Julian Hammond's rise and other takeaways from Colorado's Pac-12 Tournament performance

The Colorado men’s basketball team’s season came to a likely end on Thursday after the Buffs lost to UCLA 80-69 in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals.

The Buffs exorcised demons from earlier in the year on Wednesday after they beat a Washington team that swept Colorado during the regular season. Momentum from Wednesday’s win carried into Thursday as the Buffs started off hot behind the arc and led UCLA going into halftime. But the same issues and inconsistencies that plagued the Buffs’ 2022-2023 campaign would catch up to them again against the Bruins.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s 2023 Pac-12 Tournament run.

Julian Hammond’s late-season emergence

With KJ Simpson out for the Pac-12 Tournament with mononucleosis, Julian Hammond III stepped up in a major way for Tad Boyle and the Buffs, scoring 50 points over a three-game stretch that spanned the team’s final regular season game and two tournament games.

“What he’s done the last three games has really given me hope and excitement about his future,” Coach Boyle said after Thursday’s loss to UCLA.

In the regular season finale against Utah, Hammond III put up 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals while going 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. That was only a sign of things to come as Hammond III continued to show poise and solidified himself as an impact player moving forward for Colorado after strong performances in both Pac-12 Tournament games.

“I’m just prepared every day, I feel ready to go when I get the opportunity,”  Hammond III said after Wednesday’s win over Washington. “It’s a bigger role, so I know I’m going to have to do more than what I usually do. But I don’t feel like it’s any extra pressure or anything. I’m just going out there and playing, having fun and doing what I can do.”

In Hammond III’s four starts this season for Colorado, the sophomore guard averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 51% from the floor, 44% behind the arc and 100% from the line.

Expect to see much more from the Denver native as he enters his junior season in 2023-2024.

Colorado’s grad transfers leave it all out on the floor

Last season, Ethan Wright and Jalen Gabbidon were Ivy League rivals at Princeton and Yale, respectively. Both transferred into Colorado as graduate students for the 2022-2023 season providing a veteran presence on and off the court for the Buffs.

The parallels between the two continued throughout this season as Gabbidon battled mid-season injuries and Wright went through a mid-season slump.

The grad-transfer duo then ended the season on a fittingly similar note as Gabbidon and Wright played well for the Buffs in a valiant effort against #2 UCLA on Thursday.

Both Ivy League veterans were making tough plays all over the court as Gabbidon was diving on the floor for loose balls, Wright was unafraid to get involved under the basket on both ends and the pair scored double-digit points in the loss to UCLA. Against UCLA, the duo shot 73% from the field while hitting 4 of their 6 three-point attempts. 

After Thursday’s game, Tad Boyle spoke about Colorado’s pair of grad transfers.

“Ethan’s really played well,” Boyle said after the loss to UCLA. “I thought Jalen defensively, against Brooks yesterday and today against Jaquez, he gives you everything he’s got. I thought those guys gave us really good minutes.”

Last season, both players started in the Ivy League and transferred into Colorado knowing their roles would be much different as the duo primarily came off the bench in 2022-2023.

“I think that they really accepted their roles well this year, and I love both those kids,” Boyle said on Thursday. “They really fit into the culture of Colorado basketball and what we’re all about. I wouldn’t change it with either one of them. So I was proud of them.”

Tad Boyle’s ejection was a fitting end to this season

In all three games against UCLA, the Buffs played the Bruins tremendously close and had a chance to win down the stretch.

On Thursday, The Buffs were leading the Bruins 61-60 with 5:18 left in the second half when UCLA went on a 15-4 to close the game.

After multiple questionable calls throughout the afternoon, head coach Tad Boyle had seen enough as the game entered the final minute and he let the refs have it. Boyle was swiftly given two technical fouls and was ejected from the game after showing and voicing his frustration on the sideline.

After the game, Boyle addressed the ejection, the first of his career as Colorado’s head coach.

“Look, obviously, I had a disagreement on multiple occasions tonight,” Boyle said. “That’s just part of the game. But the one thing I’m going to do for these guys is I’m going to fight for this team when I feel like they’re fighting for us and that’s what I did.”

While it was somewhat surprising to see that from Colorado’s head coach, it’s also understandable when you step back and take a look at this season as a whole. Throughout the season, coach Boyle questioned and voiced his concerns about the team’s toughness and inconsistency. Colorado finished 2022-2023 strong in the Pac-12 Tournament but the frustration of this season looms.

After two early season wins against then #11 Tennessee and #24 Texas A&M, the Buffs lost multiple head-scratching games against lower-quality opponents that killed their tournament hopes for this season.

However, the Buffs have plenty to look forward to next season. The duo of Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson enter their senior and junior seasons respectively and should continue to play at All-Pac-12 levels. Luke O’Brien solidified himself as a routine contributor and will continue to grow moving forward. Javon Ruffin and J’Vonne Hadley will return from injuries.

And most important of all, the nation’s top overall recruit, Cody Williams, will take the floor alongside them.