Colorado
New year, new players, same standard for the USL Champion Colorado Springs Switchbacks
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Last November, the City for Champions became the City of Champions. It’s a new year, and the standard is the standard in Colorado Springs.
“We have principles, we have basics, we have a foundation that we want to build off and it’s making sure that even the return on players and the new players and the staff were all aligned with all of that sort of stuff and making sure that we have all that stuff nailed down and then we can start to move forward. If it’s a cast of not putting the horse before the car,” said head coach James Chambers.
“Accept anything else at this point. The staff is worth hard to get guys into our locker room with a lot of character and guys that fit our system, style of play but 1st and foremost are good people. So, when you bring those guys in the locker room and we keep the guys that have been in our locker room. it’s very easy,” Captain Matt Mahoney said.
Colorado Springs hasn’t clicked the first three games, a main reason is self inflicting mistakes..
“Simple mistakes, individual errors at moments and that happens when half the team is new as well. So, we are trying to figure stuff out, that’s how it was in the beginning of last year and not an excuse but we’ve got two more points than we had last year and we are trying to improve,” said Mahoney.
For newcomer Levonte Johnson, a big thing he noticed is actually the elevation advantage.
“Just being in the stadium itself, the elevation. I first came here it was tough to play in. I think that definitely plays a big part in the success here and just teams mentally not even so much physically just mentally coming to try to prepare and play us and just knowing it’s going to be a tough game with our press and trying to impose our will on the other team,” said Johnson.
For every championship programs, once you get a taste of winning, you always want more.
“Winning is addicting. We want to win and so, it’s a mentality. This club is not going to set up just for a championship. We’re going to try and go win it back-to-back this year and that’s been our goal to do that. Honestly, we have kind of forgotten about last year. We can’t keep speaking about last year, it’s a brand-new year, new teams, new players. We have to go out and show that we deserve to be champions again,” Mahoney said.
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UPDATE: SUNDAY 4/19/2026 7:12 p.m.
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Northbound Powers Boulevards is back open at Palmer Park Boulevard, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). However, the center and right northbound lanes as well as the right turn lane remain closed south of Constitution Avenue. Law enforcement asked the community to avoid the area if possible, and drive carefully.
ORIGINAL STORY: CSPD: Major crash closes northbound Powers
The northbound lanes of Powers Boulevard are closed at Palmer Park Boulevard for a major crash at Powers and Constitution as of 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). Drivers are asked to avoid the area.
According to FOX21 News crew who spoke to an officer at the scene, the crash involved at least two cars and two motorcycles, and multiple people have been taken to the hospital.
Multiple agencies are responding, according to the FOX21 News crew, and the Major Crash Unit may be called in. Reports indicate that no one has died as of 5:30 p.m.
Former Colorado Buffaloes stars Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak announced their transfer portal decisions on Sunday with Rancik committing to Florida State and Dak committing to Vanderbilt, per On3’s Joe Tipton. They join former Buffs guard Isaiah Johnson (now at Texas) as the third former Colorado player to leave the Big 12 conference as Rancik opts for the ACC and Dak heads to the SEC.
The trio of Johnson, Rancik, and Dak make up three of Colorado’s four most productive players with rising senior guard Barrington Hargress, and the Buffs are now tasked with replacing such production with Hargress as the only returner.
Rancik’s season ended prematurely with an injury, but he averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Buffs. Dak was Colorado’s leading rebounder with 6.5 boards per game, scoring 11.5 points per contest as well.
While each player has his respective reasons for transferring, the most expected ones are for seeking better NIL deals or more development on a better team in a better league. The Buffs finished 12th in the Big 12, and the allure of the SEC was too strong for the program to hold onto key talent like Johnson and Dak.
Still, Colorado coach Tad Boyle proved his ability to recruit and build up a solid core, one that saw its headliners of Johnson, Dak, and Rancik all depart in the portal. Can he do it again?
Colorado Buffaloes Roster Outlook
Boyle and the Buffaloes did retain Hargress as well as three freshmen guards: Jalin Holland, Ian Inman, and Josiah Sanders.
As a freshman, Holland averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game as one of Colorado’s key pieces coming off of the bench. Meanwhile, Sanders appeared in 33 games as a constant presence in the Buffs backcourt, averaging 4.4 points and 1.7 assists per game.
Inman played the fewest minutes of the returning trio, but he flashed with a couple of double-digit scoring performances as a true freshman.
“When I think of those three together, I think of toughness. I think of the improvement they made over the course of the season and the togetherness they have. They’re great friends and have formed a bond during their freshman year. Their toughness, energy and work ethic, when you have those attributes to go along with talent, which they all have, you get a chance to have three really good sophomores next year that will take the next step,” Boyle said in a release announcing the return of the three freshmen.
With eight outgoing transfers to replace, the Buffaloes will certainly have a new look to them for the 2026-27 season.
Colorado has landed one transfer portal prospect so far in former North Dakota State foward Noah Feddersen. On the recruiting trail, Boyle and company are bringing in four-star forward Rider Portela as well as two prospects from the NBL in Australia: forward Goc Malual and guard Alex Dickeson.
The transfer portal for men’s college basketball closes on Tuesday, April 21, meaning players have to enter their names by then. Transfer athletes do not have to commit before the portal closes, though, so Colorado is expected to continue hosting prospects on visits while building out the roster.
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