s/o to jm gurerriro, who answered some questions. he runs CUSportsNation, the rivals entitity.
complete session
1) Is the legend of McKinley Wright true?
Was he really almost an afterthought who is in a handful of CU's best players ever? 1A: I think the legend of McKinley Wright IV is most definitely true. He is a Colorado men's basketball Mt. Rushmore figure. He's just the third player in program history to earn three first-team all-conference honors, and the first in the Pac-12 era to do so. Earlier this season, he broke Colorado's record for all-time assists, which had stood since 1984 and in total, this year he became just the seventh D1 men's basketball player to eclipse 1,800 points, 600 rebounds and 600 assists.
Head coach Tad Boyle frequently refers to Wright IV as a generational talent, a player whose caliber Boyle may not see again. Wright IV has built a near flawless reputation on and off the court and in his last rodeo with the Buffs, he has a chance to power Colorado to rare territory with a deep NCAA Tournament run.
The Buffaloes under Boyle have advanced to the Round of 32 just once (2012) and while clearly players and coaches are in no way overlooking Georgetown, the end goal for this veteran team revolves around chalking up multiple wins in the upcoming weeks.
To your point about Wright IV almost being an afterthought, I definitely think he was in limbo a bit when Archie Miller left Dayton for Indiana.
Wright IV was initially a Flyers commit and signee but ultimately was released from his NLI, committing to Colorado in late April of 2017. Boyle now famously interrupted a family vacation in Mexico to go watch Wright IV in-person in the latter's home state of Minnesota when it became clear the two parties were significantly interested in each other.Wright IV would have landed somewhere without a doubt but luck certainly played a role in the Buffs nabbing him. Something also to consider: can you imagine how stacked Dayton would have been for a few years if Miller hadn't bolted for Indiana? Obi Toppin and McKinley Wright IV playing on the same team is quite the thought.
2) Who else stands out for the Buffs?
Georgetown will definitely need to keep an eye on grad transfer forward Jeriah Horne. Horne is on pace to produce one of the most solid seasons by a transfer at Colorado ever and his numbers in general are already quite high. He's shooting 47% from the floor and 42% from long range, with his 51 made three-pointers a team-high. Horne also is CU's leading rebounder, with 5.8 per game and is second in points per game behind Wright IV, with 11.4.
He usually comes off the bench but has proved able to get himself going and find shots even in his sixth man capacity. Horne was brought in from Tulsa last spring to help replace some of the production that Tyler Bey vacated when he declared for the NBA Draft. I think he has gone above and beyond what coaches were expecting him to be capable of.
Evan Battey presents Colorado's biggest threat in the post; he'll get a lot of feeds and is a good finisher in addition to a regular presence at the free throw line. D'Shawn Schwartz is another senior with Wright IV in that now-senior Class of 2017, and he's a crafty three-pointer shooter capable of scoring 10 points-plus on a given night.
Wright IV, Horne, Battey and Schwartz frequently do most of the offensive heavy lifting for the Buffs but there are a number of further complimentary pieces down the roster that provide additional punch.
Namely, 7-footer Dallas Walton at C/F, Maddox Daniels, a former JUCO transfer who's been shooting the ball pretty well from deep this season and Jabari Walker, the true freshman on the team who's undoubtedly shown the most promise.
Finally, Eli Parquet deserves a mention here as a player to watch out for. He's a defense-first player and will handle man-to-man duties of the opposing team's best perimeter player on a nightly basis. Parquet was recently named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and provides great defense for CU.
3) How does CU play offensively and defensively?
Boyle is a defensive-minded coach without a doubt. He's the kind of guy that wants to see robust rebounding and defense first, offense second. That mentality has thus shaped the identity of his teams in Boulder and the 2020-2021 squad is no different. Colorado's guards, from Parquet to Wright IV, take pride in their defense and know what's expected of them every night in that respect.
The Buffaloes will play man-to-man the vast majority of the time, with Boyle's aversion to the zone only allowing for an occasional switch here and there when deemed absolutely necessary to break an opposing team's rhythm.
As for offensively, in the immediate past, Wright IV was tasked with facilitating the majority of Colorado's offense. This year has been a bit different, with more players stepping up to share that load. Wright IV still must be considered the team's biggest offensive threat, but Colorado has multiple guys (Horne, Schwartz and Daniels in particular) that love shooting threes. Battey and Walton give CU a presence in the low post that can be deadly. In general, Colorado likes to work inside out.
4) Where does this team rank with you among Buff squads over last four years?
This one has to be the best. The only other unit that would give this year's squad something of a run for its money would be the 2019-2020 team, but that team ended last season on a very sour note, losing its final four regular season games of the year before getting manhandled by No. 11-seeded Washington State in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
I have long thought that the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament wasn't all that bad a thing for Colorado. Frankly, that team was limping into the Dance and would have gotten smoked in the first round.
This year's team went 4-1 in its final five regular season games, earned a first-round bye in the league tournament for the first time under Boyle and advanced to the title game for only the second time. This undoubtedly is the best CU team of the last four years and is without question up there for the best team Boyle has had in Boulder.
5) What is the tone and tenor of CU nation?
I think the greater Buff Nation rightfully has its expectations pretty high. Anything less than a Round of 32 appearance will rightfully be considered a disappointing end to this season. And to be blunt, I can tell that eyes are already on the Sweet 16 as being the distance that needs to be covered in the NCAA Tournament for this year to be reflected on positively.
Boyle's CU teams have made it to the Round of 32 just one time and thus, if this indeed is one of his best squads ever, it should be capable of entering uncharted tournament territory.
The Buffs have been recruiting very well the last few years and their 2021 class is also looking solid, but there's no way around the fact that the time for a deep tourney run, with your outgoing senior point guard widely considered to be one of the greatest players in program history, is now.
Fans want to see the team accomplish something special for Wright IV and also know that without him and many of his fellow seniors next year, Colorado may not perform at this high level immediately beginning next season.
Georgetown is playing very well right now but I detect a level of confidence around the fan base regarding what Colorado is capable of.
complete session
1) Is the legend of McKinley Wright true?
Was he really almost an afterthought who is in a handful of CU's best players ever? 1A: I think the legend of McKinley Wright IV is most definitely true. He is a Colorado men's basketball Mt. Rushmore figure. He's just the third player in program history to earn three first-team all-conference honors, and the first in the Pac-12 era to do so. Earlier this season, he broke Colorado's record for all-time assists, which had stood since 1984 and in total, this year he became just the seventh D1 men's basketball player to eclipse 1,800 points, 600 rebounds and 600 assists.
Head coach Tad Boyle frequently refers to Wright IV as a generational talent, a player whose caliber Boyle may not see again. Wright IV has built a near flawless reputation on and off the court and in his last rodeo with the Buffs, he has a chance to power Colorado to rare territory with a deep NCAA Tournament run.
The Buffaloes under Boyle have advanced to the Round of 32 just once (2012) and while clearly players and coaches are in no way overlooking Georgetown, the end goal for this veteran team revolves around chalking up multiple wins in the upcoming weeks.
To your point about Wright IV almost being an afterthought, I definitely think he was in limbo a bit when Archie Miller left Dayton for Indiana.
Wright IV was initially a Flyers commit and signee but ultimately was released from his NLI, committing to Colorado in late April of 2017. Boyle now famously interrupted a family vacation in Mexico to go watch Wright IV in-person in the latter's home state of Minnesota when it became clear the two parties were significantly interested in each other.Wright IV would have landed somewhere without a doubt but luck certainly played a role in the Buffs nabbing him. Something also to consider: can you imagine how stacked Dayton would have been for a few years if Miller hadn't bolted for Indiana? Obi Toppin and McKinley Wright IV playing on the same team is quite the thought.
2) Who else stands out for the Buffs?
Georgetown will definitely need to keep an eye on grad transfer forward Jeriah Horne. Horne is on pace to produce one of the most solid seasons by a transfer at Colorado ever and his numbers in general are already quite high. He's shooting 47% from the floor and 42% from long range, with his 51 made three-pointers a team-high. Horne also is CU's leading rebounder, with 5.8 per game and is second in points per game behind Wright IV, with 11.4.
He usually comes off the bench but has proved able to get himself going and find shots even in his sixth man capacity. Horne was brought in from Tulsa last spring to help replace some of the production that Tyler Bey vacated when he declared for the NBA Draft. I think he has gone above and beyond what coaches were expecting him to be capable of.
Evan Battey presents Colorado's biggest threat in the post; he'll get a lot of feeds and is a good finisher in addition to a regular presence at the free throw line. D'Shawn Schwartz is another senior with Wright IV in that now-senior Class of 2017, and he's a crafty three-pointer shooter capable of scoring 10 points-plus on a given night.
Wright IV, Horne, Battey and Schwartz frequently do most of the offensive heavy lifting for the Buffs but there are a number of further complimentary pieces down the roster that provide additional punch.
Namely, 7-footer Dallas Walton at C/F, Maddox Daniels, a former JUCO transfer who's been shooting the ball pretty well from deep this season and Jabari Walker, the true freshman on the team who's undoubtedly shown the most promise.
Finally, Eli Parquet deserves a mention here as a player to watch out for. He's a defense-first player and will handle man-to-man duties of the opposing team's best perimeter player on a nightly basis. Parquet was recently named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and provides great defense for CU.
3) How does CU play offensively and defensively?
Boyle is a defensive-minded coach without a doubt. He's the kind of guy that wants to see robust rebounding and defense first, offense second. That mentality has thus shaped the identity of his teams in Boulder and the 2020-2021 squad is no different. Colorado's guards, from Parquet to Wright IV, take pride in their defense and know what's expected of them every night in that respect.
The Buffaloes will play man-to-man the vast majority of the time, with Boyle's aversion to the zone only allowing for an occasional switch here and there when deemed absolutely necessary to break an opposing team's rhythm.
As for offensively, in the immediate past, Wright IV was tasked with facilitating the majority of Colorado's offense. This year has been a bit different, with more players stepping up to share that load. Wright IV still must be considered the team's biggest offensive threat, but Colorado has multiple guys (Horne, Schwartz and Daniels in particular) that love shooting threes. Battey and Walton give CU a presence in the low post that can be deadly. In general, Colorado likes to work inside out.
4) Where does this team rank with you among Buff squads over last four years?
This one has to be the best. The only other unit that would give this year's squad something of a run for its money would be the 2019-2020 team, but that team ended last season on a very sour note, losing its final four regular season games of the year before getting manhandled by No. 11-seeded Washington State in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
I have long thought that the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament wasn't all that bad a thing for Colorado. Frankly, that team was limping into the Dance and would have gotten smoked in the first round.
This year's team went 4-1 in its final five regular season games, earned a first-round bye in the league tournament for the first time under Boyle and advanced to the title game for only the second time. This undoubtedly is the best CU team of the last four years and is without question up there for the best team Boyle has had in Boulder.
5) What is the tone and tenor of CU nation?
I think the greater Buff Nation rightfully has its expectations pretty high. Anything less than a Round of 32 appearance will rightfully be considered a disappointing end to this season. And to be blunt, I can tell that eyes are already on the Sweet 16 as being the distance that needs to be covered in the NCAA Tournament for this year to be reflected on positively.
Boyle's CU teams have made it to the Round of 32 just one time and thus, if this indeed is one of his best squads ever, it should be capable of entering uncharted tournament territory.
The Buffs have been recruiting very well the last few years and their 2021 class is also looking solid, but there's no way around the fact that the time for a deep tourney run, with your outgoing senior point guard widely considered to be one of the greatest players in program history, is now.
Fans want to see the team accomplish something special for Wright IV and also know that without him and many of his fellow seniors next year, Colorado may not perform at this high level immediately beginning next season.
Georgetown is playing very well right now but I detect a level of confidence around the fan base regarding what Colorado is capable of.
