Colorado Buffaloes secure commitment from Juco All-American

Your 2018 Colorado Buffaloes basketball team just got better. As I have wrote before, the one big need that wasn’t met next was outside shooting. With Dom Collier and George King leaving, a lot of 3 point shooting was leaving Boulder, and the 2018 class wasn’t noteworthy in its ability to gun. Well, Tad Boyle found his gunner and things are heating up.

Shane Gatling, formerly of Indian Hills Community College, has committed to the Buffs. This puts CU at one over the scholarship limit, meaning someone from the current roster is leaving, but the Buffs have not made an announcement on that front. Gatling steps in as a junior, in the same class as Lucas Siewert and Deleon Brown, and provides some serious shooting touch. A junior college All-American, Gatling averaged 16.6 points per game his sophomore year while making 102 threes in 34 games (a little more than three per game). Take a look:

His role for the Buffs is well-defined. As a proven three point shooter, he has to make shots, and as a ball-handler, he has to help McKinley Wright run the offense. Gatling has a quick release, some smooth handles, and nifty moves around the bucket. If he can add anything defensively, this will turn into a sneaky good signing. It’s hard to overstate how much this helps next year’s team. Going up and down the lineup, it’s hard to find any glaring holes in the roster.

Welcome, Shane!