In an effort to fill needs following a disappointing 16-18 season, Colorado men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle has gone Euro.
On Wednesday, Colorado announced the signing of two players from Europe: Thomas Akyazili, a 6-foot-2 combination guard from Belgium, and Kenan Guzonjic, a 6-8 forward from Bosnia.
Akyazili will be a freshman this fall. Guzonjic played one year of junior-college basketball at Midland (Texas) College and will be a CU sophomore for 2015-16 with three years of eligibility.
The spring signing period for basketball and several sports other than football began Wednesday. It runs through May 20.
“We’re trying something different,” said Boyle of the first international players signed during his five years at CU.
Boyle said he had not planned to target international players during this recruiting cycle, but things could not have worked out much better. He believes the program added two “highly skilled” players who will arrive with maturity and shooting ability.
Akyazili plays as an amateur on a club team with professionals in his hometown of Antwerp, Belgium, where he usually competes against older, more experienced players. He also starred on Belgium’s Under-18 national team, averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Able to play point guard or shooting guard, Akyazili only visited two schools, Colorado and St. John’s of the Big East. Boyle said Akyazili can shoot from long range but also has the size and strength to get to the rim.
Colorado has lost two guards from this season, with senior Askia Booker having completed his eligibility and sophomore Jaron Hopkins electing to leave the team and seek a transfer to another program.
Atop Colorado’s recruiting board had been 6-4 Tyler Dorsey of Bellflower, Calif. When Dorsey extended an oral commitment to Oregon in February, Boyle’s attention turned to Akyazili, who had visited CU last summer and also attended Stephen Curry’s Under Armour Top 20 guard camp in the California Bay Area.
“Our guard play was substandard, and we knew we needed to add a highly skilled guard, a really dependable guard,” Boyle said. “Thomas is a very quality player who is mature beyond his years. He’s got great skills.
“Now, there is going to be a transition period for him, as there are for all college freshmen,” Boyle added. “But hopefully what should accelerate that is the fact that he has played against high-level players. Thomas takes the game seriously; he wants to become a professional basketball player. But he also understands the value of an education at a school like Colorado.”
Boyle discovered Guzonjic while scouting another player at Midland College during the 2013-14 season. Guzonjic suffered a minor knee injury and elected to spend this academic year back home in Bosnia so he could rehabilitate his knee and preserve a year of Division I eligibility rather than play a second year of junior-college ball.
Guzonjic picked Colorado over Buffalo, Loyola Marymount and Southern Mississippi. Boyle said CU would have had to battle power-conference schools for Guzonjic if he had remained at Midland College but Guzonjic dropped off the radar somewhat after returning to Bosnia.
An older brother, Esmir Guzonjic, earned 2007 Division II All-America honors while playing for North Alabama. Kenan Guzonjic played one year at Cathedral High School in El Paso, Texas, prior to his season at the junior college level.
Boyle expects Guzonjic to replace 6-7 sophomore Dustin Thomas, who left the team and is seeking to transfer elsewhere. Boyle hopes that Guzonjic can be a more consistent shooter and stronger rebounder than Thomas.
“Kenan is a tough kid,” Boyle said. “He’s 240 pounds, he’s rock solid, he shoots it and he’s a very good passer. He’s a typical European player in that he’s skilled. But he also has some physicality to him.”
Outside shooting has not been a strength of Colorado during the past two seasons and Boyle believes his team has added four shooting threats with Akyazili and Guzonjic, the return of 6-6 sophomore George King from a redshirt year and the addition of 6-5 junior Josh Fortune, who transferred from Providence and impressed CU staff and players while practicing with the Buffs this past season.
Colorado has room for one more newcomer. Boyle said he always keeps on the lookout for a potential transfer that would be a good fit.
Colorado State is expected to sign 6-foot-8 power forward Kimani Jackson of New Mexico Junior College. Originally from Arlington, Texas, Jackson is rated four stars by .
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or
