TL/DR: CU’s basketball NIL hasn’t been good enough to attract the 3 or so “difference maker” level players needed to boost Colorado into the top 1/3 of the Big 12 conference. Instead, CU landed one “difference maker” in Barrington Hargress. As a result, the Buffs may once again struggle to stay out of the cellar in the brutal Big 12 conference.
Let’s evaluate.
Rough Minutes Breakdown
This is a rough projection of playing time once CU hits the conference schedule. In other words, this is how we project that Colorado’s coaching staff will divvy up minutes by the start of Big 12 season.
| Position | Projected Minutes (Primary/Secondary) |
| C | Post Malone 30, Tacko Fawaz 10 |
| PF | Bangot Dak 30, Sebby Rancik 10 |
| SF | Sebby Rancik 20, Josiah Sanders 10, Jon Mani 10 |
| SG | Felix Kossaras 15, Josiah Sanders 15, Jalin Holland 10 |
| PG | Barrington Hargress 30, Felix Kossaras 10 |
Also: Isaiah Johnson, Ian Inman, Andrew Crawford.
CU returns a mix of familiar names in the frontcourt and new blood in the backcourt. The frontcourt rotation feels like it might hold up, but the backcourt? The backcourt does not bode particularly well for a successful Big 12 season.
How Good is Barrington Hargress?
Let’s start where every good team should: point guard. The Buffs went shopping in the mid-major aisle and came home with a very good player. Barrington Hargress, a 6-foot, 195-pound point guard from UC Riverside, joins the Buffs after two highly productive seasons in the Big West. Last season, Hargress averaged 20.2 PPG, 4.0 APG, 2.3 RPG on 44.4% FG shooting and 33% from deep. But forget the box score—the analytics paint a more compelling picture.
KenPom’s Advanced Metrics:
- Offensive Rating: 112.4 (on 28% usage, which is very high)
- Turnover Rate: 10.8% (anything below 15% is great — Hargress’ number is very, very good)
- Assist Rate: 29.6% (74th nationally, again very strong)
- Free Throw Rate: 38.2
- True Shooting %: 55.6%
Save our backcourt please, Mr. Hagress
For context, Colorado’s team turnover rate last year was 21.1%, which ranked 342nd out of 362 Division I teams. That’s not just bad—that’s CU under Tom Apke bad. Hargress’s 10.8% turnover rate is elite, especially considering how many possessions he initiated for UC Riverside. Boyle needed a floor general who could protect the ball and run the offense, and Hargress checks both boxes with a paint pen.
Hargress also brings shot creation to a team that too often relied on grinding, low-efficiency possessions. His usage rate (32.9%) at Riverside was top-50 nationally. This means that Harrington had the ball in his hands more than almost any player in the country last year and that good things happened when he had the ball. This is further confirmed by the fact that Hagress had the 11th most field goal attempts in the country last year, and his assist rate ranked in the 96th percentile of Division I players.
He was the centerpiece of the Highlanders’ offense and showed he could both get his own shot and facilitate for teammates. CU is going to need him to do the same thing in Boulder.
Even better: Hargress ranked in the top 20% in pick-and-roll efficiency (Synergy), and CU’s offense under Boyle increasingly favors spread PNR actions in a “5-out” offense. He may not be the most explosive athlete, but he’s a guard who manipulates defenses with IQ and timing.
Defensive Outlook: Hargress is not a stopper, but he competes. UC Riverside’s team defense ranked 113th nationally in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. Hargress held his own, especially considering the offensive load he carried. He’ll need to stay in front of more athletic guards in the Big 12, but the effort is there.
Bottom line: Hargress solves Colorado’s biggest problems from last season: turnovers and offensive cohesion. He should be a top-third of the Big 12 point guard and will immediately become CU’s most important player. Is it unrealistic to expect him to be the next great CU guard, following guys like Spencer Dinwiddie, Derrick White, McKinley Wright and KJ Simpson? Maybe not.
Who in the World is Going to Play the 2 Guard?
Ah, the 2 guard. The ol’ shooting guard. Or, as we say at CU, “the existential void.” While the point guard role looks locked in, the off-guard spot is an adventure in recruiting optimism. The candidates:
Felix Kossaras
- Height/Weight: 6’5″, 190 lbs.
- 2024 Stats: 2.1 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 42% FG
- Turnover Rate: 24.6% (!!)
- KenPom Offensive Rating: 91.3
Can Felix become more than Just a Guy?
The Canadian import has the physical tools to be a successful high-major player but Kossaras struggled to adjust to the speed and physicality of big time college basketball. His high turnover percentage suggests decision-making is still a work in progress. The hope is that Kossaras, playing off the ball more this season, will not have to worry as much about being the lead guard and instead can be a good 3-and-D style guard. The Buffs like his ability to guard multiple positions and his developing outside shot, but he’s far from reliable. The former 4-star recruit needs to show now that he can play at this level.
Jon Mani
- Height/Weight: 6’6″, 200 lbs.
- 2024 Stats (at Denver): 2.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 30% 3P%
- KenPom Offensive Rating: 88.2
- Minutes: 14.2 MPG in 30 appearances
Mani was the highest-rated recruit in DU history but struggled to produce on a very bad Summit League team. His usage was low, and his efficiency was worse. But he has size, a decent shooting stroke, and could be a better fit in CU’s 5-out offensive system. Still, he’s a flier. Boyle sees potential, but at this point, there hasn’t been the production that makes people think he’ll be competitive in the Big 12. It wouldn’t surprise us if Mani plays small forward some due to the dearth of traditional wing players on the roster.
Josiah Sanders
- Height/Weight: 6’4″, 200 lbs.
- Ranking: #122 nationally (247 Sports), #1 in Colorado
Sanders is the highest ranked recruit in CU’s freshman class.
CU fans will be tempted to project Sanders as a high-level player right away. And while Sanders is physical, shifty, and brings a fearless scoring mentality, he’s a true freshman and there’s some concern about his ability to create shots against high-level defenses. CU needs him to contribute early, and if he hits the ground running, he could seize the starting SG role by January. However, relying on a true freshman that isn’t a top 50-type player to be a starting guard in the Big 12 is dangerous, dangerous territory.
Jalin Holland
- Height/Weight: 6’4″, 195 lbs.
- Ranking: #128 nationally, #5 in Arizona
- 2024 Stats (HS/Prep): 25.4 PPG as a junior
Another 4-star freshman, Holland has the physical maturity and scoring pedigree to play this season. Boyle praised his defensive ability and toughness. In many ways, Holland and Sanders are battling for the same minutes, and both might see time together if CU goes small. Holland’s outside shot is going to determine how much playing time Holland gets – he was omore of an athlete than a shooter at the high school level. Holland committed to CU over offers from Oklahoma, Arizona State, BYU, Texas, Washington, TCU, San Diego State, and more.
Holland has a good combination of size and strength but needs to add polish to his game.
Adam Finkelstein, 247’s Director of Scouting, had the following to say about Holland:
“Holland is a big, power guard. He’s strong and physical with a college ready body and obvious toughness. He has the potential to be a very versatile defender because of his overlap of size, strength, and sheer competitiveness. He already guards multiple positions, gets his hands on a lot of balls, and is even pretty quick off his feet challenging plays at the rim when rotating from the weakside of the floor, which should translate to him being a pretty valuable low man, for a perimeter player, at the next level. Offensively, he’s not unskilled, but could still stand to polish his game with the ball. He’s a shooting threat from behind the arc, but not totally pure with his release (31% 3pt in 3SSB play).”
The Big Picture: None of these guys are proven. Kossaras is mistake-prone. Mani is untested at this level. Sanders and Howard are talented…but freshmen. Colorado’s success at SG will depend on one or two of them developing fast. I’m not particularly optimistic. Tad Boyle will likely regret the fact that he couldn’t attract a more highly regarded off-guard/wing transfer this offseason.
Is ThIs a Big 12-level Backcourt?
The answer is probably not. The Big 12 isn’t just the best basketball conference—it’s a nightly Thunderdome. The average KenPom ranking of Big 12 teams last season was 35.4. Seven teams finished in the top 30 in adjusted defensive efficiency. There are no off nights.
So where does CU’s backcourt stand?
- Point Guard: CU is going to be good here so long as Hargress is healthy. Hargress brings experience, efficiency, and floor leadership.
- Shooting Guard: Eek. The Buffs are leaning on freshmen and developmental players.
Let’s look at the other freshmen guards that will be depth players for Colorado this upcoming season:
Ian Inman
Inman will be the best shooter on CU’s roster.
- 6’5 SF from Texas
- Ranked #270 player nationally and #29 player in Texas.
- Committed to CU over offers from West Virginia, Wichita State, Tulsa, Rice, George Mason, and CSU.
- Known for his shooting ability. CU assistant coach Mike Rohn has said that Inman is “the best shooter we’ve recruited in a long time.”
- Needs to work on his athleticism to be able to play at Big 12 level. Still, if Hargress can create shots for his CU teammates as well as he did at UC Riverside last year, there will be opportunities for guys that can knock down open 3s. Inman will do that. Therefore, it wouldn’t be totally shocking in Inman plays a much bigger role on the team that I initially expect.
Isaiah Johnson
- 6’1 PG from California
- Ranked #231 player nationally and the #27 player from California.
- Committed to CU over offers from Denver, Rice, New Mexico State and San Diego, UC Davis, and UC Riverside.
- A late bloomer, Johnson averaged 26.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game as a senior in high school at Village Valley Campbell Hall.
- Father is a basketball trainer that works with Kluch Sports, and his commitment to CU drew social media responses from LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.
Check out the comments from some of the NBA’s royalty.
These two are rotation guys for now but could play spot minutes if the upperclassmen falter. Inman has a mature game and his shooting may mean that he plays some minutes this season, while Johnson is more of a long-term project.
Final Thoughts
This is a backcourt with one proven player (Hargress), and then wild cards. It’s not a finished product. But if Boyle can get even 80% of Hargress’s UC Riverside production and one of Sanders/Howard to pop, Colorado will have a chance to be competitive in the Big 12.
If the wild cards don’t learn quickly? Well…it’s going to be a long season of leaning praying the young guards figure it out before the end of the season.
Stay tuned for Part 2: Looks Like a Basketball Roster: Frontcourt.