Shane Harris-Tunks had never been called a metaphor, but the 6-foot-11 Colorado redshirt realized that, yeah, his towering stature could be symbolic of the future. Things are looking up for the Buffaloes.
That could be said of just about every Division I men’s and women’s basketball program along the Front Range.
“It certainly seems like teams around here are on the rise,” CU men’s coach Tad Boyle said.
The Colorado men’s team could take a bit of a dip, with the departures of seniors Cory Higgins, Levi Knutson and Marcus Relphorde and the possible loss of sensational sophomore guard Alec Burks to the NBA.
But Harris-Tunks, a soph- omore from Australia, couldn’t be more eager to help keep Colorado reaching new heights next season when the Buffs make their debut in the new Pac-12.
Harris-Tunks was called the most improved player on the team before he tore an ACL in an October practice and needed knee surgery. That ended his season before it began.
Having attacked the physical rehabilitation with the same gusto as he would an opponent in a game, Harris- Tunks lost his limp within a week or two of the surgery.
He is scheduled to begin light workouts this month and could be cleared for full- speed drills by early May.
There is no telling what impact Harris-Tunks might have made on the current season if he had been available. With just two or three additional victories, CU could have avoided the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Before the ACL tear, Boyle said Harris-Tunks had been the team’s best baseline defender. He also set road- block screens for CU jump shooters and hit them with a kick-out pass.
“I’m not going to be a guy that comes back and scores 30 points a game,” said Harris- Tunks, who was seldom used as a freshman by then-Buffs coach Jeff Bzdelik. “But I think I can help by giving guys good screens and being a big enough threat inside that they have to respect that.”
CU will be counting on the big man. The Buffs will return two junior starters in guard Nate Tomlinson and 6-9 Austin Dufault, who can move to his more natural position at forward when Harris-Tunks returns. Carlon Brown, a 6-5 senior guard, becomes eligible after sitting out the season as a transfer from Utah. A high flier known for his dunks, Brown averaged 12.6 points in his last season at Utah and figures to be CU’s go-to scorer next season. Andre Roberson, a 6-7 rebounding machine as a freshman, has unlimited potential and supplies another piece to Boyle’s plan.
CU signed three recruits in November and could land one or two more this spring. Several will need to contribute immediately, especially 6-4 point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and 6-7, 230-pound power forward Damiene Cain, both from Los Angeles.
“We’re going to miss guys next year,” Tomlinson said. “But we’re going to have some talent as well.”
The same could be said for Division I men’s and women’s teams up and down the Front Range. Colorado State loses powerful Andy Ogide, but coach Tim Miles has a wealth of depth. Northern Colorado must replace several seniors, including Big Sky player of the year Devon Beitzel, but recruiting has been strong.
UNC’s women’s team may be the Big Sky’s best.
First-year CU women’s coach Linda Lappe will find out next season what life is like without career 2,000- point scorer Brittany Spears, but the Buffs return flashy point guard Chucky Jeffery and reinforcements are on the way.
The men’s and women’s teams at the University of Denver are filled with optimism.
And Boyle said Air Force men’s coach Jeff Reynolds “may have done the best job of any of us in the way his team improved.”
College basketball along the Front Range is back.
“That’s good to see,” Boyle said. “That will help everybody.”
SPOTLIGHT ON
Neal Kingman, F, UNC
Talk about a local boy making good, Kingman recently was named co-Big Sky Conference player of the week after the 6-foot-7, 220-pound senior forward averaged 18.5 points, four rebounds and two assists in victories over North Dakota and Northern Arizona.
Then-UNC coach Tad Boyle didn’t have to go far to find Kingman, recruiting him out of Greeley West High, where he was an all-state selection as a senior. Kingman redshirted his first season with the Bears because of an injury and has improved each season.
He saved his best for last, averaging double figures for the first time (10.7) in his college career this season. His scoring threat is needed to take some pressure off senior guard Devon Beitzel (21.0).
