KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Speaking during the annual Big 12 men’s basketball media day, Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik said his team will play “fearless” this season.
Colorado went 9-22 last season and won just one of 16 conference games. The Buffaloes were picked in the preseason coaches poll to finish in last place, but Bzdelik said his team will be improved.
Five newcomers have joined a roster that includes just one senior, guard Dwight Thorne II.
“We will be better,” Bzdelik said. “We’re in an unforgiving league called the Big 12. So, we’ll just take it one day at a time. We will be prepared. We will play hard. We’ll be fearless. We’ll see where that takes us.”
The 2008-09 Buffaloes lost 11 games by an average of 4 1/2 points.
“Last year, we weren’t deep enough, strong enough, mature enough,” Bzdelik added. “We’ve gotten deeper, with the addition of new players. We’ve gotten maturity and strength with working hard in the weight room. And we gained valuable experience from last year with playing (four players) 30-plus minutes.”
Bzdelik said 6-foot-11 freshman center Shane Harris-Tunks of Australia is not yet ready to be a force inside, so rebounding must come from every position.
Bzdelik also told reporters that 6-6 freshman guard Alec Burks, who hails from suburban Kansas City, “will surprise some people” this season. “He’s a much more talented Richard Roby when (Roby) was a freshman,” the coach said.
