Colorado Basketball Gearing Up For European Trip
Coming off of one of the best seasons in school history the Colorado Buffaloes are now set to travel across the pond and showcase their talents in Europe.
Head coach Tad Boyle and the rest of his Colorado basketball team will play five games over in Europe in order to prepare for the upcoming season. The official schedule has not been announced but they are set to play two games in Paris (August 15-16) one game in Antwerp (August 19), one game in Amsterdam (August 20) and then one more game to finish their road trip. While over in Europe the Buffs will take on AW France Elite “Pro A” All-Stars, Optima Ghent, Gembo and Rotterdam Challengers.
The trip to Europe will be extremely beneficial to next season’s success for a few different reasons. The Buffs will be allowed to have ten full team practices before they head off on August 13; as of today they have five left before they leave. During those practices, Boyle will be able to install offensive and defensive sets and it will give the incoming freshmen a chance to adapt to the higher level of play sooner than the majority of freshmen around the country. The trip will also allow the team to create some chemistry and camaraderie before the season starts in late November.
Colorado is looking to defend their Pac 12 Championship and they should have a good shot at doing just that. Andre Roberson, Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker are the main threats returning and with the addition of the six freshmen they should have an even more potent lineup. Freshmen Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson should crack the starting rotation once the season rolls around but this trip will be used to experiment with all the different rotations Boyle will have at his disposal.
With so many young players, including the six incoming freshmen, any extra practice and playing time they can get before the actual season starts will go a long way towards their development and progression. It should be a great experience for the entire squad and a great learning experience to prepare them for the 2012 season.
