Keeshawn Barthelemy and Elijah Parquet enter the transfer portal

BOULDER — It’s attrition season.

Two Colorado basketball players entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, according to various sources. Elijah Parquet, a grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, entered the portal. So did Keeshawn Barthelemy, Colorado’s starting point guard for much of the year, who will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Parquet’s decision to transfer has been expected since before the season even began. The NCAA granted every player an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic but all Colorado players affected have transferred to use that eligibility. That group includes D’Shawn Schwartz, Dallas Walton, Jeriah Horne, Maddox Daniels and now Parquet.

Parquet, Colorado’s shooting guard the past two years, told DNVR in February that he knew he was going to transfer but hadn’t put much thought into the process since he the season was still in progress. He added that he really didn’t care about the location of his next school, he was just looking for the best basketball option.

It was a tough road for Parquet this season. He was expected to compete for a spot on the conference’s all-defensive team while also provided some shooting on the offensive end, but he only played 18 games before bone spurs in his foot ended his season.

Barthelemy just wrapped up his third season with the program. He opted to enroll in CU a year early instead of playing his final season at a prep school in Canada. He redshirted that year before serving as a backup to Colorado legend McKinley Wright IV during the 2020-21 season.

This year, it was Barthelemy’s show. He started at point guard for most of the season but came off the bench for the final five games, a stint that began with Colorado’s upset win over #2 Arizona.

Barthelemy, a long-range shooting threat, saw his offensive efficiency vary wildly over the course of the year. He opened the season with shooting 7-for-10 in the first three games while averaging more than 20 points. But he hit dry spells throughout the year and still needed to grow on the defensive end of the floor.

With two guards now in the portal, Colorado has plenty of options. Julian Hammond, who started in Barthelemy’s place in the final five games of the season, will be back for his second season. Sophomore KJ Simpson, the Buffs’ spark plug off the bench, is due for more minutes and will compete for the starting point guard job as well. Colorado will also have Javon Ruffin available at point guard after a knee injury caused him to redshirt his freshmen year.

With so many young guards on the roster, attrition this offseason was inevitable. There’s only so much playing time to go around and somebody is bound to be cut out.

Colorado will also lose senior forward Evan Battey, who will try his luck at the professional level. Forward Jabari Walker is likely to declare for the NBA Draft, though he will have until early June to withdraw and return to CU for his junior season if he chooses.