Irving, Texas – Sean Sutton rolled his eyes, shook his head and wished Colorado men’s basketball coach Ricardo Patton good luck.
Sutton, an Oklahoma State assistant, was asked about the challenges Patton might face this season in trying to keep eight seniors happy.
Sutton has been there. A senior-dominated Cowboys team disappointed last season, bowing out in the NCAA regional semifinals after dancing into the Final Four a year earlier.
“What’s good about having a lot of seniors is they have played a lot of games and should not be intimidated by any situation; but it’s difficult,” Sutton said last week during Big 12 Conference basketball preview activities.
Seniors want major minutes. All envision going out in style. Many are looking to impress pro scouts.
“Obviously that can’t happen for everybody,” Sutton said of playing time. “They start thinking about it being their last year and they realize they’re running out of time. And they wonder where they’ll be next year.
“We spent a long time talking to our players, not only as a group but also individually, about sacrificing personal goals for the good of the team. From a team chemistry standpoint, you’d think it would be easier having a really big senior class. But I think it’s harder.”
With new CU athletic director Mike Bohn no doubt watching with interest, Patton can’t afford a bad season. Patton is seeking an extension of a contract set to expire after next season and hopes to send Bohn an encouraging message by improving on last season’s 14-16 record.
To do so, Patton needs his seniors to accept their roles and not complain about playing time.
“One thing that will help is that the guys who will play the most are the ones who played a lot as juniors,” Patton said. “Most guys should understand their roles.”
Colorado’s starting lineup is expected to include three seniors: forwards Chris Copeland (11.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season) and Andy Osborn (8.2, 4.7) and guard Jayson Obazuaye (8.9, 3.0). Another senior, 6-foot-9, 235-pound Julius Ashby (7.5, 6.0), likely will regain his starting job as early as mid-December if he regains his academic eligibility.
Patton already has penciled in sophomore off-guard Richard Roby (16.0, 4.8) and new point guard Dominique Coleman as starters. Junior guard Marcus Hall (11.2) will be the top reserve or could push Obazuaye. That leaves seniors Glean Eddy, Antoine McGee, Martane Freeman and Lamont Arrington to wonder where they will fit in.
Last season the current senior class accounted for 60 percent of CU’s total scoring and 69 percent of the rebounding. The seniors’ collective impact could decrease this season. Roby remains the first option on offense, and Coleman averaged 27.1 points last season at Hillsborough (Junior) College in Tampa, Fla.
As long as everybody focuses on team goals, Patton doesn’t foresee morale problems. But, he conceded, attitude problems inevitably surface.
Copeland said everybody is focused upon the present.
“But I’d be lying if I said thinking about next year isn’t in the back of guys’ minds,” he said.
There is one benefit in having a senior-dominated team. Patton can tell recruiting targets that immediate playing time will be available next season.
Among the Buffs’ four oral commitments are recent additions Jeremy Williams of Memphis, Tenn., a 6-8 power forward who chose CU over Tennessee, and 6-4 guard Xavier Silas of Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H, and originally from Austin, Texas. His father James played in the ABA.
“If we have to wait on recruits to develop, there will probably be another guy coaching them,” Patton said.
Senior Buffaloes
Tom Kensler breaks down CU’s senior class:
*LAMONT ARRINGTON, 6-foot-11 center: Rail-thin post played little as backup a season ago.
*JULIUS ASHBY, 6-9 center: Flexed strength in Big 12 Tournament; academically ineligible for fall semester.
CHRIS COPELAND, 6-8 forward: Should improve upon solid junior numbers (11.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game).
GLEAN EDDY, 6-6 forward: Valuable reserve (5.3, 4.3) but needs to be more consistent.
*MARTANE FREEMAN, 6-7 forward: Saw little playing time a season ago.
ANTOINE MCGEE, 5-10 guard: Starter as a freshman, but time has decreased ever since.
JAYSON OBAZUAYE, 6-2 guard: Solid leader, determined defender, poor shooter (44.5 percent from foul line).
**ANDY OSBORN, 6-9 forward: Hit 40.9 percent of his 3’s; needs to improve inside game.
(*-Former junior college transfers in second year with CU. **-Transfer from Loyola Marymount completing two seasons of eligibility at CU.)
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
