone is healthy, it's going to be a great competition back there.Brian - Regarding the defensive backfield, how is rehab going for Miller and Blackmon? Miller can't seem to catch a break so I hope he can come back strong. Should be could competition back there. Agree?I do believe that if a coach leaves, recruits are allowed to be let out of their NLIs, but for it to benefit CU, CU would have to have room to add players. There isn't much room.WSU recruits can't be let out of their December signing can they? Guess it would not benefit CULuke Stillwell could be an option, as well as Poplawski if he's healthy. Given the lack of depth, we can't rule out Caleb Fauria and Louis Passarello earning playing time, as well.love Russell and love Mel using him but the more the merrier. Any other tight ends poised to be receivers next year?JR's contract is different from Tad's. The automatic extension is something that Mike Bohn put in contracts and Rick George was never a fan of that. JR's contract does not have that automatic extension. As of now, I believe her contract runs through next season, expiring after the 2020-21 season. She and Rick would likely meet after this season to discuss an extension.Brian we heard Tad got his automatic extension. I thought JR Payne had that int her contract as well, unless she or CU gave notice opting out. Obviously, we'd like to see some progress, before just adding extra years on but this was a complete rebuilding effort. However, there has been no updates on her extension or CU opting out for a couple of years. As of today when does JR Payne's contract actually expire? Very impressed with what JR has done with this team with who we are able to recruit right now. When she starts to get those 97 rated and 5-star players like USC, Oregon, Oregon State, and Stanford get this program is going to be trouble! In your opinion would a WNIT invitation be enough for JR to get her extension next December or would it take an actual NCAA tournament bid?Thank you. Yes, I think he can, but he might be down in the rotation a bit. It's nice that he has a redshirt year available, because it might be beneficial for him to use it this year. If healthy and eligible, I think Mustafa, Sami, Lang and Alfano get the bulk of the playing time. So, Jackson would have to beat out Rodman, Williams, Janaz Jordan, etc.Brian - You did a nice piece on Justin Jackson. If Alfano is eligible, will Jackson get any playing time with all the guys coming back including the JUCO guys they signed last year?Three losses to top-10 teams, but ZERO great wins. CU doesn't have a single victory this season that would raise an eyebrow around the country. That's how you get votes, by beating teams that are good. Looking at Realtimerpi.com, CU's best wins, based on RPI are against Texas Southern (No. 100) and USC (No. 102). I can guarantee to you that voters around the country aren't noticing 3 good quarters against OSU and a nice comeback against UCLA. They are looking at what matters most, that they are losses. For CU to get attention nationally, they need to actually beat an Oregon State, a UCLA, a Stanford (and not lose to Utah, USC, Washington State, etc.).I don't get it. Colorado has three losses and ALL are to top-10 ranked teams (who they should lose to) but the Buffs aren't receiving votes for the WBB AP top-25? Colorado played a great three quarters against Oregon State and a great two quarters and a half agains UCLA. They potentially could have won both games. Do you have a secret WBB journalist forum where you guys discuss stuff like the ASU upsets? What are other WBB beat writers saying about CU?If he's as good as advertised, I think CU gets two seasons out of him, 2020 and 2021.Assuming Alfano is cleared to play this fall and he's as spectacular as advertised, how many years do you think he would stay before going to the NFL? I know, really wild speculation, but it's January, so sue me.I agree, but more so, I think Dallas can become a bigger factor next year. If Bey leaves for the NBA, minutes open up for Dallas. I'd love to see him healthy and getting 18-22 minutes.Dallas looks like he is playing below the rim - he does not appear to have either the spring or the quickness he exhibited late in the 2017-2018 season. Without that, he naturally is tentative. It was nice to see him score a couple of baskets yesterday, even though they were not really post moves - a baseline drive/reverse layup and a fade away jumper. I'd love to see him power up for a dunk and at least draw a foul. He could be a huge factor down the stretch if he gets some strength and confidence back.Yes it is. They can head back out on FridayBrian - On football recruiting, is it a quiet period right now and if so, when does it open back up for coaches to be on the trail?No, because I don't cover Washington State! He's entertaining, for sure. However, I'm really glad I only had to cover them from afar. I'm not sure he would have been so entertaining on a daily basis. I think his act would grow tiresome.Brian, honestly did you job quality go down now that Mike Leach is no longer coaching in the PAC12?I don't believe so, but it's always possible.Think Pac-12 will ever move from 9 to 8 football conference games like tonight's 2 teams - ACC & SECThey are out a bit later than normal, but it's my understanding we'll see those in a week or two. I haven't heard anything about a QB transfer.Are the Pac-12 fb schedules out later this year than normal? Any idea when they will be public? Understood the BUFFS are in on a 5 Star QB Transfer- have you heard any rumblings? Thanks Brian as always for your intrepid reportingYes, he can. But, that process will probably take several months.Now that Alfano is in classes, can he apply to being able to play next fallIn my opinion, the NIT is their ceiling this year. They're off to a great start, but at this point, their two conference wins are against the two worst teams in the Pac-12. They're 0-3 against the top teams in the conference, with several more of those games to come. I know they came close to UCLA yesterday, but they also trailed by 25 and needed a furious rally just to get a chance. To get to the NCAA Tournament, they'd likely need to finish .500 or better in conference, which is asking them to go 7-6 or 8-5 the rest of the way. That's tough against a schedule that includes Stanford twice, the Oregon schools again, at UCLA, ASU, Arizona.Do you think the WBB team can make the NCAA tourney or is the NIT their ceilingBiggest change I'd make is to have the Playoff expand to 8 teams. But, I do believe the conferences should have the same number of conference games. If I'm the Pac-12, and I'm watching the SEC play 8 a year and I'm seeing Pac-12 get shut out of the Playoff year after year, I'd reconsider the 9-game model. However, it doesn't do any good to take away a conference game and replace it with, say, a Sun Belt team or an FCS team. Bottom line is, you have to win your games. LSU only played 8 conference games this year, but they also played Texas out of conference. Georgia doesn't hide from other Power 5s.If you were the man in charge would you a) make all P5 conferences play 9 conference games, b) have the Pac-12 play 8 conference games, or c) not change anything?All I can is that it's a leg injury. At this point, she hasn't been good enough to give it a go. She was in uniform on Friday, but was not on Sunday, so there might have been a bit more soreness Sunday. It's my understanding she's day to day at this point.Can you tell us any more about Whittaker's injury other than it is a leg injury? Is she practicing? Is she day to day?To be honest with you, I haven't heard the type of stories you're talking about. I know some players didn't like her and didn't feel she was very warm. I've heard plenty of people say she was terrible at building relationships. I did attend many practices under Lappe and never saw anything unusual or out of line, in terms of belittling players, etc. The Lappe I knew and the Lappe that many people know is a very nice person who loved CU and tried to do her best for the program, but maybe didn't have all the tools to do that.Thanks for doing the chat! Watching CU play UCLA was so much fun. This team is legit. Latest bracketology has CU in the NCAA tournament as the 12th seed. Turned the page on the Lappe era. It seemed like Lappe was doing good in this world with the Special Olympics. What the hell is University of San Francisco thinking giving her a job in their Athletic Department? Any minimal attempt to do their due diligence would have revealed numerous complaints of a toxic and abusive coach, the player’s and parent narratives when shared are heartbreaking. The idea that Lappe would have oversight regarding student-athlete well-being, be responsible to ensure structures are in place to protect student-athlete mental and emotional health is like reading satire. Still very disappointed in the lack of instutional controls at CU that allowed what multiple ex-players have shared transpired under Lappe: emotional abuse, bullying, belittling, constant insults and disparaging of players. The fact that Ceal or RG never held her accountable and that there still hasn’t been a transparent investigation is beyond the pale. Brian - if you’re a journalist why didn’t you write an expose? Surely you’ve heard more first hand accounts than we have as program supporters. What I’ve heard directly from ex-players and parents was disgusting. More power to North Carolina. Unlike CU which pretended the toxic environment didn’t exist, UNC opened a transparent investigative investigation and dealt with it. That’s what an AD with integrity does.They typically wind up with 90-92 by the end of signing day, and 85 are allowed. But, there's always attrition or things that happen to get that number to 85. Last year, I think they were at 90 or 91 after signing day and they ended up with 82 or 83.Does the football team have more signed than the total allowed scholarships for next year?More than anything, I think it's the minutes. I don't think he lacks confidence. Not sure if he's knees are feeling great or not. But, it's so tough to get on the floor when Battey and Bey are playing like they are.Dallas Walton - MA: Confidence? Knees sore? Tight minutes?I've picked Clemson from the start of the year and I'm sticking with it. They're a complete team and I think they've been somewhat overlooked - as much as a defending national champ with 29 straight wins can be overlooked. LSU is a great team, though, and playing in New Orleans will help.Prediction on the game tonight?Pat Rooney would be more in-tune on basketball recruiting than I am, however.Not really. Football has its class pretty much full, with a couple of exceptions. They'll sign 2-3 guys in February. Basketball, they are on the trail looking for guys in the 2021 class.Any buzz regarding FB &/or BB recruiting that we fans are not aware of yet?Plati is literally a Hall of Famer in his industry, so he's got plenty of connections and is well respected. He does a lot of game notes, press box seating charts, etc. He's definitely in his element doing that!Wow-- I want Plati's gig! Sounds big-time. Wonder how many schools get to send someone to work or if that's some sort of CU connection, Great for the Buffs he can do that.Potentially, yes, but those teams (Oregon State, UCLA) had a couple bad stretches of their own in those games. I think the women's team is sitting about right, at 2-3 in Pac-12. They are improved. I don't think this is the worst team in the Pac-12, as predicted, but there is still a ways to go to really start beating those top teamsThe WBB team is making strides. If it wasn't for a couple of bad stretches, they could have beaten a couple to ten teams.Having not watched much of practice, I can't speak to what Frank can or can't do. However, I do think if he coaches believed he was at that level, he'd be in there. Minutes are tough to come by with Battey and Bey and even Siewert playing so well for most of this season. Even Walton is having a hard time getting on the floor.I went to the KU game – CU couldn’t penetrate the paint with KU's big guys – Frank Ryder looks like he has the frame to fill up the paint but never gets in except last few seconds of mop up – I don’t believe he got in even against his former school San Diego – Seems like you don’t know how good or bad Frank is until he plays.I definitely think he can step it up to another level. I think we saw him do that at the end of last year. There's more in him, for sure. Whether he comes back, that's hard to say at this point. I would think he'll test the NBA, because he does have a skill set that is going to be desired at the next level.
