Boulder – The biggest challenge facing new Colorado point guard Dominique Coleman isn’t adjusting to coach Ricardo Patton’s hollering or learning how to rotate on defense. It’s waking up for 6 a.m. conditioning drills.
Coleman, a transfer from Hillsborough (Junior) College in Tampa, Fla., doesn’t depend on a conventional alarm. Instead, he awakens to blaring tunes from a “boom box” receiver that turns on automatically at 5:30.
“If I just set up an alarm, I’d just hit it and I’d be late,” he said.
Coleman averaged 27 points per game last season at Hillsborough and is being counted on to provide a boost for a CU team that went 14-16 last season.
“I don’t think my role here will be as much as a scorer. That’s fine with me,” Coleman said Monday during CU’s basketball media day. “I just want to do what’s best for the team.”
The CU women’s team is also looking at a new point guard. It has taken five years, two schools and three different coaches, but former Chatfield High School star Whitney Law has come full circle. When the CU women open the season against Cal State-Fullerton Nov. 18, Law will be back at point guard, the position she played when she led Chatfield to back-to-back Class 5A state championships. She’ll probably be the Buffs’ starter.
New CU coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said she has been “extremely impressed” with Law.
“I would say Whitney has probably adapted to the system as quickly as anyone, handling the ball, distributing the ball, her leadership on the floor, understanding the offense,” she said.
Finally recovered from major knee surgery two years ago, Law said she hasn’t played the point since high school.
“But I’m definitely excited for it,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of getting used to, to understand everything that Coach wants, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
McConnell-Miller’s offense, she said, is much more uptempo than the highly successful triangle offense longtime Buffs coach Ceal Barry ran.
“Setting shooters up, double screens, back screens, a lot more movement. We’re going to be setting up people for their strengths,” Law said. “It’s going to be fun. I think this offense is going to be great for both (sophomore center) Kara Richards and (junior guard/forward) Jasmina Ilic.”
Richards and Ilic are expected to be CU’s top scorers.
Footnotes
Senior center Julius Ashby said his coursework is going well in his effort to regain his academic eligibility. Ashby, who combined for 33 points and 14 rebounds in Big 12 Tournament games against Texas and Oklahoma State, can’t practice or play until the fall semester ends.
“I’m going to make it back,” Ashby said.
Colorado players were surprised to learn that sophomore guard Richard Roby did not even earn an honorable mention vote in the coaches’ preseason Big 12 team. Roby set a CU freshman scoring record last season with 16 points per game.
Helping to persuade Colorado’s newest oral commitment, 6-foot-8 forward Jeremy Williams of Memphis, to pick the Buffs over Tennessee was another Williams from that recruiting hotbed, 6-8 CU freshman Calvin Williams. They come from rival high schools in Memphis and are not related.
“He’s a power player but he’s a slasher; he’s quick,” Calvin Williams said. “I told him it would be a good opportunity to come here, with all the seniors (eight on scholarship) that will be leaving after this season.”
McConnell-Miller might have received some help from the other coaches in the Big 12 when they predicted a last-place finish for her team.
“I was like, no way,” Ilic said. “No respect at all.”
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
