BOULDER — Colorado sophomore Tre’Shaun Fletcher recalls bouncing a small basketball when he was 3 years old. If his introduction to the game occurred earlier, well, he must have been too young to remember.
But it very well could have happened soon after Fletcher learned to walk, because his two brothers were eager to pass down their love for the sport. That’s one reason sitting out two months last season with a knee injury was so difficult for the 6-foot-7 guard-forward from Tacoma, Wash.
“I’d never been off the court for that long in my life,” he said. “It was hard.”
With Fletcher’s family and friends watching from the stands, he suffered a torn MCL and meniscus in his left knee late in the first half of a 71-54 loss at Washington on Jan. 12.
One of Colorado’s top reserves, Fletcher went down less than two minutes after CU star point guard Spencer Dinwiddie wrecked his left knee. Both players had surgery after the Buffaloes returned to Boulder. The school’s medical staff said Fletcher would be out six to eight weeks. Dinwiddie’s injury was more serious. He suffered a torn ACL and was done for the season, after which he declared for the NBA draft.
“I couldn’t believe it happened to both of us,” Fletcher said.
The Buffs led the Huskies 29-26 at halftime. Perhaps in shock after seeing two teammates being helped off the court, the Buffs were outscored by 20 points in the second half.
CU was 14-2 before that game in Seattle. The Buffs finished with a 23-12 record, including a 77-48 pummeling by Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament.
“Everybody talks about Spencer, but we lost two long, athletic guys that we were counting on,” CU coach Tad Boyle said.
Fletcher returned to the court for the Pac-12 Tournament but, understandably, lacked explosiveness and was a bit tentative. He averaged six minutes of playing time at the conference tournament and logged 12 minutes in the blowout loss to Pittsburgh.
In retrospect, he said he probably tried to return too soon.
“But I wanted to be back out there so much,” he said. “I just love playing basketball.”
It’s that love for the game that explains Fletcher’s reaction during the offseason when Boyle suggested that Fletcher consider redshirting this season. Fletcher declined.
“I told Coach that I wanted to play this year,” he said. “It felt like, with last year, I had sat out a season already.”
Boyle always leaves a redshirt decision to the player. He was not surprised by Fletcher’s response. But Boyle believes taking a redshirt season could have helped Fletcher catch up on all that he had missed. He played in only three regular-season conference games before suffering the knee injury.
“Missing that time hurt him, there’s no question,” Boyle said. “It was right in the meat of the Pac-12 schedule. Especially as a freshman, those are great learning opportunities that he missed out on.
“Fletch’s best basketball days are ahead of him. Becoming consistent is his challenge, as it is for most young players. Last year, he missed all that experience. He missed out on the Pac-12’s night in and night out high-level games. He missed out on the mental preparation — playing Thursday night and then having to bounce back for Saturday.”
Fletcher is one of Colorado’s most versatile players. Defensively, he feels more comfortable against perimeter players. But with his length, he can defend down low when necessary.
Coaches appreciate Fletcher’s appreciation for defense and his unselfishness. He may be one of CU’s best passers and is a good rebounder for his size, averaging 2.2 boards in limited minutes. His offense is a work in progress. Coming off the bench, he’s averaged 4.1 points per game, and is hitting 53.6 percent of his shots from the field.
“I think Tre’Shaun’s confidence is going back up,” CU senior guard Askia Booker said. “It was tough for him to miss all those games last season. Now, he’s getting a chance to be a basketball player. He’s getting a chance to show what he can do.”
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or
Did you know?
Before his senior season at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., the name in the box scores had been Tre’Shaun Lexing. Raised by a single parent, he changed his last name to Fletcher to honor his disabled mother by taking her maiden name. Bobby Ann Fletcher moved her family from Arkansas to the Pacific Northwest when Tre’Shaun was in the seventh grade and had begun making friends with the wrong crowd.
