Monday Grab Bag: Yes, Basketball Season Is Still A Thing

It's finally here!  Basketball season is ready to begin, with the Colorado Buffaloes Men's Basketball Team tipping off the 2016-17 campaign this Friday against Sacramento State.  It's been a long road since that that fateful March day in Des Moines, but we're finally back to the business of #TadBall and the OG Rise.  I can't wait!

Of course, with the start of basketball season comes by annual Massive Basketball Preview. Weighing in at nearly 23,000 words, and touching on every topic from the current roster to the next recruiting class, it's the definitive fan-written document on the outlook of the program.  The beast will drop at 8:30 am tomorrow; I really hope you can find the time and energy to give it a look before Friday night.

In the mean time, I have this grab bag for you! Pressed for time, I'm only talking the gritty football win over UCLA, and previewing my preview.

Click below for the bag...

Josh Fortune is a Buff!

The news broke quickly yesterday afternoon: the herd is getting larger.  As CBS's Jon Rothstein first reported, Coach Boyle has decided to spend the open scholarship left in the wake of Spencer Dinwiddie's jump to the professional ranks by bringing in former Providence Friar swingman Josh Fortune.

The newest Buff: Josh Fortune!

A 6-5 two-guard, originally from Kecoughtan High School in Virginia, Fortune played a key role on a Providence squad that finished 3rd in the Big East this past season.  He started all 38 games as a sophomore, averaging 8/3/2 in the process.  Key to CU's purposes going forward, he's known as a shooter (check out this video from the Big East Tournament), and improved greatly on the defensive end as the season wore on.  By the time February and March came around, he was one of PC's better players, averaging over 12 points per game in the lead up to the NCAA Tournament.  He looked to continue to be an important part of the Friar rotation moving forward, which is why his decision to transfer raised a few eyebrows in Rhode Island.

Fortune reportedly chose CU over offers from other high major schools like Cal, Purdue, Minnesota, and Virginia.  Despite early rumors that he was interested in playing closer to home, it looks like Josh was particularly keen on moving for "professional reasons."  To that end, Fortune's mother told BuffStampede.com's Ryan Koenigsberg that her son was especially impressed with Colorado's recent reputation of developing guards. Certainly, with Coach Boyle's guard-oriented system, and an ongoing need for perimeter scoring, a player of Fortune's mold has a golden opportunity to thrive in Boulder.

Josh's message for the fanbase is "get ready, because I'm coming," but BuffNation won't see immediate dividends from this addition.  As a traditional transfer, Fortune will have to sit out the coming season due to NCAA rules. After that, however, the young guard will have two years of remaining eligibility. This is the long-term addition that Coach Boyle has always stressed that he's looking for, and it marks an important step in future roster construction.  With Askia Booker's graduation only a season away, look for the Virginia native to fill that soon-to-be-vacated shooter's role.

Uh oh, 3-goggles.

In the mean time, Fortune gets to play the Carlon Brown role from 2010-11 - back before the former guard earned his place in CU lore. Brown helped that famous Burks-Higgins-Relphorde-Knutson team excel through a strong work ethic in practice, and it paved the way for even greater success the following season when Carlon took the court. In that vein, I expect that Josh will be a behind-the-scenes practice dynamo who can help the roster by making his presence felt on the practice squad.  By the time he finally takes the court in 2015, he will already have made an impact on the roster, and be in a position to play a key role in the continued success of Colorado Basketball.

Welcome to Boulder, Josh!  

Post-Championship Thoughts

What a way to end the basketball season!  Other than a photo finish, the Louisville/Michigan title fight had everything: speed, scoring, stars playing great, role players stepping up, and a righteous outcome. Sure, it also featured more than a few blown calls and some poor endgame strategy from the Wolverines, but I'm not going to complain too loudly.  The Cardinals deserved their 82-76 victory, and they earned it in thrilling fashion.

BOOM!  TITLE!

Last night was about how great college basketball can be, when coaches set their players loose, and let them win or lose on their own merits.  Far too often in the college game, coaches pump the breaks by slowing possessions down in a desperate attempt to keep their kids on a short leash (Coach Boyle is often guilty of this; we call it Tadball).  But not once last night did either Rick Pitino or John Beilein excessively slow the game down.  Both teams were well over one point per possession, and, as a result, basketball fans across the nation were treated to a beautiful exhibition of speed, athleticism, and effort.  It was joyous to watch.

Did Michigan get screwed by a couple of calls, particularly the phantom foul called on Trey Burke?  Yeah, but I'm begrudgingly resigning myself to the fact that basketball played at anything close to a high level is impossible to officiate cleanly.  I'm just glad that, for the most part, the zebras stayed out of it.

Notice the ref screened by the play.  He had to guess.  He guessed wrong.  From: Deadspin.

I just hope this tournament serves as a lesson to coaches around the nation: you don't have to play negative basketball to win.  Run, score, be aggressive on defense.  Play fearless, play to win.  Don't look at Bo Ryan, as he is clearly the devil in disguise. 

So, now the long wait for November officially begins.  205 days.  *sigh*

After NBA decisions are made next week, and barring any surprise transfer news, things should be pretty quiet in Boulder until October practices start up.  There's a good chance that the intervening months will be filled with talk of a top-25 team, and the potential for the greatest season in CU basketball history, but, for now, we'll just have to wait patiently.

I hate waiting patiently.