Dom Collier is a Buff!

It may technically be the offseason, but Colorado Basketball continues to burn bright with news.  Yesterday, the hype came from the recruiting trail, as reigning Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr Basketball Dominique Collier announced his commitment to play at Dear Old CU. 

A 6-1 point guard out of Denver East, Collier is an expert ball handler, with the ability to both distribute and create his own shot.  I saw him play late last year, and came away very impressed.  Despite still recovering from a tweaked knee, Dom put up a sheet-filling 25/8/6/3/3, all while making his already talented teammates better.  He struck me as 'good-as-advertised,' and a talent I desperately wanted to see in Black and Gold.  With Spencer Dinwiddie probably leaving after 2013, Dom will be counted on to use that talent to step into primary ball-handling duties upon arrival.

This is a major recruiting coup, one that probably wouldn't have been possible a few years ago. It's not a case where Coach Boyle got in early on a recruit who eventually blossomed (like, say, Josh Scott). Collier has been on the national recruiting radar since even before his freshman year of high school, and Colorado had to box out big-name programs like Arizona, Gonzaga, and UCLA from day one.  He's a unanimous four-star prospect, with Rivals positioning him as the #61 player of the 2014 recruiting class.  If you can't tell, that's huge.

Building a program is an all-encompassing project, requiring success both on and off court.  With recruiting victories like Collier, Boyle continues to make the statement that Colorado Basketball is prepared to stay at the top of the landscape.  It's an impact commitment, and the 8th top-150 star for the coaching staff over three and a half recruiting cycles at the helm. A new world, indeed.

   
There's still more than six months to go before the early signing period starts, so maybe Dom can turn the tables, and help with some recruiting of his own.  The Buffs have upwards of two additional scholarships to offer for the 2014 class, and could use a shooter and a big.  Players like SG Dorian Pickens, SF Zylan Cheatham, and PF Andre Adams are still on the board, and have been getting plenty of attention from the CU coaching staff.   Super-phenom Josh Perkins may still technically be a possibility, but that prospect looks exceedingly dim with yesterday's announcement from Collier (read: not going to happen). 

Regardless, I'm pumped that Collier, a prospect I've been following for years, chose to be a Buff.  Congrats to Dom, and congrats to Coach Boyle and staff!