DES MOINES, Iowa — George King had just hit the biggest shot of basketball life, and somehow his teammate was still finding a way to tease him about it.
“Why were you so lackadaisical after you hit that shot?” Colorado forward Wesley Gordon asked King, playing reporter in a news conference on Feb. 11 after King’s 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime helped CU extend a must-have game against Washington State it would eventually win.
“Was I really?” King said. “Everyone keeps saying that. I’ll have to look at it.”
Sure enough, King wore a stone-cold expression when he buried arguably the biggest shot of the Buffs’ season. No yelling. No fist-pumping. His is a fire that burns inside, and it has helped him go from mid-career redshirt to the Pac-12’s most improved player.
And, as CU (22-11) prepares to face Connecticut (24-10) in an NCAA Tournament first-round game here Thursday, it’s fair to wonder what position the Buffs would be in this season were it not for King.
“I put in a lot of work for a moment like this,” said the 6-foot-6 wing from San Antonio. “It’s one thing to train hard, but it’s another thing for everything you train so hard for to come to life. I’m just so proud that I did redshirt and didn’t take that year for granted.”
King was a late signee in 2013, and he struggled to find meaningful minutes as a freshman, averaging only 1.5 points over 27 games. When it came time for his sophomore season, there was a logjam at the wing position.
King had a choice. He could play and likely be relegated to the end of the bench again. Or, he could redshirt, go to work developing his game and come back the next season ready to make a more substantial impact.
There were no guarantees either way, but King chose a quiet year of anonimity. A post player in high school, he worked hard to master his guard skills, often staying after practice for extra shots. He sculpted his body, adding 25 pounds of muscle.
When he hit four 3-pointers in each of his first two games this season, it was clear the Buffs had a different player than the one who had played as a scrawny freshman.
“George has had a terrific year and this is just another chance for him, as well as the rest of our players, to demonstrate what he can do on the biggest stage in college basketball,” said CU coach Tad Boyle, who said he shudders to think where his team’s season may have turned had King not provided those heroics against Washington State. “This is what you work for as a coach when you’re recruiting. It’s what you work for as a player in the offseason with all the practices. I’m excited for George and what he can do.”
The Buffs will likely need a big contribution from King if they are to win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2012.
He will be opposing UConn’s talented 6-7 sophomore wing Daniel Hamilton, who is averaging 12.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. That only gets that quiet fire buring a little more.
“I’m the kind of guy who loves to play whoever has a buzz around themselves or whoever is out there making a name for himself,” he said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. That’s why you play basketball. That’s why you compete, to play against the best.”
Nick Kosmider: 303-954-1516, nkosmider@denverpost.com or @nickkosmider
