Last Year: 18-17; Eighth (8-12) in the Pac-12 Conference, lost in the second round of the NIT
Head Coach: Tad Boyle (14th Year; 272-172 at Colorado, with five NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
| G KJ Simpson – 6’2″, 189 – Junior |
| W J’Vonne Hadley – 6’6″, 205 – Senior |
| W Cody Williams – 6’8″, 190 – Freshman |
| F Tristan da Silva – 6’9″, 220 – Senior |
| C Eddie Lampkin, Jr – 6’11”, 265 – Junior |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
KJ Simpson: 15.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg – 39.6% FG
J’Vonne Hadley: 8.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg – 52.5% FG
Cody Williams: 5-star recruit
Tristan da Silva: 15.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 spg – 39.4% 3FG
Eddie Lampkin: 6.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.5 bpg – 54.7% FG @ TCU
Experienced Reserves
| W Luke O’Brien – 6’8″, 222 – Senior |
| G Julian Hammond III – 6’2″, 193 – Junior |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Luke O’Brien: 6.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.7 spg – 42.5% FG
Julian Hammond: 6.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.8 spg – 39.9% FG
Freshmen
| F/C Assane Diop – 6’8″, 210 – Freshman – Consensus Top 150 recruit |
| G Courtney Anderson, Jr – 6’5″, 182 – Freshman |
| F Bangot Dak – 6’11”, 180 – Freshman |
| G RJ Smith – 6’3″, 186 – Redshirt Freshman |
| F/C Joe Hurlburt – 6’11”, 235 – Redshirt Freshman |
It took 13 years for Tad Boyle to be ejected from a basketball game as the head coach at Colorado, but it happened last winter. While there were some great moments, 2022-23 was just that frustrating of a season for the Buffs. Injuries, illnesses and a hot-and-cold offense whose water heater ran out a few too many times couldn’t lead the Buffs to the NCAA Tournament.
Fortunately for Colorado, help is on the way. In the persons of a beastly new pivot and one of the super-prospects of the Class of 2023.
Cody Williams is the crown jewel of Boyle’s recruiting career so far and a likely one-and-done player who appears certain to be a top NBA Draft pick. The brother of former Santa Clara star Jalen Williams, a lottery pick two years ago, Cody’s choice to come to Boulder couldn’t be better timed for Boyle’s program. While the Buffs are losing quite a few players off of last year’s team, Boyle has his top five players returning. A world-class talent like Williams may be just the spice CU has been lacking, and this winter both expectations and the excitement level among the C-Unit are sure to be mile-high.
The two most justifiable reasons for Colorado to expect major success this season are the two best players from last year’s team, Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson. The All-Pac 12 duo are a couple of inside/outside scorers who proved last season that they are stars worth building around.
Simpson was once committed to Colorado’s Pac 12 South rival Arizona, but ever since he arrived in Boulder, Simpson has been making steady progress towards becoming the leader of Ralphie’s herd. Last season he had a breakout campaign, as Simpson shared the team scoring lead with Da Silva while finishing seventh in the conference in assists and sixth in steals per game. A penetrating guard who attacks off the bounce to get to his spots, Simpson scores off of layups, runners, pull-ups and floaters once he’s gotten into the lane, mixing his shots like a pitcher mixes their pitches. He’s great at getting his nearest defenders onto their heels and then deciding where the best shot has opened up, even if a teammate has the open shot. While his assist to turnover ratio needs to improve, Simpson has a good handle and shouldn’t be asked to force shots as often now that there’s more help around him.
Simpson also needs to establish a more reliable outside jump shot; for every deep three like his game-winner over Washington State last year, there were nearly three bricks, and he’s at 27% from three through his first two years. In fact, while he made 51% of his shots at the rim last year, Simpson made just 32% of all of his other shot attempts, per Barttorvik. A solid defender, Simpson’s quickness and speed in the open floor are tough for most opponents to handle, and he’s got sticky fingers which turn defense into offense. The talent Simpson has is obvious, and he’s had to do some strenuous learning on the job. This year, Boyle is hoping that his star lead guard can put it all together and be the playmaking captain of a much more dangerous offense.
There were times last year when it felt like no Buff besides da Silva could hit a triple, and, like Simpson, Boyle’s third-year forward carried the offense for chunks of the season. After flashing his skills as a prototype new-age frontcourt player who can score from anywhere on the floor two years ago, da Silva turned in a wonderfully efficient season last year which confirmed that he will make a very effective scorer for some professional team in the near future. Thankfully for Colorado, da Silva is back on campus after trying out for the NBA, and is poised to become one of the best forwards in the country this year. After arriving in Boulder weighing just under 200 pounds, the Brazilian/German da Silva now checks in at 6’9″, 220 and has begun to make more effective use of his size, though he’s never likely to masquerade as a back-to-the-basket big.
A patient and exceedingly heady player, da Silva doesn’t waste dribbles, passes or effort, and is terrific at using hesitation, jab steps and fakes to both create space for himself and confuse the defense’s plan of attack. The versatile da Silva attempted 148 shots at the rim, 140 other 2FG’s, and 137 triples last year, making 62, 46 and 39% of those shots, respectively. He’s arguably the most complete three-level scorer of any non-guard in the Pac 12, and da Silva canned 76% of his 106 free throw tries to top it all off. While da Silva has become increasingly effective utilizing his size and length inside the arc on offense, his defense has lagged behind. He is not a brawny rebounder or shot-blocker, nor does he have great foot speed, but da Silva has improved his technique and positioning each year. Quite simply, da Silva is what he is, and since he’s got a chance to have an All-American season, what he is works just fine for Buffs fans.
While he’s not yet a finished product on either end of the floor, the hope around Boulder is that by the end – or earlier, of course – of the season, Williams will be one of the Buffs’ three best players. With outstanding size, length, and an explosive first step, it’s almost unfair that Williams can do a little bit of everything already, and has only just begun to refine his individual skills. What is there to nitpick? He isn’t particularly strong yet, and will want to add muscle so as to make best use of his dribble-drive game and finish despite contact around the rim. Williams isn’t yet much of an outside bomber, but he doesn’t have bad mechanics and should grow into a solid jump shooter. Other than that, Williams gets to the rim and plays above it despite not being the world’s most extraordinary athlete. A terrific passer with good court vision and anticipation, Williams can initiate offense in the halfcourt or make slick feeds in transition.
While he does make some mistakes, they tend to be a result of making overly ambitious plays rather than Williams being wild or erratic. With his ability to drive to the basket and create for everyone, including himself, Williams should fit in virtually any lineup. Though he’s not yet a physical defender, Williams has the size and length to compensate until his skills and strength catch up, and with his fluid gaits and effortless change of speed on the perimeter, he can be a shot-swatting nightmare for smaller players. It may be that his biggest hurdle will be giving the same absolute effort every minute Williams is on the court, but he chose to play for Tad Boyle, and that means that Williams is committed to working. “He’s come in with great humility for a guy who’s had all the accolades he’s had,” Boyle has said of Williams. “He’s a great teammate, he’s unselfish, he wants to learn. For us to get the most out of Cody this year, that learning curve, he has to conquer it pretty quickly. The good thing is he’s very intelligent.” Despite the hype, it may take Williams a few games to settle into his role on this experienced Buffs team. Once he does, though, every indicator suggests that Williams is going to be an extraordinary player.
Lampkin has come to Boulder to do an impersonation of an actual bison in the paint
Williams is not the only talented newcomer, as former TCU center Eddie Lampkin, Jr and four-star freshman big Assane Diop are coming aboard to strengthen Boyle’s frontcourt. While he has talked about the evolution of the game leading to more positionless lineups, Boyle recognized the need to upgrade at the pivot when former center Lawson Lovering transferred to rival Utah. Thus, Lampkin has come to Boulder to do an impersonation of an actual bison in the paint. With unteachable size and strength, Lampkin was a productive starter the past two seasons for a pair of TCU squads which each won a game in the NCAA Tournament. He’s a force on the glass at both ends of the floor and really knows how to hammer a putback home, as evidenced by his 59 putback buckets and 25 dunks the past two years would indicate. While Lampkin isn’t likely to start drilling triples any time soon, he commands space and defensive attention in the post, and has knocked down 66% of his career attempts at the bucket. The biggest factor in determining Lampkin’s effectiveness this year may be his ability to get up and down the court at altitude, in the types of 4-out lineups which Boyle would like to feature.
With a 1-2 punch that can drive the offense most nights, Boyle is hoping that Williams and Lampkin can lead a stout cast of veterans in taking a step forward to support the stars. “I’m comfortable because of the guys we have,” Boyle said. “Luke, Cody, Tristan, who’s really shooting the ball well. Julian Hammond, I gained a lot of confidence in him. You’ve got to put five on the floor, but basketball now is more position-less. We can play four out and one in. Sometimes we’ll play five out if Eddie isn’t on the floor. We’ve got a lot of guys that can shoot threes, spread the floor. It’s not about a two-guard. It’s about us having guys that can make shots and spread the floor and attack off the bounce. We’ve got five guys that can play that spot.”
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 48.0% – Opponent Effective FG Percentage (64th) |
| 49.0% – Team Effective FG Percentage (259th) |
| 6.2 – Opponent 3FG Made Per Game (52nd) |
| 6.5 – Team 3FG Made Per Game (266th) |
| 7.5 – Steals Per Game (63rd) |
Hammond returns for his third year hoping to grow into more of a perimeter threat. He shot 41% on limited attempts as a freshman, but fell to 33% from deep a year ago. Even so, Hammond made the third-most triples on the team a year ago and Boyle would love to see him emerge as a consistent presence from outside. Hammond is also the only proven playmaker of any significance on the roster outside of Simpson, and even though he’s not a true point guard, Hammond’s ballhandling is invaluable. A former 3-star recruit as a quarterback on the football field, Hammond is poised and doesn’t tend to make big mistakes, and after deciding to focus on hoops, arrived in Boulder with a reputation as a shooter. Many players on last season’s Buffs team shot worse than their career average, and there is a hope around the program that at least a couple of them – Hammond included – are due for a bit of a positive reversal. Colorado finished near the bottom 50 teams in the country in 3FG% last year, and that simply can’t be the case again if the Buffs are to achieve their stated goals of success.
Boyle has always preached tough man-to-man defense, and demands a commitment from his players on the boards and in the paint. Maximum effort is required to earn prime minutes, and thus J’Vonne Hadley and Luke O’Brien are fixtures of the rotation. Hadley dealt with a hand injury which limited him to 22 games played, but while he was on the court, Hadley was at times Boyle’s most effective frontcourt player. The former JuCo transfer is a terrific rebounder for his size, and Hadley is a physical player who doesn’t mind tussling with larger dudes and beating them for a loose ball. Hadley plays a big man’s offensive game too, scoring 60 of his 73 baskets for the season right around the rim. His aggressive nature in the paint sets a tone that Colorado lacked sometimes while he was injured, and Hadley can turn the momentum of a game by taking a charge, fighting out an offensive board, or slamming home a huge dunk. Hadley led the Buffs in both offensive and total rebounds per game last year, and while Boyle is hoping that someone else can take those mantles this year, it’s great to know that he’s got a tough customer like Hadley who will pitch into the fray no matter what is asked.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| N – Miami (FL) – December 10 |
| @ Colorado State – November 29 |
| N – Florida State / UNLV – November 21 |
| vs Milwaukee – November 14 |
| N – Richmond – November 20 |
O’Brien has been something of a reserve 3-and-D wing, but last season began to work harder on establishing his post game on both ends of the floor; to rave reviews. O’Brien shot 62% at the rim and 18 of his 45 field goals near the basket were putbacks, per Hoop-Math. He led the Buffs in defensive rebounding, and was second in offensive and total boards despite not looking quite like a traditional inside player. Over CU’s final 12 games, O’Brien averaged 9.1 points, 7.8 boards and nearly a block per game on 35% shooting from deep – and he took to guarding just about anyone on the floor, too. “I just got to get a little bit quicker. I want to start guarding one through five. I want to maybe start playing the two a little bit more,” O’Brien told BuffZone this spring. “I’m not a traditional five and I’ve always played guard, but last year I’d move (defensively) from a five to two on different possessions. That helped me, and now I’m able to do that in workouts.” This year, Boyle hopes that O’Brien can approach his stretch-run level of production all winter while continuing to play solid, maximum-effort defense both in the post and on the wing.
Diop is very much a contrast to Lampkin, a lithe and rangy big who should have no issues at all getting end to end. A solid defender already, Diop should become much more effective as he gains both muscle and experience against players like Lampkin. As such, Diop’s minutes may be a bit inconsistent to start, but he should be able to offer a few things immediately. Diop knows how to finish a lob and block a shot, and he hustles every moment he’s on the floor. The Senegalese big man is a prospect who just kept rising throughout his high school career, Diop is a willing learner who doesn’t repeat many mistakes and has even begun to show decent form on his jump shot. While he projects as a backup to start out, Diop has a tremendous amount of long-term potential, and may turn out to be an outstanding fit with his adopted-home state team.
The Buffs had hoped to have wing Javon Ruffin back this year, but he continues to battle a knee injury which is going to keep him out all year. So, Boyle will turn to some more freshmen for additional depth. Bangot Dak may need to add some strength before he gets a lot of minutes, but the Lincoln, NE, product has a whole lot of length on his side. Dak grew almost eight inches between the end of his freshman year of high school and arriving on Boulder, and Boyle envisions him filling a similar role to the ones that high-effort, great-rebounding players like Tyler Bey and Jabari Walker have played before. Like those players, Dak is also capable of covering a range of opponents, and he’s developing a good handle to try and take people right to the cup on the other end.
A pair of freshmen who spent last year developing will also look to help. Joe Hurlburt took a redshirt last year to help acclimate to high major hoops and add strength. The North Dakota product has a twin brother, Joe, who plays for Northwestern, and should get a chance to earn some reserve minutes this season. RJ Smith is a guard from California who also took a redshirt. A strong defender whose intensity and anticipation make him a playmaker on that end, Smith is looking to show how much he’s grown his offensive game. The youngest of Boyle’s additions is Courtney Anderson, Jr. The son of an NFL-veteran father, Anderson will only turn 18 during his first semester in college, and the Buffs see lots of untapped potential in the youngster. He’s smooth off the bounce and already has enough size to play on the wing.
“Where we have kind of fallen back is taking care of the basketball. It’s not that I’m disappointed in this team,” Boyle said last year. “But sometimes I feel like we’re plugging holes in the dike. And as soon as you get one sealed, another one pops open.” After some off-performances lately, this Buffs team is locked and loaded to contend. This fall, Boyle and his staff have stressed the importance of moving the ball smartly and avoiding foul trouble. The talent level on this team is inarguable, and the coach is good enough to run team USA. It all adds up to serious expectations this winter – and the Buffs will get a chance to be punched in the mouth almost immediately by participating in the always-exciting Maui Invitational.
“For this program to take the next step, we have to advance past the first weekend,” Boyle told the Denver Gazette. “Is that an expectation? Absolutely it is. It seems like a long, long way, although it’ll get here quickly. Some teams are playing for NCAA Tournament berths and some teams are playing for seeds. We’d like to be a team that’s playing for a seed.”
Colorado has the shot-making, defense, and now, post presence to hang with blue blood rosters. Simpson and da Silva are stars, and Williams should soon become one. There’s been plenty said about the football team in Boulder these past few months, but the basketball players know that their turn in the spotlight is coming, too. If the Buffs can play clean and mistake-free, their talent will shine through. “We want to finish on top of the Pac-12; I want to get back into the NCAA tournament again,” da Silva said this summer. “We have a really good team, potentially the best in CU history. I’m confident we can do what we want to do, but we need to put in the work one day at a time. We can’t think that far ahead. It’s about the right now.” If CU can hold together and play smart game-by-game, the Buffs may just Roll Tad all the way to the Sweet Sixteen.
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