Colorado Buffaloes basketball opens 2019 class with JUCO guard

Tad Boyle is in charge of a young basketball team. Much has been made about how young they are. When Colorado basketball ended its season against Texas in the NIT, no seniors played any minutes. The lone scheduled departure, Namon Wright, had surgery mid-season, leaving the Buffs with the same core that should return next year. Not much tinkering needs to be done. If CU used their open scholarship this year, it would be on someone that can help right away.

Maddox Daniels is that someone. He has all the makings of a Kim English, meaning that he plays a lot like Kim English did. The 6’6 combo guard, with two years of eligibility (joining an already massive junior class), has a massive frame. He played his high school ball at Montverde Academy, a veritable factory of D1 basketball players, then spent two years at Florida Southwestern.

Daniels is not a project. He is physically ready to play at a D-1 level, he played on one of the best high school teams in the country (Ben Simmons and R.J. Barrett are recent graduates), then started on a team that went 30-3 in one of the toughest junior college leagues in the country. He is smooth and polished on the offensive end, with a solid handle and plenty of moves in his bag. His shot is effective – he shot 43% this past season from 3 - but it’s a little low and unorthodox, which could get him in trouble.

His size, length, and shooting should work well next to McKinley Wright, Shane Gatling, or even both on some occasions. He can slide up to the 3 if needed, but his ball handling and shooting should leave him at the guard spots.