Colorado basketball must pivot after "generational" problems to end season
Fans of women’s college basketball lucky enough to be present in Albany, New York were willing to pay $200 for a ticket to see Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark. Much to the chagrin of the CU Buffs, those fans got their money’s worth.
The six-foot senior was brilliant in the Hawkeyes 89-68 romp over JR Payne’s cold-shooting squad in the Sweet 16 rematch of a year ago. She went home with 29 points, 15 assists and six rebounds on the box score. Clark dominated play from the opening tip right to the final horn. Highlights seen before throughout this season seemed to focus on the ridiculously long three-point shots and other offensive gems the 22-year-old generates. What was fun to observe, as a basketball traditionalist, was Clark’s court vision, passing ability and overall hoops IQ. Like many of the greatest players in any sport, Clark seems to see the action unfold at a different level than teammates and opponents. Instincts? Clark’s are off the charts.
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In that fashion, the Des Moines native reminds me of Wayne Gretzky, who hails as hockey’s undisputed greatest of all time. As a sports guy for KCNC-TV, now CBS News Colorado, I’ll never forget the first time interviewing Gretzky. He was playing for the Los Angeles Kings at the time and making his first appearance in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche. I was waiting for Gretzky after the Kings’ morning skate the day of the game. As he walked down the narrow corridor of the now-destroyed McNichols Sports Arena, I was struck by the average size of the undisputed king of hockey.
Gretzky was not the biggest, fastest, or strongest. Nope. Neither is Clark. But each has, or had, an inner compass about nuances, angles and opportunities that makes it an unfair fight for opponents trying to figure out a way to slow down the tsunami of techniques each generational talent can unleash to demoralize opponents. G.O.A.T. 's (Greatest Of All Time) from different sports with similar savant abilities. The $200 price tag for a chance to experience Clark’s magic? Well worth admission. Colorado got "Clarked", and so did Angel Reese and LSU.
Meanwhile, the Colorado men’s basketball team is heading into an interesting season of rebuilding. Last one out of the locker room, please turn out the lights. My goodness... The current policies of transfer portal, NIL money and what schools are willing to pay for talent hit Tad Boyle’s team with devastating impact, like a Clark long-range bomb.
Buffs valuable big man Eddie Lampkin, versatile and athletic guard/forward J’Vonne Hadley and steady reserve Luke O’Brien all hit the transfer portal. This is the crazy side of college athletics. As stated often in this space, I’m for players being compensated after too many decades of athletic departments raking in cash and athletes scrambling to live comfortably on the meager stipends offered for meals and laundry. But NIL and transfer portal policies are completely out of control.
All three players are taking advantage of a current restraining order preventing the NCAA from enforcing its transfer policy. It basically states, once a player graduates like O’Brien and Hadley, they can transfer one time with no penalty. The restraining order prevents enforcement and allows players, like Lampkin, who had already transferred from TCU, to go find another suitor. CU men’s players can earn NIL money in different ways from different collectives. However one collective stipulates players access money only upon graduation. If I’m understanding this correctly, O’Brien and Hadley can now double dip: collect Colorado money because they have graduated and go elsewhere and tap into other NIL resources. Good for them, bad for college basketball. What a mess.
Senior Tristan da Silva’s moving on for a shot at the NBA. Still uncertain? The NBA futures of junior guard KJ Simpson and freshman Cody Williams. Colorado basketball fans are keeping their fingers crossed the dynamic duo return for another campaign at the foot of the Flatirons as CU commences play in the talent-rich Big 12 conference. However, Boyle might have a completely new starting five next season.
The CU women ran into a generational talent. The men? A generational reality where money and unrestricted transfers rule. The Buffs were battered in each. Time to pivot and regroup.
JEFF HAUSER