Colorado basketball signee Kal Bay is counting the days before getting a jump on his college career. A 6-foot-1 point guard from Tempe, Ariz., Bay plans to move to Boulder in early June for the summer semester.
“I really can’t wait to get there,” he said.
Bay figures he has more to prove than CU’s five other incoming freshmen and is excited to get an early start. In addition to proving he can play in the Big 12 Conference, Bay wants to show he’s not a bad guy.
Regarded as the top point guard in Arizona, Bay was averaging 27 points, 7.6 assists and five rebounds through eight games as a senior at Marcos de Niza High School when he was suspended for the season for going into the stands.
“At Colorado, I’m going to just be myself and not do anything that lets people have a reason to think what happened is what I’m about,” Bay said.
After fouling out in a Dec. 6 game at Avondale Westview, Bay entered the spectator area after he thought some rowdy Westview students were threatening his mother and girlfriend.
According to reports, Bay reached the second or third step of the stands and order was restored before any verbal or physical confrontation occurred.
Although the hecklers were removed from the gym and numerous school officials supported Bay, the Arizona Interscholastic Association sportsmanship rule prohibits players from entering a spectator area and carries an automatic season suspension. Appeals failed.
Marcos de Niza was 7-1 with Bay but won only three of its last 21 games without him.
“The suspension was very hard to accept; it hurt a lot of people,” Marcos de Niza coach Dave Stark said. “There’s nothing Kal did that most people wouldn’t do.”
Bay kept in shape by working out two or three hours a day with a personal trainer. He also played recreational basketball.
“The one good thing out of this is it gave me more time to lift weights and work on my overall athletic ability and basketball skills,” Bay said.
CU coach Ricardo Patton said he stands by Bay and believes the point guard could become one of the “steals” of the recruiting class. Aside from CU, Bay received offers only from mid-major programs.
Although Bay is not slow, he lacks the burst many coaches desire in a point guard. Stark said Bay overcomes any athletic deficiencies with his shooting ability and knowledge of the game.
“Kal will make others on the court better,” Stark said.
Colorado needs a point guard, but that’s true with almost every spot on the floor. With eight scholarship seniors having completed their eligibility and the Buffaloes possibly losing junior-to-be Richard Roby to the NBA, Patton will need several newcomers to make an immediate impact this fall.
Two athletic forwards – 6-8 Jeremy Williams from Memphis, Tenn., and 6-6 Dale Vanwright from Houston – arrive as the most highly touted members of the recruiting class. Vanwright is ranked No. 123 nationally by Rivals.com; Williams is No. 137.
Williams averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and four assists for a 39-0 Hamilton High School team that won the Tennessee Class 3A title. He chose CU over Tennessee and Alabama-Birmingham.
Vanwright contributed 20.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 steals to a Bellaire High School program that produced former Connecticut All-American Emeka Okafor. Vanwright, who picked CU over Baylor, shot 46 percent from 3-point range.
Xavier Silas, a 6-4 shooting guard who averaged 18 points and nine rebounds at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, also was considered a priority recruit. Silas is the son of former NBA guard James Silas.
Sean Kowal, a 6-10, 240-pound center from DeSmet Jesuit High School in St. Louis, will be the tallest player on CU’s roster unless Patton adds a bigger post player this spring. Kowal averaged 10.3 points and 7.7 rebounds and was named conference player of the year.
Dwight Thorne, a 6-2 combo guard from Arlington (Texas) Martin High School, is a heady player who averaged 18.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
Also ready to make his debut this fall is 6-5 Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, a sophomore transfer from Ohio State. Although Jackson-Wilson played in only 11 games for the Buckeyes, Patton loves his tenacity.
Bay, Vanwright, Williams, Silas and Thorne will compete for a USA team against in-state players Friday (7:15 p.m.) and Saturday (4:30 p.m.) at Metro State as part of the Joint Effort Hoops Festival.
“I think we’re going to be a really good class,” Silas said.
CU’s incoming class
KAL BAY, 6-feet-1, 170 pounds, point guard, Marcos de Niza HS (Tempe, Ariz.), averaged 23.5 points, 7.6 assists in eight games as a senior: “He’s a great, great passer, he sees the floor really well, and he has the ability to score big-time.” – Marcos de Niza coach Dave Stark
SEAN KOWAL, 6-10, 240, center, DeSmet Jesuit HS (St. Louis), 10.3 points, 7.7 rebounds: “Sean is not a stiff; he’s not a ‘project.’ He can run, catch, shoot, block shots.” – DeSmet coach Bob Steiner
XAVIER SILAS, 6-4, 205, shooting guard, Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.), 18 points, nine rebounds (after 23 ppg as a senior at Stephen F. Austin HS in Austin, Texas): “I really improved my defense playing a year of prep school ball.” – Silas
DWIGHT THORNE, 6-2, 190, combo guard, Martin HS (Arlington, Texas), 18.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists: “He’s not flashy, but he does the little intangibles that go unnoticed to everybody except the coaches.” – Martin coach Jeff Plemons
DALE VANWRIGHT, 6-6, 200, small forward, Bellaire HS (Houston), 20.5 points, 7.8 rebounds: “Dale is a 6-6 athlete that can shoot. You see a lot of athletes playing basketball who can’t shoot, but Vanwright can hit the 3-pointer.” – Mike Kunstadt of TexasHoops.com
JEREMY WILLIAMS, 6-8, 225, forward, Hamilton HS (Memphis, Tenn.), 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3.4 blocks: “Jeremy has all the tools, but his major strength that he will bring to Colorado is his winning attitude.” – Hamilton coach Keelon Lawson
JERMYL JACKSON-WILSON, 6-5, 210, forward, sophomore transfer from Ohio State: “He will be a tough matchup for teams in the post. He would have started for us this season.” – CU coach Ricardo Patton
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
