The All-Time Starting Five for $15 Game: Colorado Basketball Edition

If you're anything close to a basketball fan, you've undoubtedly seen this photo that has been sweeping the internet over the last few weeks.  The wizards over at BallIsLife.com came up with the perfect bar discussion game when they asked their readers to choose an All-Time NBA starting five from a pool of greats... only with one catch.   Every player is tabbed with a particular value, $1-$5 within each position, and you're slapped with a draconian salary cap of only $15 with which to build your 'team.'

Overnight, the $15 game became an internet sensation, and the talk of the basketball world (outside, of course, that whole 'NBA Finals' thing).

It's simply brilliant.  If given free reign over the pantheon of basketball's greats, anyone could piece together the best starting five by simply taking the best player at every position.  The valuation and salary cap makes everything much more complicated.  Do you sacrifice your shooting backcourt to lock down the paint? What sacrifice will you make to secure the services of the great Michael Jordan?  Is Kareem really worth an extra buck over Bill Russell? The discussion points are endless.

(For the record, my $15 five looks like this: Stockton ($2), Jordan ($5), Pippen ($1), Duncan ($3), Shaq ($2), and a $2 well at the Dark Horse.)

Not content with just debating the merits of the best in NBA history, hardwood aficionados have taken the game and made it their own, applying it to individual teams across the playing spectrum.  Given some prodding from the Mayor himself (and Zach Ruebesam!), I figure it's CU's turn, and have agonized over the history of our beloved program to set up the playing field.  See below, pick your five, and hit me up in the comments or on Twitter (@Rumblinbuffalo) with your All-Time CU Starting Five for $15.

(Disclaimer: No current players included in the main game)

PG –

Chauncey Billups - $5
Jay Humphries - $4
Spencer Dinwiddie - $3
Stevie Wise - $2
Marcus Hall - $1

SG –

Alec Burks - $5
Richard Roby - $4
Cory Higgins - $3
Donnie Boyce - $2
Michel Morandais - $1

SF –

Ken Charlton - $5
Scott Wedman - $4
Andre Roberson - $3
Chris Copeland - $2
Blair Wilson - $1

PF –

Cliff Meely - $5
Shaun Vandiver - $4
Bob Jeangerard - $3
Stephane Pelle - $2
Bob Doll - $1

C –

'Burdie' Haldorson - $5
David Harrison - $4
Jim Davis - $3
Chuck Gardner - $2
Scott Wilke - $1

(My 5?  Mayor, Boyce, Cope, Meely, Davis.  Scoring for days.) 

- Now that you've picked your five, add some spice with a free walk-on, or add $3 and select a coach -

Walk-On - 

$0 - Beau Gamble
$0 - Billy Boidock
$0 - Preston Slaughter
$0 - 'THE' Brett Brady
$0 - Trent Beckley

Coach -

$5 - 'Sox' Walseth
$4 - Tad Boyle (Praise be his name)
$3 - 'Frosty' Cox
$2 - H.B. Lee
$1 - Ricardo Patton

Tuesday Grab Bag: The Offseason Begins

I've been slightly ticked to see the reaction to Thursday's on-court mess in the NCAA Tournament.  All of a sudden, fans who wouldn't know a pick-and-roll from a hole in their head are questioning Coach Boyle, and offering their 'insight' on what's needed to 'fix' the team (Josh should take more jump shots, that'll end the double-teams -- LOL).

I guess this comes with the territory, especially in a state with citizens as obsessed with their own righteousness as Colorado.  CU Basketball is now a headline grabbing attraction, so their pratfalls will necessarily attract comments from the peanut gallery. As I've said often this year, we're now a basketball school stuck with a football fanbase.  At the very least, it's going to be interesting to see how BuffNation deals with the transition to life with an actual basketball power.

Regardless, let me assure the huddled masses that the program you've all just discovered is in good hands. Remember, it was only four years ago that CU was all offense, no defense with Cory and Alec running the show.  Granted a little health, the potential of a lucky attrition break, and the oncoming infusion of freshman talent, the Buffs should be back to their winning ways in 2015.

--

Today in the bag, I'm talking the quick exit from the Dance, the Sweet Sixteen, and the women progressing through the NIT.

Click below for the bag...

Quick Post: #CUGameday - College Gameday possibly coming to Boulder

Twitter lit up today with the news that College Gameday might be coming back to Boulder!  No, silly, not for a football game, but for basketball.  

On February 22nd, the Buffs play host to Arizona, in what many expect will be a game between the top two teams in the Pac-12.  ESPN plans to chose between that titanic tilt and UCLA/Stanford for that weekend's traveling roadshow destination.

As long as CU holds up their end of the bargain, and play like the top-25 team they project to be this season, that choice will be a no-brainer for the big-whigs in Bristol.  Not only will CU/UofA be a high-profile rivalry matchup from one of the country's premier leagues, but the C-Unit has quickly gained a reputation for being one of the most passionate student sections in America.  Stanford simply doesn't measure up.

For the record, ESPN hasn't brought Gameday to Boulder since 1995, when they came to town twice for football (Texas A&M and Nebraska).  They've never been here for basketball.  It's time for that drought to end with a bang on 2/22/14!

Quick post: Basketball ticket costs going up

Earlier this year, when football ticket renewals went out, I had to make a gamble.  I ended up making it in favor of not renewing my football seats.

You see, the life of an unpaid blogger isn't as lucrative as you might imagine, and I could see over the horizon the strong possibility that my basketball tickets would be getting hit with a hefty price increase.  I can't in good conscience give up my perch halfway up Section 9, so, rather than betting that basketball prices would stay flat for another year, I saved my money for basketball renewals.  Sure, there were other influences on my decision, but that was essentially 75% of my thinking.

Today, I learned that my money was well saved.  In recognition of CU now becoming known for basketball, a required donation to the Buff Club has been tacked on to all non-student price levels at the CEC.  For many, that may mean as little as $50.  For me, I'm now throwing down $150 on top of the regular ticket cost.  While it's true that the printed price of my tickets is not going up, the actual hit to my wallet has gone up 60%.

A map detailing the 2013-14 pricing structure can be found here.  Certain price levels have been requiring donations for a while now, but this season will mark a first for Colorado Basketball.  This policy just brings the CEC closer in-line with the ticketing structure in Folsom. 

You know what?  I'm fine with it.  Colorado Basketball has been grossly undervalued for years, and it makes sense for the athletic department to begin capitalizing on a program that has suddenly turned into a money maker.  While the sticker-shock is a little high right now (60%, yo), I will make the argument that, between free parking, relatively cheap concessions, and a high quality product, attending a game at the CEC is still one of the best sporting values on the Front Range.

Quick Post: On 2012's non-conference attendance

Last season, I rejoiced at the 6,060 non-conference attendance average the program enjoyed.  That was a 49% increase over the previous four-year average, and, when factoring in improvement in conference attendance, helped the program notch the nation's most improved attendance average over a four-year period.

The thing is, those numbers pale in comparison to what we're seeing in 2012-13.  Despite playing one fewer home game than in 2011-12, CU crushed the non-conference attendance numbers from last season, 61,513 to 42,418.  Buoyed by record-setting season-ticket sales, the per-game average of 10,252 is a 69% increase over '11-'12's numbers.  That includes CU's all-time single-game attendance record: the 11,708 that showed up to see the CSU game.

Hell, the Buffs drew 10,228 on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of winter break against Hartford.  That's right, despite the lures of ski season, the Hartford Hawks are now facing the same environment once reserved for only the KU game.  In fact, only one of the six home games played this season has taken place in front of a crowd of less than 10k (Texas Southern).

It's been an incredible time to watch CU basketball, and the CEC is solidifying it's new-found reputation as a difficult place to steal a win from.  Yes, some of those numbers have appeared slightly inflated, probably coming from the "tickets sold" vs "butts-in-seats" debate, but the GA sections have been packed, and tickets are scarce.  I hope you've made your plans, and grabbed your seats already, because by the time Cal and Arizona come to town, there won't be any more room at the inn.

GO BUFFS!