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July 6th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Colorado Buffaloes
Overall Rank:
#127
Conference
Rank: #11 Big 12
2005-06:
20-10, 9-7, 5th
2005-06
postseason: NIT
 Despite
returning just four lettermen,
Colorado has reason to hope with
the return of Richard Roby. After flirting with the NBA Draft,
Roby will have the opportunity to lead a depleted squad through
a rebuilding process.
Who’s Out:
Ten seniors were on the Buffaloes roster last season. Throw in
a transfer or two and we have a long, long list and tons of
questions about Coach Ricardo Patton’s squad. Starters Chris
Copeland, Jayson Obauaye and Andy Osborn top the list of
departures. Martane Freeman, Julius Ashby, Glean Eddy, Antoine
McGee, Scott Senger, Lamont Arrington and Billy Boidock have
also run out of eligibility. Calvin Williams and Kyle Carder
have opted to transfer.
Who’s In:
Jermyl
Jackson-Wilson, a transfer from Ohio State, has had the starting
power forward spot all but wrapped up since last year.
Jackson-Wilson only played in 11 games for the Buckeyes in
2004-2005, but he is an athletic player who can provide some
much needed help on the glass. The frontcourt also hopes that
freshmen Sean Kowal and Marc Van Burck can supply some quality
minutes. The duo of 6-10 centers need to get stronger, but
could find themselves thrown into the fire this season. The
wings were well covered in case Roby didn’t return. Jeremy
Williams, Dale Vanwright and Xavier Silas will battle for
minutes at the two and three. Williams, at 6-7, may end up
seeing most of his floor time at the four and the finalist for
the Mr. Tennessee award can help in the rebounding and blocking
categories. Vanwright and Silas, both of whom averaged over 20
points as seniors in high school, will provide more scoring
options. Combo guard Dwight Thorne is a solid ball handler, but
that category in this class is dominated by Kal Bay. Bay, a
6-1, 170 pounder from Tempe, Arizona is a great pickup for the
Buffaloes. He has great court vision, can pass with the best of
them, shoot the long ball and turns the ball over less than a
Colorado fan compliments Coach Ricardo Patton, which is not very
often.
Who to Watch:
Roby
isn’t the only player returning to Boulder. Senior Marcus Hall,
who has been a starter since his sophomore campaign, will once
again be running the show. Hall averaged 8.7 points and 4.1
assists last season and has shown in the past that he can be a
major scoring threat for Colorado. Hall will need to hold
together a team that has so many new faces and do his best to
share the wealth and not just dish it off to Roby.
Final
Projection:
Guard Dominique
Coleman and forward Marcus King-Stockton were roleplayers at
best last year, but this season they will be expected to do
much, much more. King-Stockton will be a solid
rebounder with more minutes, but he could be a liability on the
offensive end. Roby can only carry the team so far, and with a
slew of newcomers, it will take some time for everybody to
adjust. Don’t be surprised to see some freshmen starting sooner
or later, but in the end, trading ten seniors for eight freshmen
isn’t going to produce a better record.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected
Starting Five:
Marcus Hall,
Senior, Guard, 8.7 points per game
Dominique
Coleman, Senior, Guard, 4.4 points per game
Richard Roby,
Junior, Guard, 17.0 points per game
Jermyl
Jackson-Wilson, Sophomore, Forward, DNP last season
Marcus
King-Stockton, Junior, Forward, 1.8 points per game
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