An 8th-grade Colorado Jewish student was called a ‘stupid k***’ while being strangled by a laptop charging cord, in one of many antisemitic assaults by other students described in a Title VI complaint to Boulder Valley Public School District.
Colorado
Could Colorado’s Tristan Da Silva be a plug-and-play option for the Sixers at 16?
For the next month before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. First up in this series is Colorado’s Tristan da Silva.
Tristan da Silva made a name for himself at Colorado, staying all four years and developing into a two-way wing. Now, he’ll enter the draft as a potential great fit for several teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers.
Profile
2023-24 Stats: 34 games, 33.8 minutes, 16 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks, 49.2% FG, 39.5% 3P, 83.5% FT
Team: Colorado
Year: Senior
Position: SF/PF
Height & Weight: 6’8.25” | 216.8 lbs
Born: May 15th, 2001 (23 years old)
Hometown: Munich, Germany
High School: Ludwigsgymnasium
Strengths
Tristan da Silva is one of this draft’s older players, which means he has a more polished skillset than most projected in the mid-to-late first round. Da Silva has a refined shot, shooting above average on nearly five attempts from three per game during his last season. Per Synergy, Da Silva hit nearly 40 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-point attempts. He’s capable of scoring in a variety of ways, including at the rim where he converted 63 percent of his shots. Da Silva is one of the better wing playmakers in this draft, and is very capable of running pick-and-rolls, making an entry pass (!!!!), or using his left hand to make creative wrap around passes. Defensively Da Silva is solid with enough quickness to switch screens and the awareness to make rotations off the ball.
Weaknesses
Tristan Da Silva simply doesn’t have the tools to be a full-time creator or play finisher at the next level. In the NBA, his offensive skillset will likely be limited to slashes and shooting. He also lacks foot speed and a good enough handle to create separation at the next level. Da Silva isn’t an elite athlete compared to other prospects in his projected range, which will limit his ability as a roller and lob finisher, along with his ability to turn the corner on drives. He isn’t a bad rebounder for his size, but also isn’t as good as most would expect.
Positional Fit
Da Silva is a bonafide forward, and should be able to swap between small and power forward with relative ease. As stated above, Da Silva has struggled being a roller, which may limit any ability to play him as a center in small-ball lineups. In the NBA, Da Silva could be a Kyle Anderson (with better shooting) type of player, who doesn’t rely on crazy athleticism and plays within his role.
Draft Projection
SB Nation mock draft: No. 23, Milwaukee Bucks
The highest Da Silva seems to go in mock drafts is right where the Sixers are selected to pick, around 16. Most mock drafts have him going later in the first round, which makes him an intriguing trade down candidate. Don’t expect him to fall past the thirties, however, as multiple win-now teams will be looking at him as an early contributor.
The ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) has filed a federal civil rights complaint with the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleging that Jewish Student A was subjected to repeated antisemitic bullying, slurs, and physical assault by multiple fellow students at Southern Hills Middle School (SHMS) throughout 7th and 8th grade.
In one incident, students in Student A’s PE class attempted to play a game called “Jew touch tag” and said Jews were “dirty” and “contaminated.”
In another, in December 2025, a classmate reportedly fashioned a Chromebook charging cord into a lasso, threw it around the student’s neck and dragged him backward from a chair while calling him a “stupid k***.” This was deemed severe enough that the Boulder Police Department was called in to investigate.
Following this particular incident, the Boulder Police Department opened a Juvenile Court Referral for third-degree assault.
ADL says no meaningful action taken by school district over assault
As a result of these incidents, Student A no longer wears a Star of David necklace and does not share his religious identity with anyone.
ADL and the family allege that the school took no meaningful action despite being informed of the situation on multiple occasions. For example, the complaint says the school failed to enforce the no-contact order between Student A and the classmate involved in the Chromebook assault.
The complaint also says that the burden was consistently placed on the victim, such as reassigning his study hall class rather than restricting the aggressor, forcing him to miss a school trip, and asking him to leave class early to avoid crowded hallways.
“The record here is overwhelming: written pleas from the student’s parents, formal school reports, and a police investigation all point to the conclusion that antisemitic harassment at Southern Hills Middle School was pervasive, escalating, and severe,” said James Pasch, ADL Vice President of Litigation.
“Despite the family’s pleas for help to stop the harassment, the school district failed to effectively address it, a clear violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. No family should have to fight this hard to ensure a Jewish child’s safety at school, and certainly no Jewish student should face the threat of assault or harassment because of their Jewish identity.”
Susan Rona, ADL Mountain States Regional Director, noted that 167 antisemitic incidents were recorded in Colorado in 2025, a “stark reminder that antisemitism is not something abstract – it is showing up in our communities, in our neighborhoods and even in our schools.”
ADL is requesting that the US Department of Education require the district to take steps to comply with Title VI and ensure that this student and all Jewish students feel safe and protected.
Boulder Valley School District said that while it does not comment on ongoing legal matters, “we take all allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously.”
“We continue to focus on improvements to our policies, reporting systems, practices, and education efforts – all with the goal of ensuring every BVSD student feels safe, welcomed, and a strong sense of belonging.”
When you walk inside the Conoco station at the corner of University Boulevard and Bonnie Brae Boulevard in Denver, you can’t help but notice the history on the walls.
“Here’s the 40s. The 50s and my dad and uncle in the 70s,” says owner Ken Wilson pointing to the pictures on the wall.
Ken is the third generation of the Wilson family to own the gas station and service center.
“Grandpa Ken started to lease this out in 1942. My dad bought the business from my grandpa and my uncle worked his whole career here for my dad and for me,” Ken recalls.
In all, the Wilson family has owned the Conoco station for more than 80 years.
“I started working here in 1978 when I was 12, just part time in the summers. I worked through high school and through college and then did my own thing, and I’ve been back here about 15 years,” said Ken.
“It means so much to our family. It’s been a great business.”
But Ken is the end of the road for the Wilson family ownership. In February, a for sale sign went up at the Bonnie Brae Conoco.
“We’re just looking now. We’re not in a rush. It’s not like we’re going to sell and be done this year. We’re going to get a price we want to get, and if it takes us years to do that’s okay,” he said.
Wilson has seen a lot of change during his time working at the station and service center.
“There aren’t a lot of garages anymore. They used to be everywhere. There were four of them on this block when I was a kid, he said.
When asked what he’ll miss most, Ken points to his relationship with his customers.
“I’ve had customers now where I actually waited on their grandparents. And then their parents. And now them.”
As for what his grandpa would say if he could see the place now, Ken says, “I think he’d say he was really proud of what we’ve done. Both my father, my uncle and myself. Hopefully he’s still hanging around here once in a while.”
The Colorado Buffaloes are still putting the finishing touches on their 2027 class over the next few months, but their 2028 recruiting plan continues to take shape.
Earlier this week, Deion Sanders’ staff extended an offer to one of the top prospects in the class of 2028, composite five-star wide receiver Jaylen Addai. Addai now holds 43 offers, including one from nearly every blue-blood program in the country.
247Sports’ Composite currently ranks Addai as the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2028 class, the No. 3 overall wide receiver and the top player from the state of Texas.
At 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, the Pearland, Texas native fits the mold of the modern-day receiver. He seems likely to fill into his frame given his youth. Addai is a multiple-sport athlete with elite athleticism on the field, on the basketball court and on the track.
Given how early it is in Addai’s recruitment, several teams are in contention for his commitment, with Notre Dame and Ohio State leading the way early. When the 2028 cycle picks up later this year, who really has a chance should come into focus, especially when visits begin.
Colorado’s 2028 class does not have any commitments yet, but has offers out to 28 different wide receiver prospects.
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