BOULDER — College is all about adjustments, but for Austin Dufault, the move to Boulder may as well have been a move to Brazil.
First, he moved from microscopic Killdeer, N.D., population 900. His Killdeer High had 120 students. His graduating class had 30. He’s had classes at Colorado with more students than his entire high school.
Then there’s that whole climate change. He remembers days in southwest North Dakota that reached 40-below. That’s without the wind chill. “You walk outside and the snot in your nose instantly freezes,” he said.
He comes to Colorado with 300 sunny days a year, where last week’s 8-below temps actually made him homesick.
But those are mere yawning annoyances compared to his adjustment on the basketball court. He has gone from a shooting guard in North Dakota’s lowest high school classification to center in the Big 12.
If you think Colorado has a gaping maw inside because of Dufault, keep in mind he’s playing woefully out of position. The program lists the 6-foot-9, 225-pound junior as a forward. However, he was raised as a guard and defends centers in the Big 12.
“Austin’s giving us everything he’s got,” first-year Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “He is playing out of position, but offensively he’s able to stretch the defense for us.”
Yet he doesn’t play on the perimeter much because he’s playing with four guards. That’s the problem with the Buffaloes (15-10, 4-6 Big 12), who’ve lost six of their last seven with postseason hopes fading entering tonight’s home game against Kansas State (16-8, 4-5).
Defensively, Dufault is stuck inside trying to defend the likes of Kansas’ All-American twin towers, Marcus and Markieff Morris. Wednesday night, Texas A&M’s muscular 6-8, 230-pound David Loubeau jump hooked over Dufault for 14 points, including four in overtime, in the Buffs’ heartbreaking 73-70 loss.
“I just got to play smarter than them and use my feet,” Dufault said. “Some nights I don’t get as many rebounds, but I try to keep my guy from getting offensive rebounds.”
In 34 minutes, Dufault had nine points and only four rebounds in a game in which Colorado got manhandled on the boards, 40-29. He did get four blocks and is averaging 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 23.2 minutes a game.
How he ended up carrying Colorado’s entire front line on his shoulders is a story of bloodlines and injury. His father, Rich, started at point guard for four years at NAIA Valley City (N.D.) State.
Besides teaching him how to hunt — yes, they do kill deer in Killdeer — Rich drilled into Austin all the guard skills, from ballhandling to shooting to running a team. Despite a growth spurt that turned the 6-2 eighth grader into a 6-7 high school sophomore, Dufault continued terrorizing North Dakota’s Class B high schools from the perimeter.
Playing for his dad at Killdeer, he wound up North Dakota’s Mr. Basketball.
Expected to become a power forward this season, he got stuck in the middle when 6-11 sophomore Shane Harris-Tunks tore his ACL on Oct. 28.
“I’ve never had a jump hook in my life,” said Dufault, who can now shoot them with both hands. “I used to just take guys off the dribble. I never really had to post guys up. It’s gotten a lot better but I don’t shoot a lot in games.”
Next season, Dufault should move to power forward with Harris-Tunks returning, incoming freshman 6-6, 230-pound Damiene Cain arriving and the possible development of 6-10 junior Trey Eckloff and 7-foot freshman Ben Mills.
“Offensively, I know (Dufault) gets frustrated,” Boyle said, “because he doesn’t fancy himself as a low-block player, even though I think his post moves have gotten 100 percent better.”
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
Notebook
Kansas State (16-8, 4-5): Colorado’s only Big 12 road victory this season was a big one: 74-66 at Manhattan, Kan., on Jan. 12 over the then-No. 21 Wildcats. Kansas State got 22 points from senior guard Jacob Pullen but shot just 40.4 percent from the field as a team. . . . Starting post player Curtis Kelly, a 6-8 senior, is the subject of an investigation by the athletic department for a possible violation of the student-athlete handbook, according to the Kansas City Star. He is expected to play today, coach Frank Martin told the Star. . . . Since the loss to Colorado, sophomore forward Wally Judge has left the program.
Colorado (15-10, 4-6): After beginning its final Big 12 schedule with three victories, CU has lost six of its past seven. . . . Wednesday night’s overtime loss to Texas A&M dropped the Buffs to 12-2 at home this season. The other home loss was to Kansas. . . . The win at Manhattan snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Wildcats. CU hasn’t swept the home-and-home with Kansas State since 2004. . . . Sophomore guard Alec Burks was named to the 2010-11 Naismith midseason top 30 list, which was announced Friday. . . . The game will be preceded by the women’s CU vs. Texas Tech game at 4 p.m.
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
