BOULDER — During a recent intrasquad scrimmage, Colorado’s Bryce Peters showed he wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty on defense, nor was he afraid to attack the rim.
The 6-foot-4 guard even slammed a couple of thunderous dunks that elicited a barrage of “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd as he displayed a level of confidence rare for a freshman.
“He definitely sticks out, there’s no doubt about that. That could be a very positive attribute and so I’m excited about his future. I really am,” coach Tad Boyle said. “No question, Bryce is a very confident player. He believes in his abilities, and thatap half the battle — that you believe that you belong. He certainly does belong.”
Because he grew up playing against older guys, Peters said he gained confidence early on. “I just go out there and look at it as I lace up my shoes the same way they do, those other college basketball players.”
Coming out of La Verne (Calif.) Damien High School, ESPN.com rated Peters a four-star recruit. He already appears to be molding with Boyle’s system, especially on defense. Thatap huge in the seventh-year coach’s defense-first state of mind.
“I think defensively I bring a different edge on-ball,” Peters said. “Off the ball defense I’ve gotten way better, because I didn’t play off-ball defense (in high school).”
While Boyle said Peters’ ball pressure ultimately convinced his staff to offer a scholarship, that wasn’t what first caught their attention.
“Bryce is a very aggressive, explosive offensive player,” Boyle said. “He plays with great energy, and I think that was the thing that first attracted our staff to him. He can really score the ball a lot of different ways, he can shoot, and he can attack the rim.”
Peters received 26 scholarship offers and took official visits to CU, Wyoming and UNLV.
“I wanted to get out of California because everybody knew me, but I didn’t want to go too far from home,” Peters said. “Colorado’s just chill, super great, and on my visit I felt like I was already part of the team. The family atmosphere really brought me here.”
Before his visit to Boulder, Peters said he didn’t pay much attention to CU but knew about the program through his friend, Spencer Dinwiddie, a former Buffaloes star who has played in the NBA and is currently in the D-League.
“Growing up I played with Spencer in the small pro-am leagues, and I found out he went to CU, because we both had the same high school coach,” Peters said.
Boyle doesn’t think Peters will see many minutes early in the season, but “time will tell” how much he’ll play later on.
“I’m not sure he knows what he’s going up against yet in terms of Pac-12 level play, but he’s not afraid of anybody,” Boyle said. “I like the fact that he’s aggressive, I like the fact that he’s confident.
“We just got to make sure we keep it in check and he keeps it in check. The message I’m giving to Bryce is you got to stay humble, and you got to stay hungry. If he does those two things, he’s going to be fine as long as he takes care of his business off the court.”
