Colorado

Colorado men’s basketball transfer portal tracker ahead of 2024-25 season

Published

2 weeks ago

April 29, 2024

Colorado men’s basketball transfer portal tracker ahead of 2024-25 season

Colorado basketball and coach Tad Boyle have had to re-tool the Buffs roster after one of the most successful seasons in program history.

Each of Colorado’s top six rotation players from the 2023-24 campaign have transferred or entered the NBA draft. Boyle’s Buffs won a program-record 26 games last season (and back-to-back NCAA Tournament wins for the first time since 1955) and a pair of transfers were crucial to that.

As Colorado transitions into the Big 12, the portal will have to be utilized once again with so much production on its way out of Boulder.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the players leaving the Colorado men’s basketball program and those who will join via transfer.

This list will be updated through the offseason as players leave and join the Buffaloes.

Colorado players entering transfer portal or NBA draft

EDDIE LAMPKIN JR.

Position: Center

Notable: The 6-foot-11, 265-pound big man was an emotional leader for Colorado in his first season with the Buffaloes. Lampkin Jr. played in all 37 games, averaging 10.6 points and seven rebounds per game. The former TCU center is headed to Syracuse to play for the Orange.

J’VONNE HADLEY

Position: Forward

Notable: The 6-foot-6, 205-pound senior improved mightily in his second season at Colorado, setting career highs in points (11.6), rebounds (six), assists (2.4), field goal percentage (53.8%) and 3-point percentage (41.7%). Hadley, a former junior college standout, will also spend the 2024-25 campaign in the ACC after committing to Louisville.

LUKE O’BRIEN

Position: Forward

Notable: The 6-foot-8, 220-pound senior spent the last four years at Colorado and set career highs in both points (6.7) and field goal percentage (45.6%) last season. O’Brien, a Littleton native, will finish his college basketball career at Georgia Tech.

TRISTAN DA SILVA

Position: Forward

Notable: The 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior spent the entirety of his college career at Colorado and was a three-year starter. da Silva, who averaged 16 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season, is headed to the NBA draft as a projected first-round pick.

KJ SIMPSON

Position: Guard

Notable: The 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior was a first-team All-Pac selection last season as he led Colorado in points (19.7 per game), assists (4.9), steals (1.6) and 3-point percentage (43.4%). Simpson declared for the 2024 NBA draft earlier this month and is projected to be a fringe first-round pick.

CODY WILLIAMS

Position: Forward

Notable: The 6-foot-8, 190-pound freshman flashed enough of his high upside as a true freshman to be a potential lottery pick. Williams missed 13 games last season with various injuries (wrist, face, ankle) but still managed to average 11.9 points on 55.2% shooting from the field on 41.5% shooting from deep. The former McDonald’s All-American should hear his name called early on during the 2024 NBA draft.

Players transferring to Colorado

TREVOR BASKIN

Position: Forward

Notable: The 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward was Colorado’s first addition from the transfer portal this offseason. Baskin averaged 18.5 points (39% from deep), 8.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game last season for Division II Colorado Mesa. After choosing the Buffs over Colorado State, Baskin projects to be a starter for Boyle in 2024.

“The first thing you look at when you see (Trevor) play is his diverse skill set,” Boyle said Monday in a news release. “For a guy that’s 6-foot-9 with a long wingspan, he can really shoot the ball, put it on the floor and he can pass and rebound. He can do a little bit of everything.

“When you lose a Tristan da Silva, who’s 6-foot-9, with a great diverse skill set, and you’re able to pick up a guy like Trevor, it makes you feel better about Tristan’s loss. Trevor’s going to be able to impact the game in a lot of different ways, and the thing I like about him is he can play multiple positions offensively and guard multiple positions defensively. Anyone who has followed Colorado basketball knows it’s something that we value.”

ANDREJ JAKIMOVSKI

Position: Forward

Notable: The 6-foot-8, 220-pound senior from Macedonia started all 35 games he played in last season for Washington State (33.7 minutes per game) and averaged 9.7 points to go along with 5.6 rebounds. Jakimovski dropped a team-high 19 points on the Buffs in Boulder on Dec. 31, has 80 career starts under his belt and should slot right into Colorado’s starting lineup for 2024-25 alongside Baskin.

More: Colorado basketball picks up Washington State transfer Andrej Jakimovski from portal

“I think our five-out system is really going to help Andrej expand his game offensively and show some other things he’s capable of doing, that he didn’t have a chance to at Washington State based on their personnel (primarily playing with two bigs),” Boyle said Monday in a news release. “They had a heck of a team, finished second in the league, one spot ahead of the Buffaloes. I’ve got great respect for Andrej, and what he’s done in his career at Washington State and I think he can build on that as he comes to Colorado for a year.

“We lost the majority of our 3-point shooting this year, and so to be able to sign a guy that is a proven 3-point shooter at the highest level of college basketball is something we needed to replace. The thing I love about Andrej is his toughness and his ability to rebound both offensively and defensively.”

ELIJAH MALONE

Position: Center

Notable: The 6-foot-10 big man was the NAIA Player of the Year last season as he averaged 17.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks last season at Grace College. Malone was one of the hottest names in the transfer portal, choosing Colorado over Boise State, Indiana, Notre Dame and others. The 2024 Bevo Francis Award winner, given to the best player among all of small college basketball (NCAA Div. II, Div. III, NAIA, junior colleges), gives the Buffs a formidable paint presence.

“Elijah could have left Grace College after his sophomore or junior years and very easily gone to the Division I level,” Boyle said Monday in a news release. “But the fact that he showed loyalty to his teammates and coaching staff that he signed with coming out of high school, that tells you everything you need to know about his character and kind of person he is. His value system and our value system are aligned very well.

“He wants to be able to prove himself at the highest level of college basketball and playing in the Big 12 is going to allow him the opportunity to do that. The way we play our style and the way he played at Grace College are very similar. So I feel really good about him in terms of what we lost and what we need for next year’s team. He fits the bill perfectly.”

Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on X.

Source link

Click to comment

Colorado

Colorado city’s police department offers free safety devices for at-risk neighbors

Published

1 hour ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

Colorado city’s police department offers free safety devices for at-risk neighbors

Families caring for loved ones with memory loss know they can often wander. The Aurora Police Department says at-risk missing person cases come through almost daily. A grant received by APD has allowed them to give out free safety devices to residents caring for someone who needs special attention.

The device is called AngelSense. The GPS tracking system helps families and law enforcement find adults and children living with Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome, autism and other related disorders.

It’s a small, fob-style device worn by at-risk individuals that notifies loved ones of their location through GPS. When they get lost, the trackers use receivers to locate the signal and find them. It provides a detailed timeline of their day and sends proactive alerts to the caretaker’s phone.

Det. Virgil Majors with Aurora Police SVU has been delivering them to families and showing them how to use it.

“The caregiver also has the ability to send the police department their live location when they can’t retrieve their loved one themselves. It’ll cut down on resources that we use, and it’ll cut down on the time they’re away from the caregiver as well,” said Majors. “Without this device, they’re hard to track down.”

He says missing at-risk individuals are often non-verbal, or can’t remember their address, phone number or name. Personal information is registered to the device that allows police to identify them if found.

“When we get that alert, we know exactly who they are, we know what they’re diagnosed with, how to approach them, and how to best help them,” explained Majors.

Majors brought one to Elizabeth Johnson last week. Her 2-year-old son has autism.

“He’s ran away from me in the grocery store, and I couldn’t find him. That was really scary,” said Johnson. “It gives me so much more confidence in being able to locate him and knowing that he’s okay. I’m actually able to find him without screaming his name.”

While CBS Colorado was speaking with Majors about the device, APD received an alert about a missing man with Alzheimer’s disease. Richard was eventually found several miles from his home, about a four hour walk away. His daughter, Allison, was relieved he made it back safely.

“Sometimes you don’t have happy endings in cases like this,” said Allison. “It’s very scary. If he can’t communicate where he lives or what his phone number is, he can’t get in contact with us.”

APD delivered an AngelSense device to their home and showed his family how to use it.

“I’m just grateful to all the police officers and everybody that was involved and helped find my father today. I’m eternally grateful for this device,” said Allison. “He will not go that far again.”

APD still has several AngelSense devices available to give out. The grant also covers a 3 month subscription for the cellular service it requires, and they’re working to get more funding to extend that free coverage.

Caretakers interested in a device must live in Aurora and fill out an application to make sure their loved one is eligible.

For more information contact Aurora SVU at 303-739-6229.

Source link

Colorado

Witness shares video of man accused of damaging cars throughout Colorado Springs neighborhood

Published

8 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

Witness shares video of man accused of damaging cars throughout Colorado Springs neighborhood

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A Colorado Springs man faces multiple charges for two incidents in and around his Broadmoor neighborhood.

Springs police arrested Brian Edwards May 7, 2024, after they found him damaging multiple cars with a baseball bat and other tools in the 300 block of Ramona Avenue.

Charging documents show Edwards allegedly used a number of tools in his attack including a rock, baseball bat, and a hammer. They said the total damage comes out to roughly $2050.

He’s charged with Assault in the Second Degree, Menacing, and Criminal Mischief.

Edwards is also facing charges for a February incident where he allegedly hit an off-duty Colorado Springs police officer with his car.

The officer was not seriously hurt but his 16-year-old dog died.

Charging documents in that case show Edwards claimed the incident was a result of mechanical issues with his car but evidence at the scene and an eyewitness statement suggest the incident could have been intentional.

Edwards faces charges of second-degree assault and aggravated cruelty to animals in that case.

Edwards will make his next court appearance Tuesday, May 16.

Source link

Colorado

Free mental health therapy for youth

Published

16 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Press Room

A pandemic-era program making mental health support accessible for young people in Colorado will become permanent, as state lawmakers have made the program permanent.

Thursday, May 16 is Mental Health Action Day and CBS News Colorado is highlighting ways we all can prioritize our mental health as high as our physical health.

The free counseling offered to youth via “I Matter” has served more than 12,000 youth since its founding.

“It breaks down the barriers for our students to be able to access mental health, so I think this is huge,” said Nova Center Coordinator Emily Nickerson.

The Nova Center is an alternative school in Littleton Public Schools.

Nickerson says the I Matter program, which offers up to six free counseling sessions with a licensed therapist, has been a game changer.

“I think it’s extremely accessible and easy for kids to navigate and for families to navigate,” Nickerson said.

“This can be done through telehealth, this can be done in person, and there’s no cost,” said Matt Holtman, children and youth intergovernmental liaison at the Behavioral Health Administration.

Since its launch in 2021, youth in 63 Colorado counties have taken part in some 47,000 therapy sessions. More than half of the sessions have been in person.

And 80% of youth end up being referred for additional behavioral health care.

“Even though it’s been wildly successful, again over 12,000 youth in Colorado, we know there’s more out there who haven’t accessed the program,” said Holtman.

For too long, I Matter’s proponents say, young people suffered in silence.

The most common reasons for seeking the therapy include anxiety, depression, concerns over self-esteem, and conflicts with family or peers.

Behavioral Health Administration

“We have an additional opportunity for our kids to be able to access mental health, whether it’s during the school day or they’re at home but it just provides that opportunity,” said Nickerson.

Access I Matter therapy by going to its official website.

Young people and their parents are encouraged to be as honest and forthright as possible in the questionnaire in order to be matched with the right therapist.

Anna Alejo

Anna Alejo is CBS News Colorado’s Executive Producer of Community Impact. She works with the news team to develop more grassroots relationships across communities and more original content at the neighborhood level, ensuring diverse voices are represented in programming.

Source link