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The Colorado Buffaloes had a Mckinley Wright sized hole in next year’s basketball team. There is no replacing the all-timer, but you do have to replace his minutes. Keeshawn Barthelemy, while exciting, would be facing quite the role jump if he were to solely take over the lead guard position. The Buffs needed a lead guard this offseason, Tad Boyle even said as much publicly.
Enter Mason Faulkner. The Western Carolina Catamount, by way of the Northern Kentucky Norse, will be Tad’s second grad transfer ever and his second in as many years. He will be entering his SIXTH year of college basketball with the Buffs and he has starred in his previous two years:
Tad Boyle and the #CUBuffs have made their first spring acquisition in former Western Carolina guard Mason Faulkner, who joins CU as a grad transfer.
— Justin Guerriero (@GuerrieroCU) April 16, 2021
Averaged 16.9 points, 5.5 boards and 4.8 assists per game last year.
Faulkner just announced on his Instagram.
Faulkner had all kinds of big names going after him. The 6’1 point guard chose CU over Baylor, Kentucky, Louisville, and plenty of other top choices. Why? Because with the Buffs, Faulkner knows there is a starting point guard role to be hard on an NCAA tournament caliber team.
Faulkner is a bigger lead guard, with a solid frame over 6 feet and around 190 pounds. He gets to the lane well and easily takes contact while finishing. He and Eli Parquet are going to be a sturdy defensive guard duo. His shot takes a second to get off, and he had high turnover numbers (on a bad team), but Faulkner is a polished prospect who deserves plenty of playing time. Here is a nice long highlight clip for you to enjoy:
Welcome, Mason!