Story from Woelk, cubuffs.com
BOULDER — Since entering Pac-12 play this year, Colorado forward D'Shawn Schwartz has taken a big step forward.
If the 6-foot-7 sophomore can make that a consistent occurrence through the rest of the season, it will be a big boost for the Buffs — particularly as they battle issues in the depth department.
In 11 non-conference games this year, Schwartz averaged 7.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. That is a solid step ahead of last year's 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds.
But Schwartz's production has increased even more in Pac-12 play, where he has averaged a team-leading 14.0 points, along with 5.3 rebounds in four conference games. That includes back-to-back career-high scoring games last week in a win over Washington State (16 points) and a loss to Washington (22).
"It was terrific," head coach Tad Boyle said Tuesday. "He was aggressive, I thought his floor game was good, his decision making was good. D'Shawn is a sophomore but he didn't quite get the minutes that McKinley (Wright) and Tyler (Bey) got last year, so his experience level is not quite where theirs is. He's still learning and growing as a young player. I love the progress he's shown over the last couple of weeks."
Schwartz had a key role in CU's win over Washington State, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Against Washington, with Wright out with a shoulder injury, Schwartz played a big role in a second-half CU comeback that saw Colorado cut a 15-point deficit down to one, scoring seven points in a 9-0 run. He finished with 22 points, two rebounds and three steals.
"I just feel like I'm finding openings a little bit better, seeing the game a little bit easier now," Schwartz said. "It's definitely something that's been happening."
Now 226 pounds, Schwartz added some bulk and muscle in the offseason, and he is admittedly much more comfortable against Division I opponents.
"I think comfortable is a good word, but just trying to keep it consistent is probably the biggest challenge," he said. "That's something I have to prove."
That consistency is something the 10-6 Buffs (1-3 Pac-12) will need from everyone, especially as they try to overcome depth problems. McKinley Wright's status is still up in the air this week and Namon Wright is still hampered by a foot problem. The Buffs will also be without the services of junior guard Deleon Brown for the rest of the semester because of academic issues.
It will mean Schwartz's rebounding, inside play and playmaking will be a key, along with consistent scoring. His shooting percentage has also improved in Pac-12 play, as he is hitting 51.5 percent of his field goal tries in conference games, compared to just 44.7 percent for the entire season.
"The one thing we know about D'Shawn is that he can shoot the ball better than he's shot it," Boyle said. "But what he's figured out over this time when he hasn't been shooting the ball well is he can impact the game in other ways. He's really concentrated on his rebounding, he's concentrated on his defense, he's shown he can get to the rim. He's got a big, strong physical body and he can be a really tough matchup at the three spot."
Schwartz said his confidence level has gone up a notch over the last couple of weeks, particularly inside.
"There was one instance in the Washington State game when I posted somebody up (to score) and that kind of opened up my eyes," Schwartz said with a grin. "I thought, 'I can probably do this a little more.'"
After Saturday's home loss to the Huskies, Boyle said this would be "the most important week of the year" in terms of improvement. The Buffs don't play again until Sunday's 4 p.m. matchup at Utah, meaning they have an uninterrupted week of practice. After Utah, they stay on the road for a pair of games the following week in the Bay Area, facing Cal (Jan. 24) and Stanford (Jan. 26).
The goal, Boyle said, is simply to improve every day — and incorporate more consistency into their performance.
"We've shown that we can play at a high level," Boyle said. "We've shown that this year. We just haven't shown it consistently. … Consistency is the difference between average teams and good teams and good teams and great teams. We're not where we need to be consistently yet. Whether that's day-to-day practice, possession by possession, game to game, half to half, you can look at consistency a lot of different ways. That's where we have to grow, is our concentration and our consistency."
WRIGHT UPDATE: CU sophomore McKinley Wright IV told reporters Tuesday that he dislocated his shoulder in the Washington game.
"I was going up for a rebound and just felt it pop out," he said.
Wright originally suffered a shoulder injury in practice in late December. But, he said he hopes to return to the lineup soon.
"I don't think it's worse," he said. "It feels pretty good right now. At that moment, it popped out of place. That never happened to me. It was more shock than pain. I've never been through an injury like that. I feel good today. There's nothing I can do about it besides get this treatment and move on."
Wright will likely wear some kind of harness/brace when he returns to play.
"I'll definitely be back this season," he said. "I'm just taking it day by day, getting this treatment, taking my medicine, just trying to get back healthy."
Boyle said the CU staff is "cautiously optimistic."
"It doesn't feel like it's a season-ending thing," Boyle said. "We have to get the inflammation down and the soreness out. It gets better every day, which is a good thing."
As for the status of Namon Wright, Boyle said the senior guard is day-to-day with a foot injury that flared up on CU's Arizona trip.
AT POINT: When Wright left the Arizona game, the Buffs turned to junior Shane Gatling and freshman Daylen Kountz at the point.
Gatling had an off night shooting — 1-for-10 — but also had six assists and just one turnover.
"He and Daylen both are capable of running that," Boyle said. "We've kind of got a two-headed monster there. … My thing is, it's not about the position that you play. It's about how you play. Shane Gatling can have six assists and one turnover playing the two spot, just like he can playing the one spot. You don't have to be playing the one to have assists. You can have those in transition. We want to attack the basket."
BOULDER — Since entering Pac-12 play this year, Colorado forward D'Shawn Schwartz has taken a big step forward.
If the 6-foot-7 sophomore can make that a consistent occurrence through the rest of the season, it will be a big boost for the Buffs — particularly as they battle issues in the depth department.
In 11 non-conference games this year, Schwartz averaged 7.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. That is a solid step ahead of last year's 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds.
But Schwartz's production has increased even more in Pac-12 play, where he has averaged a team-leading 14.0 points, along with 5.3 rebounds in four conference games. That includes back-to-back career-high scoring games last week in a win over Washington State (16 points) and a loss to Washington (22).
"It was terrific," head coach Tad Boyle said Tuesday. "He was aggressive, I thought his floor game was good, his decision making was good. D'Shawn is a sophomore but he didn't quite get the minutes that McKinley (Wright) and Tyler (Bey) got last year, so his experience level is not quite where theirs is. He's still learning and growing as a young player. I love the progress he's shown over the last couple of weeks."
Schwartz had a key role in CU's win over Washington State, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Against Washington, with Wright out with a shoulder injury, Schwartz played a big role in a second-half CU comeback that saw Colorado cut a 15-point deficit down to one, scoring seven points in a 9-0 run. He finished with 22 points, two rebounds and three steals.
"I just feel like I'm finding openings a little bit better, seeing the game a little bit easier now," Schwartz said. "It's definitely something that's been happening."
Now 226 pounds, Schwartz added some bulk and muscle in the offseason, and he is admittedly much more comfortable against Division I opponents.
"I think comfortable is a good word, but just trying to keep it consistent is probably the biggest challenge," he said. "That's something I have to prove."
That consistency is something the 10-6 Buffs (1-3 Pac-12) will need from everyone, especially as they try to overcome depth problems. McKinley Wright's status is still up in the air this week and Namon Wright is still hampered by a foot problem. The Buffs will also be without the services of junior guard Deleon Brown for the rest of the semester because of academic issues.
It will mean Schwartz's rebounding, inside play and playmaking will be a key, along with consistent scoring. His shooting percentage has also improved in Pac-12 play, as he is hitting 51.5 percent of his field goal tries in conference games, compared to just 44.7 percent for the entire season.
"The one thing we know about D'Shawn is that he can shoot the ball better than he's shot it," Boyle said. "But what he's figured out over this time when he hasn't been shooting the ball well is he can impact the game in other ways. He's really concentrated on his rebounding, he's concentrated on his defense, he's shown he can get to the rim. He's got a big, strong physical body and he can be a really tough matchup at the three spot."
Schwartz said his confidence level has gone up a notch over the last couple of weeks, particularly inside.
"There was one instance in the Washington State game when I posted somebody up (to score) and that kind of opened up my eyes," Schwartz said with a grin. "I thought, 'I can probably do this a little more.'"
After Saturday's home loss to the Huskies, Boyle said this would be "the most important week of the year" in terms of improvement. The Buffs don't play again until Sunday's 4 p.m. matchup at Utah, meaning they have an uninterrupted week of practice. After Utah, they stay on the road for a pair of games the following week in the Bay Area, facing Cal (Jan. 24) and Stanford (Jan. 26).
The goal, Boyle said, is simply to improve every day — and incorporate more consistency into their performance.
"We've shown that we can play at a high level," Boyle said. "We've shown that this year. We just haven't shown it consistently. … Consistency is the difference between average teams and good teams and good teams and great teams. We're not where we need to be consistently yet. Whether that's day-to-day practice, possession by possession, game to game, half to half, you can look at consistency a lot of different ways. That's where we have to grow, is our concentration and our consistency."
WRIGHT UPDATE: CU sophomore McKinley Wright IV told reporters Tuesday that he dislocated his shoulder in the Washington game.
"I was going up for a rebound and just felt it pop out," he said.
Wright originally suffered a shoulder injury in practice in late December. But, he said he hopes to return to the lineup soon.
"I don't think it's worse," he said. "It feels pretty good right now. At that moment, it popped out of place. That never happened to me. It was more shock than pain. I've never been through an injury like that. I feel good today. There's nothing I can do about it besides get this treatment and move on."
Wright will likely wear some kind of harness/brace when he returns to play.
"I'll definitely be back this season," he said. "I'm just taking it day by day, getting this treatment, taking my medicine, just trying to get back healthy."
Boyle said the CU staff is "cautiously optimistic."
"It doesn't feel like it's a season-ending thing," Boyle said. "We have to get the inflammation down and the soreness out. It gets better every day, which is a good thing."
As for the status of Namon Wright, Boyle said the senior guard is day-to-day with a foot injury that flared up on CU's Arizona trip.
AT POINT: When Wright left the Arizona game, the Buffs turned to junior Shane Gatling and freshman Daylen Kountz at the point.
Gatling had an off night shooting — 1-for-10 — but also had six assists and just one turnover.
"He and Daylen both are capable of running that," Boyle said. "We've kind of got a two-headed monster there. … My thing is, it's not about the position that you play. It's about how you play. Shane Gatling can have six assists and one turnover playing the two spot, just like he can playing the one spot. You don't have to be playing the one to have assists. You can have those in transition. We want to attack the basket."
