BOULDER — A freshman guard on the Colorado men’s basketball team, Cory Higgins was sorting through his travel bag before a recent road trip when it became time to load up the bus for the drive to DIA. Higgins figured he couldn’t be too careful.
“I had to make sure everything was in here,” he said while zipping up the bag. “You can’t trust managers to do those things.”
At age 18, how could Higgins possibly be mature enough to know that?
“You’re talking about a kid whose father’s best friend is Michael,” CU coach Jeff Bzdelik said.
Yes, that Michael. Rod Higgins played 13 seasons in the NBA and was a third-year pro with the Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan arrived as a rookie in 1984. Jordan, part owner of the NBA’s Charlotte franchise, hired Rod Higgins earlier this year to be general manager of the Bobcats. Higgins had been general manager at Golden State.
Cory Higgins, a 6-foot-5 wing guard and instant starter for the Buffs, has been around the game’s highest level all his life. He served as a ball boy for the Warriors and is friends with Jordan’s two sons.
It’s no wonder Higgins displays a cool temperament on the court, the demeanor of a much older player. He certainly has a feel for the game. In Colorado’s opener, Higgins made an impact all over the court with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and a game-high three steals against New Mexico.
“If you had walked into the arena and didn’t know, you wouldn’t have guessed that Cory was the freshman in the lineup,” CU assistant Steve McClain said afterward.
Through five games, Higgins is averaging 6.2 points and leads the team with eight steals. He became Bzdelik’s only scholarship signee last spring after the former Air Force and Nuggets coach arrived in Boulder. Higgins looks to be quite a find — he didn’t make any national top-150 recruiting lists.
“Cory fell under the radar a little bit,” Rod Higgins said.
The younger Higgins earned a spot in the starting lineup as a freshman at Monte Vista (Calif.) High School but then leveled off as a player. Midway through Cory’s senior year, Rod placed his son in The Pendleton School at Bradenton, Fla., where Cory could work under fitness instructors at the prestigious IMG Academy nearby.
“That changed his body,” Rod said. “The workouts there are top-notch. The facilities are top-notch. Cory already had the diligence. He wants to be successful. He always envisioned himself that way.”
Higgins certainly doesn’t appear to be intimidated by his new surroundings.
“Guys like Cory and me, I think we got a jump-start because we had somebody in the house always talking about basketball,” said CU sophomore Xavier Silas, whose father, James, played professionally for 10 seasons and had his No. 13 jersey retired by the San Antonio Spurs. “It’s just a different way to grow up than most guys.”
It rubs off.
“Cory was around Michael Jordan a ton when he was growing up,” Rod Higgins said. “He got tight with Chris Mullin. When you’ve been around people of that caliber, the shock part or being in awe of new surroundings is not going to affect you like it would others.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
