Four Colorado freshmen start season on the bench

Colorado men's basketball has reached the final ten days before its season opener. The Buffaloes will host Abilene Christian on November 2 to launch their 17th year under head coach Tad Boyle. The team enters the season with a roster that looks structurally different from the 2025-26 campaign, when the squad went 17-16.

Last year, the Buffs relied on a deep bench. Eleven players appeared in at least 20 games, and seven started at least 10. That flexibility allowed the team to adjust its lineup frequently. This season, that pattern is unlikely to repeat. Boyle has not locked in specific minutes, but the starting rotation is expected to draw from guards Barrington Hargress, Alex Dickeson, Jalin Holland, Josiah Sanders, and Ian Inman, along with forwards Justin Neely, Noah Feddersen, Goc Malual, and David Gomez.

Gomez's playing time may remain limited as he recovers from foot surgery performed a year ago. The scarcity of available minutes has pushed four freshmen into practice squad roles. Forward Chase Hill, guards Amir Jones and Rider Portela, and forward Eric Jacobsen will spend their early seasons at the end of the bench.

Hill, a forward, described his goal as simple development. He noted he could have attended a Division III school to gain playing time before transferring, but chose to stay at Colorado for four or five years. Hill comes from a coaching family. His father is the all-time winningest women's basketball coach at Division III Trinity University in San Antonio. His grandfather, Bob, was a longtime NBA coach who helped recruit Boyle to Kansas 45 years ago.

Jacobsen, a 6-foot-1 post, faced a torn ACL during his junior season, which slowed his recruiting momentum. He grew up in the Midwest before attending Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Jones had initially signed with Georgia State but reopened his recruiting after a coaching change. Portela, a wing from Phoenix, was the only one of the four who signed with Colorado last November.

Jacobsen said accepting a limited role was difficult at first. He now focuses on daily effort, noting he has nothing to lose. Boyle emphasized that the situation is fluid. He pointed to good practices by Jones, Jacobsen, and Hill as evidence of their potential. The coach said the players lack consistency due to their youth, but their standing in December could differ significantly from mid-October.

Boyle asked the group to prepare mentally every day so they are ready when called upon. Their daily work in practice will be essential for a team hoping to compete in the Big 12.