BOULDER — As Colorado’s only senior on scholarship, Askia Booker knows it’s time for him to step up and become a different player. On the court and off.
Colorado (23-12 in 2013-14) opens its season at home Friday night against Drexel (16-14), and the Buffaloes need the energetic Booker to tighten up his game with fewer mistakes and, just as important, become a team leader and mouthpiece for the coaching staff.
That’s a ton of responsibility placed upon the shoulders of the 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard who, for most of the past three seasons, was able to do his thing while the spotlight remained focused on Spencer Dinwiddie.
The pecking order changed immediately when Dinwiddie announced in April that he would declare for the NBA. Dinwiddie now plays for the Detroit Pistons.
“This is Askia’s team,” CU assistant coach Rodney Billups said. “He’s the only senior. His teammates are going to look to him.”
Booker said he is ready to take on additional leadership duties. He was thrust into that role to a lesser degree Jan. 12, when Dinwiddie suffered a season-ending knee injury in Seattle. Never reluctant to speak his mind, Booker did just that. But he acknowledges now that he really didn’t know how to be a leader.
“Sometimes, I would snap on teammates,” Booker said. “It wasn’t that I didn’t like somebody or had hatred toward them. I just wanted to win so bad.
“When we hit a wall (adversity) in a game, we can’t snap and I can’t snap,” Booker added. “We have to come together, buckle down and get through it. I think a reason why some of our players broke down last year was because I was too hard of them instead of being encouraging. I have to learn from that.”
During the offseason, CU coaches conducted leadership seminars for Booker and others.
“Being a voice in the locker room is probably Askia’s weakness,” Billups said. “He’s always talking but not always saying the right things. His voice is so big. If he’s just on the same page with us and our team goals, all the leadership stuff will take care of itself.”
On the court, Booker knows he must make every possession count. The Los Angeles native averaged a personal-best 13.7 points last season. But he shot just 38.9 percent from the floor, including a frigid 27.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
Often playing recklessly, Booker may have led the nation in how often he drove unabashedly into a lane filled with long-armed defenders ready to smother him.
“The thing I want ‘Ski’ to realize is he doesn’t have to win a game by himself,” CU coach Tad Boyle said. “He just has to make simple basketball plays. If he continues to fight the game and it gets in his head, we’ll have more of the same.”
A team goal is to advance past their opening game in the NCAA Tournament. Booker is the only active player on the Buffs’ roster who has reached a second game, having done that as a freshman.
The 77-48 pounding by Pittsburgh that sent the Buffs home from the 2014 NCAA Tournament still sticks in their craw.
“I have taken things personally,” Booker said. “People don’t think we can win without Spencer. They don’t think we’re good enough to beat a team like Pitt. I have a fire in my stomach to show people that doubt us. I know what we can do. I know what we will do.”
Jayhawks transfer to visit. As soon as this weekend, CU expects a visit from former Kansas guard Conner Frankamp, who informed KU coach Bill Self in October that he planned to transfer. Frankamp is a sophomore in eligibility.
Known for his long-range shooting ability, Frankamp visited his hometown school, Wichita State, last week. He was rated a four-star prospect and national top-50 recruit coming out of Wichita North High School.
Frankamp played sparingly last season for Kansas as a freshman, averaging 2.2 points per game. Frankamp did average 11 points in the NCAA Tournament. “I love KU … (but) I want to be at a place where I can play a bigger role,” Frankamp told reporters after his announcement.
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or
Askia Booker file
6-foot-2, 175 pounds; Senior guard
Hometown: Los Angeles
Career scoring average (three seasons): 11.7
Best scoring season: 13.7 in 2013-14
Career FG percentage: .382
Best FG season: .402 in 2011-12
Career FT percentage: .771
Best FT season: .818 in 2013-14
Most points: 27 vs. Oregon, Jan. 5, 2014
Most assists: 12 at UCLA, Feb. 13, 2014
Most steals: 5 at Arizona State, Jan. 25, 2014
Source: CU sports information
