Please note that I talked with Tad literally a day before all the spring transfers came in (classic), so I am fully aware that my question/his answer on the portal is now redundant. But still, we went over a lot more — offseason progress, injury recovery, incoming guys, etc. that I wanted to share in Q+A format, so here we go.
P.S. @Telecaster1, I believe your question to me in a separate thread about how the likes of Ruffin, Allen and Lovering are doing with respect to injury recovery will be answered below.
Q: Broadly speaking, looking at spring recruiting period here, how have things been going on that note? When you look at how the transfer portal and could help Colorado in terms of bolstering the guys you already have, what comes to mind in terms of what you’re looking for?
Tad Boyle: “We need to add depth on the perimeter, for sure. You know, RJ Smith hurt his knee in the state championship game. We don’t know to what degree, and then Javon Ruffin has been injured all year. He’s still not even working out with our team on his own. Those two guys are question marks in terms of their health, coming in. So, with Keeshawn (Barthelemy) leaving, we probably need to bolster our perimeter depth, so we’re looking at that for sure — one, maybe two guys.
And obviously, with Jabari (Walker's) question mark in terms of him coming back, we’re looking at a spot for a guy with some size, who can rebound — that kind of player. So, you look at what you’ve lost, what’s coming back and where your question marks are and you just try to make sure you’re plugging all holes that need to be plugged.”
Q: In addition to Javon, with Quincy Allen and Lawson Lovering, do you have a feel for how things are looking with them?
Tad Boyle: “Lawson and Quincy are both working out. They’re both back healthy and so yeah, I feel good about both of them. Quincy obviously is a question mark because you don’t know — sitting out, he’s going to be like a freshman next year. He didn’t get the true value of a redshirt year and neither did Javon. That’s the only disappointing thing.
Usually with freshmen, you’re encouraged about their redshirt year because they’re a year in your program. These guys weren’t — they were a year in the training room. So, they weren’t out getting reps and getting a chance to really get in the weight room or work on their bodies as much as they could because they were all rehabbing.”
Q: With respect to the postseason exit interviews you do annually, going up and down the roster, how did those go in terms of sitting guys down and discussing what you liked and what you didn’t like?
Tad Boyle: “Great. Number one, we’ve got great young men in our program. I think they’re all very self-aware. I think the things that I mentioned to them that I think they need to work on, I think they were in full agreement. The biggest thing is to make sure you’re on the same page with your players.
I don’t have a crystal ball in terms of what’s going to happen next year, who’s going to play, who’s going to start, who’s going to be in the rotation, but I think all our players understand they have to get better. We’ve got some guys, much like last year, they’re going to have to start filling maybe a bigger role than they did last year.
Even Nique Clifford, a guy who moved into the starting lineup this year, his role next year is going to be even more prominent than this year. Same with Tristan (da Silva) , certainly K.J. (Simpson), that’ll be the case with Julian (Hammond III) and all those young guys — Lawson. The returning guys you have in the program have got to really step up, improve, make strides and I think our guys did that last year.
Tristan did that, Jabari did that, and even Keeshawn made strides from the year before to this year. Luke O’Brien is a guy that showed some good things this year, so, you’ve just got to build on what happened last year individually, but certainly collectively.”
Q: Regarding Keeshawn, I don’t suppose at this point the door is cracked open at all for him to return? Or is it looking pretty clearly that he’s moving on?
Tad Boyle: “He’s moving on.”
Q: What was the conversation like with Jabari, just looking at his future and options?
Tad Boyle: “I think the bottom line with Jabari is he’s 19 years old and I think he’s going to be an NBA player. I don’t know if he is right now. So the question becomes, in my mind, and I’ve shared this with both Jabari and (Jabari's dad) Samaki, is, where do you want to continue to develop? Do you want to continue to develop in college, or do you want to continue to develop in an NBA organization? And where are you in that?
That’s the question mark in his mind that he’s trying to figure out, which is difficult, because he’s kind of in that range of, someone could take him late in the first round and make an investment in him. He could fall to the second round, you’d be on a two-way contract, you can get a guarantee in the second round — all those things are in play, and he’s not going to know that until maybe Draft night in July.
He’s going to have to make a decision before that, so that’s where he’s at. And then information he’s going to get, hopefully it can be real, solid information, but you just don’t know.”
Q: In your mind, with K.J, where does he still need to do the most growing up or improving?
Tad Boyle: “I think finishing at the rim in the lane, he needs to get better at it, become a more consistent three-point shooter and he has to cut down on his turnovers — those three areas. And, he has to continue to become a better defender, so, those four areas. A lot of things to improve upon but he’s fully capable and I think he’ll have a breakout year next year.”
Q: Getting back to Lawson, reporters had talked with you a lot last season about his morale. He seemed to be a kid who very much wore the frustration on his face. With the kind of high school career he had, he’s not used to not performing well. Was that something you noticed as well? Is he a player that you need to keep your finger on the pulse of his morale a little bit more so than others?
Tad Boyle: “Lawson has to learn how to deal with frustrations better because frustrations are part of basketball, especially when you’re a talented person and player that expects a lot out of yourself. When things don’t go your way, how you handle it mentally and how you handle it with your body language means a lot. That’s an area where he has to go. Lawson and I have talked about that and he’s aware of that. He understands that.
Now, can he do something about it? That’s the challenge. It’s my job to try to help him along those lines, but his physical ability, he just has to slow down. I think the physical strength that he can gain this offseason can be instrumental in gaining a little bit more confidence on the court. I think when you’re physically strong, it’s easier to be mentally strong.”
Q: With Joe Hurlburt coming in here, what are your broad expectations with him once he arrives?
Tad Boyle: “I’m anxious to see him. Right now, my expectations are that Joe’s a terrific young man, really skilled, can shoot the ball — physically, I haven’t seen Joe since he was at a game in the middle of the year in January or February. So, what kinds of strides is he making in the weight room in North Dakota? I’m anxious to see where he’s at physically and get a chance to coach him. But he’s a really skilled, talented guy. I don’t want to put too much — I hate to count too much on freshmen. I want freshmen to come in and if there’s a surprise, it’s a surprise on the upside, not on the downside. So, I tend to have very little expectations of freshmen and then hopefully be surprised of the upside.
Q: Looking at the season Lawson had, with some growing pains coming from Wyoming high school basketball to high-major hoops, is that at all in your mind sobering to an extent, looking at the expectations you might have for a guy like Hurlburt?
Tad Boyle: “No, because everybody’s different. But I do think , and I do know, that generally speaking, the big guys in the transition from high school to college, especially big guys that come from places like North Dakota and Cheyenne (Wyoming), the process takes a little bit longer because the adjustment is greater because of the physicality, the speed of the game and so, I have to have more patience with those guys.
Lawson Lovering is going to be terrific in my mind, before it’s all said and done. I feel the same way about Joe Hurlburt. How quickly they acclimate? It’s up to them, but again, the expectation level I set pretty low because I want to have patience with them when they’re on their learning curve, which Lawson’s on and Joe will be on. But just because Lawson came in and maybe struggled a bit doesn’t mean Joe (will). Everybody’s different.”
Q: Where have you seen leadership coming from thus far into the offseason?
Tad Boyle: “It’s something we’re observing, we’re watching and we’re really going to work out once we get our roster set. I think when you see at least one of the additions, maybe two of the additions we make, we’re going to have that in mind. Leadership, losing Evan (Battey) is a major void for next year, so there’s multiple guys that I think can step in and fill that role. It may not just be one guy. It my be a combination of guys.
But the one thing about these young guys that are in the program — K.J., Julian and Lawson — they learned a lot from Evan this year. If they didn’t, shame on them. Nique, Luke, Tristan Jabari if he comes back — they learned a lot from Evan and from McKinley (Wright IV). So, the guys that are in the program that are returning, have had some really good leadership mentors. The question now becomes can they become those natural leaders themselves? That’s the challenge that they have in front of them, so we’ve talked about that, as well.”
......
Bad luck again with respect to incoming players bring injured. I'll do some digging and see how bad RJ Smith's knee is, but that'd really be disappointing if yet another player's first season at CU is over before it even begins. Hopefully it's not major. Not exactly encouraging news for Ruffin, either. I definitely sensed some frustration on Boyle's end, obviously not blaming the kid, but Boyle knows more than anyone how much these injuries can set a kid back.
For Ruffin, having his ailment now bleed over into year two with the team ain't good for anybody. As for Allen, he came to Boulder with a lot of hype before the preseason hip injury shut him down. I'll be curious to see how he's able to respond. And Lovering, good that he's all healed up. Big offseason for him.
To Boyle's point about what he wanted to get out of the portal I think yesterday's additions check all the boxes he meant. Bobi Klintman looks primed to play an important off-the-bench role as a true freshman and perhaps a larger one if Walker leaves, while on the perimeter, Ethan Wright has all the credentials to suggest he'll do some good.
With Walker and the lingering injury situation(s), there are undoubtedly some question marks around this 2022-23 team, but even so, there's a lot to be encouraged about, too.
P.S. @Telecaster1, I believe your question to me in a separate thread about how the likes of Ruffin, Allen and Lovering are doing with respect to injury recovery will be answered below.
Q: Broadly speaking, looking at spring recruiting period here, how have things been going on that note? When you look at how the transfer portal and could help Colorado in terms of bolstering the guys you already have, what comes to mind in terms of what you’re looking for?
Tad Boyle: “We need to add depth on the perimeter, for sure. You know, RJ Smith hurt his knee in the state championship game. We don’t know to what degree, and then Javon Ruffin has been injured all year. He’s still not even working out with our team on his own. Those two guys are question marks in terms of their health, coming in. So, with Keeshawn (Barthelemy) leaving, we probably need to bolster our perimeter depth, so we’re looking at that for sure — one, maybe two guys.
And obviously, with Jabari (Walker's) question mark in terms of him coming back, we’re looking at a spot for a guy with some size, who can rebound — that kind of player. So, you look at what you’ve lost, what’s coming back and where your question marks are and you just try to make sure you’re plugging all holes that need to be plugged.”
Q: In addition to Javon, with Quincy Allen and Lawson Lovering, do you have a feel for how things are looking with them?
Tad Boyle: “Lawson and Quincy are both working out. They’re both back healthy and so yeah, I feel good about both of them. Quincy obviously is a question mark because you don’t know — sitting out, he’s going to be like a freshman next year. He didn’t get the true value of a redshirt year and neither did Javon. That’s the only disappointing thing.
Usually with freshmen, you’re encouraged about their redshirt year because they’re a year in your program. These guys weren’t — they were a year in the training room. So, they weren’t out getting reps and getting a chance to really get in the weight room or work on their bodies as much as they could because they were all rehabbing.”
Q: With respect to the postseason exit interviews you do annually, going up and down the roster, how did those go in terms of sitting guys down and discussing what you liked and what you didn’t like?
Tad Boyle: “Great. Number one, we’ve got great young men in our program. I think they’re all very self-aware. I think the things that I mentioned to them that I think they need to work on, I think they were in full agreement. The biggest thing is to make sure you’re on the same page with your players.
I don’t have a crystal ball in terms of what’s going to happen next year, who’s going to play, who’s going to start, who’s going to be in the rotation, but I think all our players understand they have to get better. We’ve got some guys, much like last year, they’re going to have to start filling maybe a bigger role than they did last year.
Even Nique Clifford, a guy who moved into the starting lineup this year, his role next year is going to be even more prominent than this year. Same with Tristan (da Silva) , certainly K.J. (Simpson), that’ll be the case with Julian (Hammond III) and all those young guys — Lawson. The returning guys you have in the program have got to really step up, improve, make strides and I think our guys did that last year.
Tristan did that, Jabari did that, and even Keeshawn made strides from the year before to this year. Luke O’Brien is a guy that showed some good things this year, so, you’ve just got to build on what happened last year individually, but certainly collectively.”
Q: Regarding Keeshawn, I don’t suppose at this point the door is cracked open at all for him to return? Or is it looking pretty clearly that he’s moving on?
Tad Boyle: “He’s moving on.”
Q: What was the conversation like with Jabari, just looking at his future and options?
Tad Boyle: “I think the bottom line with Jabari is he’s 19 years old and I think he’s going to be an NBA player. I don’t know if he is right now. So the question becomes, in my mind, and I’ve shared this with both Jabari and (Jabari's dad) Samaki, is, where do you want to continue to develop? Do you want to continue to develop in college, or do you want to continue to develop in an NBA organization? And where are you in that?
That’s the question mark in his mind that he’s trying to figure out, which is difficult, because he’s kind of in that range of, someone could take him late in the first round and make an investment in him. He could fall to the second round, you’d be on a two-way contract, you can get a guarantee in the second round — all those things are in play, and he’s not going to know that until maybe Draft night in July.
He’s going to have to make a decision before that, so that’s where he’s at. And then information he’s going to get, hopefully it can be real, solid information, but you just don’t know.”
Q: In your mind, with K.J, where does he still need to do the most growing up or improving?
Tad Boyle: “I think finishing at the rim in the lane, he needs to get better at it, become a more consistent three-point shooter and he has to cut down on his turnovers — those three areas. And, he has to continue to become a better defender, so, those four areas. A lot of things to improve upon but he’s fully capable and I think he’ll have a breakout year next year.”
Q: Getting back to Lawson, reporters had talked with you a lot last season about his morale. He seemed to be a kid who very much wore the frustration on his face. With the kind of high school career he had, he’s not used to not performing well. Was that something you noticed as well? Is he a player that you need to keep your finger on the pulse of his morale a little bit more so than others?
Tad Boyle: “Lawson has to learn how to deal with frustrations better because frustrations are part of basketball, especially when you’re a talented person and player that expects a lot out of yourself. When things don’t go your way, how you handle it mentally and how you handle it with your body language means a lot. That’s an area where he has to go. Lawson and I have talked about that and he’s aware of that. He understands that.
Now, can he do something about it? That’s the challenge. It’s my job to try to help him along those lines, but his physical ability, he just has to slow down. I think the physical strength that he can gain this offseason can be instrumental in gaining a little bit more confidence on the court. I think when you’re physically strong, it’s easier to be mentally strong.”
Q: With Joe Hurlburt coming in here, what are your broad expectations with him once he arrives?
Tad Boyle: “I’m anxious to see him. Right now, my expectations are that Joe’s a terrific young man, really skilled, can shoot the ball — physically, I haven’t seen Joe since he was at a game in the middle of the year in January or February. So, what kinds of strides is he making in the weight room in North Dakota? I’m anxious to see where he’s at physically and get a chance to coach him. But he’s a really skilled, talented guy. I don’t want to put too much — I hate to count too much on freshmen. I want freshmen to come in and if there’s a surprise, it’s a surprise on the upside, not on the downside. So, I tend to have very little expectations of freshmen and then hopefully be surprised of the upside.
Q: Looking at the season Lawson had, with some growing pains coming from Wyoming high school basketball to high-major hoops, is that at all in your mind sobering to an extent, looking at the expectations you might have for a guy like Hurlburt?
Tad Boyle: “No, because everybody’s different. But I do think , and I do know, that generally speaking, the big guys in the transition from high school to college, especially big guys that come from places like North Dakota and Cheyenne (Wyoming), the process takes a little bit longer because the adjustment is greater because of the physicality, the speed of the game and so, I have to have more patience with those guys.
Lawson Lovering is going to be terrific in my mind, before it’s all said and done. I feel the same way about Joe Hurlburt. How quickly they acclimate? It’s up to them, but again, the expectation level I set pretty low because I want to have patience with them when they’re on their learning curve, which Lawson’s on and Joe will be on. But just because Lawson came in and maybe struggled a bit doesn’t mean Joe (will). Everybody’s different.”
Q: Where have you seen leadership coming from thus far into the offseason?
Tad Boyle: “It’s something we’re observing, we’re watching and we’re really going to work out once we get our roster set. I think when you see at least one of the additions, maybe two of the additions we make, we’re going to have that in mind. Leadership, losing Evan (Battey) is a major void for next year, so there’s multiple guys that I think can step in and fill that role. It may not just be one guy. It my be a combination of guys.
But the one thing about these young guys that are in the program — K.J., Julian and Lawson — they learned a lot from Evan this year. If they didn’t, shame on them. Nique, Luke, Tristan Jabari if he comes back — they learned a lot from Evan and from McKinley (Wright IV). So, the guys that are in the program that are returning, have had some really good leadership mentors. The question now becomes can they become those natural leaders themselves? That’s the challenge that they have in front of them, so we’ve talked about that, as well.”
......
Bad luck again with respect to incoming players bring injured. I'll do some digging and see how bad RJ Smith's knee is, but that'd really be disappointing if yet another player's first season at CU is over before it even begins. Hopefully it's not major. Not exactly encouraging news for Ruffin, either. I definitely sensed some frustration on Boyle's end, obviously not blaming the kid, but Boyle knows more than anyone how much these injuries can set a kid back.
For Ruffin, having his ailment now bleed over into year two with the team ain't good for anybody. As for Allen, he came to Boulder with a lot of hype before the preseason hip injury shut him down. I'll be curious to see how he's able to respond. And Lovering, good that he's all healed up. Big offseason for him.
To Boyle's point about what he wanted to get out of the portal I think yesterday's additions check all the boxes he meant. Bobi Klintman looks primed to play an important off-the-bench role as a true freshman and perhaps a larger one if Walker leaves, while on the perimeter, Ethan Wright has all the credentials to suggest he'll do some good.
With Walker and the lingering injury situation(s), there are undoubtedly some question marks around this 2022-23 team, but even so, there's a lot to be encouraged about, too.
