My Pick for Colorado's Fifth Starter
There is really just one spot in Colorado's starting lineup that is up for grabs, as this BuffZone article points out.
It's between senior guard Shane Gatling, sophomore guard Dayton Kountz, sophomore guard Eli Parquet and junior swingman Maddox Daniels. That makes it a fairly wide-open affair, and it seems likely that fifth spot will change a bit between November and March.
But if there's one factor I'd put extra weight on in this battle, it's 3-point shooting, which was such a struggle for Colorado last year. If Tad Boyle is looking at it the way I am, that's bad news for Gatling (.319), Kountz (.308), and Parquet (.238).
Daniels, a juco transfer, was brought in specifically for this outside shooting. It helps, too, that at 6-foot-6 he's the tallest of the group, making him more versatile as a defender and more useful in small-ball lineups.
The trouble is, Daniels hasn't played at this level. Shooting does typically translate, but Daniels spent his first two seasons at Florida SouthWestern State College, where he shot 42 percent from 3-point range and averaged 11.2 points per game.
So technically he's the second-most-experienced player in this group, too (after Gatling).
In review, Daniels brings size, shooting and experience to a battle for the fifth spot in the starting lineup.
Ball handling and defense are question marks for him. So are all the usual questions you have about junior college transfers, who often don't transition as smoothly as you might think.
But it seems clear Boyle brought him in with the intention of playing him a lot, and I'd bet he's the fifth starter for the Buffaloes sooner or later.
