Does Tad Boyle's signing-day haul put the Buffs back in Pac-12 title contention?

If the trophy stores are still open, somebody had better be making one for Tad Boyle.

Just one month removed from a flameout that ended what was supposed to be the greatest basketball season in Colorado history, Boyle has extended his program’s Pac-12 title window through the 2020-21 season.

In fact, CU’s championship odds may be better this year than they were last year.

That’s not to say the Buffs’ newly-restocked frontcourt is more talented than the 2019-20 version — it isn’t — but the team may be better built for success now than ever before.

Wednesday morning, on National Signing Day, Colorado signed three players, filling out all three of its open scholarships. That includes the scholarship that once belonged to star forward Tyler Bey. Bey could still decide to return to school, but Boyle would need to open up a scholarship to bring him back, which seems unlikely.

The first Colorado signee is Jabari Walker, a power forward who could contribute as a true freshman next season. Here’s a deeper dive into Walker’s game.

Welcome to the Family @jabari521 ✍️ pic.twitter.com/L3TDhcByBE

— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) April 15, 2020

The second signee is graduate transfer power forward Jeriah Horne, formerly of Tulsa, who will likely slot in next to Evan Battey in the starting lineup. Horne is the favorite to take Bey’s role, but Horne is a very different player than Bey was. He’s more strength than speed and has a very high basketball IQ. Here’s a film breakdown from one of Horne’s best games at Tulsa.

Welcome Home @JeriahHorne1 ✍️ pic.twitter.com/y0VB3ifYJH

— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) April 15, 2020

The third signee was a big surprise. The Buffs snagged Tristan da Silva, a combo forward currently playing in Germany. Da Silva is a virtual unknown. None of the big three recruiting sites made a profile for the big man.

Da Silva was the only one of the three signees who hadn’t committed to Colorado publically prior to signing day. He was a complete surprise.

It’s Official ✍️ pic.twitter.com/a4RZuo4Zsr

— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) April 15, 2020

The only notable tidbit about da Silva is that his big brother, Oscar da Silva, played for Stanford. He was the big man who collided with Evan Battey under the basket this season, leading to an ugly injury for the da Silva

Scary scene as Evan Battey and Oscar da Silva collide. Players immediately called for help from the trainers for da Silva.

After da Silva left the court, the teams shared this moment. pic.twitter.com/Y6yph1AxYw

— Henry Chisholm (@HenryChisholm) February 9, 2020

While Buff fans may only remember da Silva’s injury and the ensuing scene, the forward put up over 15 points per game this season on 60% shooting from the field on his way to a first-team All-Pac-12 nod.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that Tristan will be able to match his big brother’s Pac-12 success but he certainly has a promising set of genes.

The da Silva brothers play different brands of basketball. Oscar stands 6-foot-9 and is a force in the paint. Tristan is an inch shorter and has more guard-like tendencies. He’s a good shooter, a good ball-handler and he is an outstanding passer.

In his final form, Tristan da Silva may be more of a point forward than a true small or power forward. He fits in the mold of Luka Doncic, though expecting da Silva to become an NBA MVP candidate is obviously a bad idea.

Take a look at how da Silva played at a German tournament in September:

Sign me up.

Da Silva may not be the explosive athlete that a Jabari Walker or a Tyler Bey is at the power forward spot, but he moves fluidly for somebody who is 6-foot-8 and his handle is tight enough to take advantage of his fluidity.

Power forwards struggle to stick with him and guards can stay in front of him but they’re too short to stop him. Then you factor in da Silva’s touch, craftiness and general feel for the game and you see the makings of a potentially special player.

The most exciting aspect of da Silva’s game could be his fluidity, his touch, his passing, his shooting or a handful of other things. Take your pick.

It’s worth remembering that da Silva was totally ignored by the recruiting services and all of these clips came from the German high school basketball circuit.

Was he overlooked or was he taking advantage of weak competition?

We’re going to have to wait to and see for ourselves.

Here’s some more of da Silva, this time from his “junior” season in Germany:

Here’s a basic summary of the changes to the Buffs’ roster from last season to next season:

Daylen Kountz is replaced by Dominique Clifford.

Jakub Dombek is replaced by Jabari Walker.

Shane Gatling is replaced by Luke O’Brien.

Lucas Siewert is replaced by Tristan da Silva.

Tyler Bey is replaced by Jeriah Horne.

Plus, the rest of the roster is gaining one more year of experience. That’s huge for guys like Keeshawn Barthelemy, Eli Parquet and Dallas Walton who could have much larger roles this year. And the senior-year versions of McKinley Wright IV and D’Shawn Schwartz could be scary for the rest of the league.

Losing Bey is going to hurt, but Horne should fit perfectly into what Colorado is trying to do, and having a backup point guard in Barthelemy should be a major boon for the Buffs.

It’s not a surefire thing that Colorado will be back competing for a Pac-12 title or the program’s all-time wins record again next winter, but Boyle has set his team up with a pretty great chance.

Let’s run it back.