New head basketball coach Tad Boyle didn't waste much time on the job as he has received his first two commitments at Colorado. Boyle, just over two weeks on the job, had to get a jump on things with the late recruiting period starting in April and it looks like mission accomplished.
6'5" G Carlon Brown, a junior transfer from the University of Utah, has decided against entering the NBA draft early and play one more year at the University of Colorado. Brown will have to sit out next year due to NCAA transfer rules but the timing could be perfect. With G Cory Higgins entering his senior year in Boulder and the potential of G Alec Burks heading to the NBA early, Brown would be a good option to fill some of the void at the guard spot. Many Division-I schools wouldn't take a third year transfer considering they have to sit out a year but with Higgins and Burks potentially leaving after the 2010-2011 season, this is a good plan for the program.
It is also a good plan because Brown can certainly play.
Brown was Utah's leading scorer last year averaging 12.6 points per game in 28.7 minutes. It looks like Brown made the right choice to come back to school considering 103 early entrants filed paper work for the NBA draft, including Carlon. Multiple NBA teams expressed interest in Brown but many agree with his decision to come back to school and work on his game.
Brown acted unhappy at times last season, and there were rumors he might want to transfer. After starting for two seasons, Brown was asked to come off the bench early last season and only started 12 games.
In a statement released by the university, Brown said, "I am very thankful for my time at Utah. But I feel now it's in my best interest to explore all of my other options. I appreciate the chance to be a Ute, but I think my playing style and skill set may fit better in another situation."
Brown also visited Kent State but ended up deciding to attend Colorado. In an article from Buffzone, Brown thinks he can bring versatility to a team:
"I can be used at different positions at any time," he said. "I think I can play offensively one through three, I think I can guard one through three. I can bring the ball up. I can shoot. I can pass. I can make plays for teammates. I can finish well at the rim, and I think I can bring some leadership and experience to either team.
"I think I`ve got a lot of attributes I can bring to a team and help build a culture or help sustain one."
The second signature of the weekend is from 6'8" 190 pound Texas high school prospect Andre Roberson. Roberson was being recruited by Tulsa, Penn State, Texas, UNLV, UCLA and Clemson. Roberson averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior at Wagner High in Texas. According to the blog Texas Basketball Inc, it sounds like the Buffs got a pretty good player: I've said for a year plus now that in my opinion Roberson was the prospect with the biggest upside in the Central Texas area in the Class of 2010. I watched the lanky wing fight 6'9" 250 Keith Davis of Desoto in the Texas 5A State Semi Finals last year and the youngster had 17 rebounds against the burly Texas A&M commit. Roberson has a superior outside shot, defends bigger guys in the post with his length and is a nightmare matchup on the perimeter when he takes other 3/4 men off the dribble. Despite his still slender frame Roberson is adept at finishing in traffic and tries to dunk everything. Look for Roberson to make an impact immediately as a freshman. He'll be an outstanding 3/4 matchup as the Buffaloes look to build the program to the upper echelon of the Big XII. In addition to UNLV & Penn State he also had offers from Wichita State and Tulsa amongst others. UTSATailgators.com called Roberson "arguably the best player in the San Antonio area" and thinks his "consistent production" makes him a quality prospect: Andre Roberson of Wagner played like a man possessed night in night out this past year and had very solid senior season for the Wagner Thunderbirds. In two key regional matchups at the UTSA convo, Roberson posted stat lines of 20 points, 11 boards and 6 blocks against Laredo United. He followed that up the next day in the regional final with 16 points & 8 boards against Judson. In days leading up to the regional action, the San Antonio Express News had Andre Roberson averaging 15 points & 11 rebounds a game. This type of consistent production has gotten Andre Roberson a lot of recruiting attention over the last couple of weeks and the hometown D1 school, UTSA, has been in contact.
Roberson had just returned from his official visit to Penn State this past weekend and for a while definitely looked like he was headed to the Big Ten. A late surge in recruiting from the Denver Tourney had UNLV making a late offer and also drew renewed interest from UCLA. As soon as Roberson returned from Penn State the savy Colorado staff had the youngster headed for the beautiful Colorado campus this past Wednesday and Thursday.
Big props have to go out to Colorado Assistant Tommy Abedemarco for keeping the fire burning with Roberson as he was the only coach who made the transition from the old staff and was retained by new Head Coach Tad Boyle.
Roberson's stock looked to be on the rise over the past couple of months as well:
As the season has ended recruiting has definitely picked up for Andre, "Seems like a new school is calling everyday." Roberson has caught the eyes of plenty D-1 recruiters and there are many reasons, "He's a versatile player. He can do a lot both offensively and defensively." Roberson can step back and shoot the three from a set spot. He can put the ball on the floor, slash and finish above the rim. He can also use his length in the low block and use some post moves. Defensively, Andre has a wing span over seven feet that he uses to his advantage altering and blocking plenty of shots. His nose for rebounding is second to none.
Off the floor Andre is said to be a great kid. Very polite, always smiling, grounded and very respectful. Positive traits that are sometimes lacking in today's youth.
Roberson was recently named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches All-State Team. Andre averaged more than a double/double this season for Wagner, 15 points & 12 rebounds. He's a 6'7", 185-190 pound athlete that can play and guard outside, along with mixing it up down low. To add to his list of accolades, Andre was also ranked as the 26th best prospect in the entire state of Texas by Texashoops.com earlier this year.
Andre remains undoubtedly the best uncommitted/unsigned senior in the Greater San Antonio area. Two local coaches have gone as far to say that they feel he is the best prospect in the entire city.
Tad Boyle still has two available scholarships for the 2010-2011 recruiting period, both to hopefully be used on an immediate impact post presence but on paper, these two commits look like outstanding pick-ups for only being on the job two weeks. Anytime you can bring in players that are getting looked at hard by five+ NBA teams and a small forward that is being called the best prospect in San Antonio, it has to be considered an early success.
Ultimately, Boyle's first recruiting period will be judged on whether or not he can find a big man but for now, great start.