BOULDER — Head coach Tad Boyle dropped some bad news on Friday.
Senior guard Elijah Parquet will not play the rest of this season because of the lower-leg injury that has bothered him in recent weeks, Boyle told reporters. Boyle had previously called the injury a “pain tolerance” issue.
Parquet’s first missed game of the season came on Jan. 20 when the USC Trojans visited Boulder. He was a late scratch and wore a walking boot on his right foot. He also missed the UCLA game two days later. Parquet returned on the 25th to play Oregon, but he came in off the bench and was only on the court for 21 minutes, the second-fewest of the season. He played again against Washington on the 27th, but hasn’t seen the court since.
Parquet joined the Buffaloes ahead of the 2018-19 season and his role consistently grew throughout his time in Boulder. He became a full-time starter last season and was named to the Pac-12’s all-defensive team, making him the sixth buffalo to do so. His 3-and-D game—he made 41.8% of his deep balls last season—made him one of Colorado’s most consistent contributors.
Parquet joins center Lawson Lovering, forward Quincy Allen and guard Javon Ruffin as scholarship players who likely won’t return this season. Given the news, Ruffin could change his decision to redshirt his freshman season and try to carve out a role in the rotation.
Four starters are all but certain, at least for now: Keeshawn Barthelemy, Tristan da Silva, Jabari Walker and Evan Battey. The fifth starting spot could be up for grabs.
Sophomore Nique Clifford has served as Colorado’s sixth man this season and more often than not he’s taken the fifth starting spot for CU when a starter has been injured. The one exception came on Sunday when KJ Simpson filled in for Parquet (by taking the point guard job while Barthelemy moved to shooting guard). But da Silva was a late scratch for that game and Clifford still picked up a start in his place against the Cougars.
The signs point toward Clifford taking the starting role, but don’t count out a Simpson-Barthelemy backcourt.
