"The future looks good" for Colorado's backcourt

BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes 2016-17 season has been bleak thus far. Sitting at 10-10 (0-7 in conference) it is likely their hopes of dancing have been dashed unless they go on a 2012-like heater in Las Vegas.

There are no two ways around the disappointment, but there still have been bright spots for the Buffs. One of the brightest spots of CU has been freshman guard Deleon Brown. Coming from Grand Rapids, Michigan he averaged 18.8 points a game his senior season. But it’s not Brown’s scoring that draws rave reviews, it’s his commitment to effort on both sides of the ball.

“Defense, team defense,” Brown said of which aspect of his game he feels is growing. “I feel like I’m a good help defender, if a man gets beat I can be there to help out, on offense I feel like I’m starting to be more aggressive.”

Overall, Brown says his adaptation to the college game is near complete. The six-foot-four guard wants to work on reads on ball screens and his mid-range game but he likes how he’s been able to play against faster and more physical players.

Couple Brown with fellow backcourt freshman Bryce Peters, who has also impressed at times and the Buffs future looks bright at that spot. Brown quiet and consistent is juxtaposed by the loud and flashy Peters.

“We’re like the perfect match for each other,” Brown described. “Playing on the same team, the future looks good.”

Brown is averaging 3.7 points a game and a little less than a rebound and an assist but he plays an extremely mature style of basketball for being a freshman. Peters, on the other hand, is averaging 3.2 points a game and 1.2 boards. Each is playing around 14 minutes a night and have been very good contributors for freshman.

“I definitely like playing with Bryce, I knew that coming in,” Brown recalled. “When I first got here over the summer, playing one on one against him then practice started and I feel like we got into a groove together in the backcourt. I feel like we flow well together.”

Brown and Peters have had the rare task under Tad Boyle of being reliable as freshman. This will no doubt help each in the future as their development continues. Couple them with a national top 100 signee in D’Shawn Schwartz at the same position and the future does look for Colorado, at a spot that they have failed to dominate at since Spencer Dinwiddie departed.