Basketball Summer Preview Series: Newcomers

Hey, look!  A basketball post!  Try to put football out of your mind for a few brief moments as I look forward to basketball.

The upcoming season may prove to be one of the most interesting/important in recent memory as the CU mens basketball program tries to carry over the momentum built by last year's NIT warriors.   Periodically throughout the summer I will be posting parts of a preview series to keep the basketball flame alive while everyone else is gearing up for football.  Hopefully this will keep my start-of-the-season preview post from ballooning into 30,000 words.

Previous part: Roster Turnover

Next up: Newcomers

I talked last month about the importance of roster management and it's use in mitigating the resulting drop-offs related to roster turnover.  It cannot be stated enough that the program lost 60% of minutes, 75% of points, 48% of rebounds, and 63% of assists to graduation and the NBA after last year's run to the NIT Final Four. The programs ability to cope with that loss through replacements and current players stepping up could have ramifications far beyond this upcoming season, as it previously took the program 7 seasons to recover from a similar production loss after the David Harrison years.

Youth is certainly the order of the day, but careful management of the roster during the last recruiting cycle has left the program with both roster balance and the ability, on paper at least, to compete in a weaker basketball conference like the Pac-12.  The resulting crew of newcomers looking to fill the shoes of Alec Burks, Cory Higgins, Levi Knutson, Marcus Relphorde, and Trent Beckley is an interesting mix of transfers, JuCos, and traditional freshmen that have me thinking happy thoughts during a time that should be full of fretful worry. 


I'll take a look at each new addition to the roster and what their role could be before summing up my thoughts on the 2011 class of newcomers.



--

The Class


Presented in alphabetical order

Jeremy Adams - SG, 6'5", So, JuCo -  First up is the lone JuCo transfer in this year's class.  Jeremy comes to Boulder from Navarro Junior College via Texas A&M.  His arrival is a result of the friendship between Coach Boyle and former Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon, although a packed CEC during his March visit couldn't have hurt.  While it didn't work out in College Station, Jeremy was a much sought after guard out of Mississippi in 2009.

The high-scoring JuCo transfer was the final addition to the 2011 class.  From the BDC

If locking up transfer Carlon Brown was a reaction to the impending departure of Cory Higgins (more on that in a bit), then the pick up of Adams has to be seen as an immediate offensive replacement for Alec Burks.  Adams is seen as a great scorer with a pretty good shot from both outside and mid-range.  For a team losing 75% of points from the previous season, the ability of a JuCo like Adams to come in right away and contribute big minutes will likely make or break the season.  He should be able to play the scoring Robin to Carlon Brown's do-it-all Batman.


Askia Booker - G, 6'1", Fr, HS - Booker is a very athletic guard who rose up the ranks of the SoCal guard lists last season.  ESPN thinks highly enough of him to rank him as their #21 PG in the 2011 class.  Many of the recruiting services, such as calihighsports.com love his potential.

SoCal freshman #1.  Potential, potential, potential....

While his athleticism should allow him to get some looks early (calihigh calls him a "monster" in transition), his decision making may force him to the bench until he gets adjusted to the college game.  While a little undersized, I'm starting to get the feeling that he'd be better served by time as a 2, ranter than running the show at 1.  The key word here is, above all else, potential.  Should mix well with the taller Dinwiddie when forming the backcourt of the future.


Carlon Brown - SG, 6'5", Sr, TR -  Carlon comes to Boulder from newly minted rival Utah.  The 6-5 scorer didn't like the opportunity to come off the bench that Ute coaches afforded him in '09-'10, so the talented wing decided to take his talents to the Front Range.  He brings proven production, Tournament experience, senior leadership and a chip on his shoulder to a team in need of all four.  Over his 3-year career at Utah, he lead the squad in scoring and rebounding 14 games each.

Carlon's title-winning experience is one of his most attractive assets.

The guy is a slasher, and I wouldn't be surprised if his talent and desire to make a run at the NBA (he flirted with the draft a few years back) results in a lot of full stat lines next to his name.  I love the fact that he's on the roster, ready and able to help transition into the full Tad Boyle era.  If Alec Burks had a chip on his shoulder each time he played Mizzou and K-State, can you imagine this kid in the two games against Utah?  I also love his rebounding ability from a guard spot, something that will be sorely lacking as both Burks and Higgins were excellent on the glass.

Overall, I'm not too concerned about his semi-contentious departure from Utah.  A new coaching staff in SLC wanted him to change roles just as he was looking towards the NBA.  It would be hard for anyone to swallow a blow to professional chances, and a place on the bench, to please a coach you are still feeling out.  That said, he can't just come in and expect this to be his team.  While I have no doubt that he will be CU's primary scoring option and probable leader in points, minutes, etc, he will need to work within the frame of Coach Boyle's system if the team is to perform well.


Damiene Cain - PF, 6'7", Fr, HS - Damiene is a wide body who will be needed to fill gaps in post minutes throughout the season.  A highly-regarded C/PF prospect out of, once again, SoCal, Cain will join the program's post ranks, which had been under-filled in recent years.  Calihigh thought enough of him to rank him as their #9 Cali player from last years class, and ESPN loves his motor.

SoCal freshman #2.  Damiene's a pretty big kid.

I hesitate to say that he'll play a lot right away, simply because post players tend to take a while to catch up to the college game (*cough* Ben Mills *cough*), but post play has been an issue for the program even since big Dave Harrison left, so plenty of minutes are available for the taking.  Just look the the example set by 'Dre last season: if you can rebound, Coach Boyle will find a place for you on the court.

Much like Booker, he may be a little undersized for his targeted position, but Coach Boyle seemed to be comfortable with a smaller 3 or 4 guard lineup at times last season.  If he can prove to be a viable substitution option in the paint, I think 'Dre might be allowed to see some serious time at SF.


Sabatino Chen - SG, 6'3", Jr(RS), TR -  Sabatino, despite being the only junior on the roster, is the great enigma of the newcomers.  While there's plenty of information available about the other 5 Buff neophytes, Chen is a relative unknown quantity, even though he comes to the program from nearby Monarch High via the vaunted Pioneers of DU. 

Boyle finally got Chen onto his roster, just in Boulder instead of Greeley

Chen was recruited heavily by Coach Boyle, then of Northern Colorado, out of high school, but ultimately chose the Pioneers.  Sounds like he has a good shot, both mid-range and 3-pointer; possibly a pseudo-Levi replacement?  He can do a lot of good things on the court, especially on the defensive/hustle side of things, and he even managed to lead the Pio's in offensive rebounding as a freshman (not saying much, as he only averaged slightly over 1/game, but nice stat none-the-less).

He can be considered a Boulder native, having been born in the People's Republic; so he's got that going for him, which is nice.


Spencer Dinwiddie - PG, 6'4", Fr, HS - Yet another highly regarded SoCal prospect (it's almost as if we planned it, or something).  Calihigh had him as their #8 California baller; that ranking was boosted by a string of strong summer performances which had him shooting up many boards.  The good news here is that he plays like a true point guard who will be sorely needed to compliment Shannon Sharpe when Nate Tomlinson leaves after the upcoming season (can't believe Nate's already a senior, btw). 

SoCal freshman #3.  Someone get this kid a pizza!

The first thing I notice about Dinwiddie is his desperate need to spend a weekend in Chicago pounding deep-dish pizza.  This kid is a skinny 160 lbs, and will need to bulk up in future years.  This reason alone is why I would hesitate to look for many minutes out of him early on; he may need a year or two of pine riding to get to a level where he can physically compete at this level where guards his height often come in 30-40 lbs heavier.  Good thing is the roster is able to handle a slow start from him, as Nate and Shannon will grab the bulk of PG minutes this year.

--

Overall impressions

One has to remember through this transitional process that Colorado basketball, while definitely on the upswing, isn't anywhere close to being capable of a full-out freshman re-load like higher profile programs around the country are.  The program has to be slightly more creative with its additions.

That doesn't, however, mean that this bunch is devoid of talent.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  I like the look of the freshmen, especially the combination guards.  While the 3 might not contribute big minutes right away, the good news is that they don't have to for the team to be successful.  The veteran foundation of Dufault, Tomlinson, Roberson, and Harris-Tunks will be expected to do the heavy lifting; should any of the freshmen come to be depended on for heavy rotation, either they're better than anticipated or something went horribly wrong.

It's the additions of Carlon Brown and Jeremy Adams that make me excited.  They may not mesh right away, but by all accounts they can score in bunches, and they should be able to piece together some semblance of replacement for the departed duo of Burks and Higgins.

It all comes down to what you expect from this year.  As I've stated before, I don't feel it's possible to absorb the loss of production the program is experiencing without some growing pains (this would go for any program, not just CU).  With that in mind, what kind of transitional performance would be acceptable?  If Carlon Brown and Jeremy Adams came in and provided 80% of what Alec and Cory could do (approx 30/8 combined), would that make everyone happy?  I know I'd be thrilled, because it would probably mean a good winter of hoops, especially if players like Harris-Tunks make the leaps they're expected to.

CU may not find the next Alec Burks or Cory Higgins lying at their feet this winter, but, in all reality, they probably don't need to.  The pieces are in place for a decent year.  I'm not going to run around screaming "TOURNAMENT" at the top of my lungs, but the program is in better shape to deal with the transitional bumps than they were post-David Harrison.