Freshman guard Felix Kossaras goes up for a shot during the exhibition game against Pamona-Pitzer at the CU Events Center on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team went through a heavy load of changes this summer. Nearly half of the roster is brand-new, including possibly an entirely new starting five. For the first time in this season, they suited up together and took the court.
The Buffs welcomed a Division Three school from California, the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, for a basketball scrimmage to get the juices flowing before November. Colorado had hosted a team scrimmage last week, but this was the first time since their March Madness loss last year that they squared up against an opposing squad.
As expected, the Buffs took control from the tip. Their starting five had senior Jullian Hammond III, sophomore Bangot Dak, and Washington State transfer Andrej Jakivmoski. Those three are expected to be on the hardwood to start the season on November 4th, but head coach Tad Boyle also chose to start freshman Assane Diop and graduate student Elijah Malone.
The most notable starter for Pomona-Pitzer was Pete Boyle, Coach Boyle’s son. He is going into his senior season with the team and had a great afternoon with 16 points and the most minutes of any player in the game.
Senior guard Julian Hammond III shoots a three-point shot during the exhibition game against Pamona-Pitzer at the CU Events Center on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independen
The Buffs held a 13-point lead at halftime and Boyle’s game plan of distributing minutes was falling nicely into place. Every rotation player had at least five minutes under their belt, and junior Javon Ruffin had the second points most coming off the bench. Freshman Felix Kossaras had a great half himself, shooting 3-3 off the bench.
Boyle returned with the same five to start the second half, and the Buffs would quickly pull away. A fast-break three-pointer from Julian Hammond III made it a 21-point game within the blink of an eye, and they never looked back.
The Buffs outscored the Sagehens by 20 points in the second half to close out a 95-62 win. Dak Bangot led the scoring with 16, but Jullian Hammond III and graduate Trevor Baskin both provided great value. Hammond finished with eight points, four rebounds, and five assists, while Baskin collected 11 points, six boards, and four assists.
The point of this game was not to necessarily win, but to get the group together and see what needed attention before the season. The Buffs missed seven free throws and only made around half of their shots in the second half. They also got a little sloppy in the second half and finished with 15 turnovers.
Graduate student forward Trevor Baskin moves the ball during the exhibition game against Pamona-Pitzer at the CU Events Center on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
In the post-game press conference, Coach Boyle noted several necessary improvements.
“I was disappointed in the defense in the first half…it’s about playing for 40 minutes,” Boyle said.
All of the positive numbers on the day have a slight asterisk since it was a Division 1 vs. Division 3 match-up, but the Buffaloes did a great job dominating in the paint and having 55 points off the bench.
CU out-rebounded Pomona-Pitzer 44-20, and it resulted in over 20 second-chance points for the Buffs. They had five different players score over ten points, with the majority coming off the bench. Coach Boyle will take 22 assists in the game, coming from a team that averaged only 16.2 last season.
Boylemade promising remarks on what he thinks this year’s team separates from the rest.
“A strength of this team can be our depth, our versatility…we got guys 6’10, 6’11, that can play inside and out. We have a lot of versatility”
Boyle and the Buffaloes have expectations to fill, coming off a season that was five points shy of a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament. The next time they hit the court will be the evening of November 4th for the 2024 season opener. They face off against Eastern Washington at home and look to begin their campaign on the right foot.
Contact CU Independent staff writer Baylan Wysuph at baylan.wysuph@colorado.edu
