Colorado Buffs Turn to Bench for Future Growth Amidst Roster Shifts

Four Colorado men's basketball players have joined the roster with a clear expectation: they will not start. This group of freshmen and late additions is preparing to serve as practice players for the 2026-27 season. Their primary goal is personal development rather than immediate minutes.

The team is facing a different landscape than last year. Colorado finished the previous campaign with a 17-16 record and relied on a deep bench. Eleven players appeared in at least 20 games, and seven made at least 10 starts. That level of rotation is unlikely to repeat this season unless a run of injuries occurs. The current roster is expected to be much thinner.

Head coach Tad Boyle has not yet finalized the exact roles for every player. The likely starting rotation consists of guards Barrington Hargress, Alex Dickeson, Jalin Holland, Josiah Sanders, and Ian Inman. The forward group includes Justin Neely, Noah Feddersen, Goc Malual, and David Gomez. Gomez may see limited time early on as he recovers from foot surgery he had a year ago.

The players in the development group arrived in Boulder through different paths. Eric Jacobsen, a 6-foot-1 forward, grew up in the Midwest before attending a prep school in New Hampshire. His recruiting momentum slowed after he tore his ACL during his junior year. Chase Hill comes from a basketball family. His father is the all-time winningest coach at Trinity University, and his grandfather was a longtime NBA coach. Amir Jones and Rider Portela also joined the team late in the process.

Jacobsen admitted that accepting a limited role was difficult at first. He said he is now realizing he can go as hard as possible every single day without much to lose. He is focused on earning what he can. Hill described his aim simply as development. He noted that he could have gone to Division III first and transferred later, but he chose to come to Colorado and develop over his expected four or five years.

The stakes for the team remain high as it looks to surprise opponents in the Big 12. These players will not be expected to play regularly barring unexpected setbacks. Their daily work in practice will nonetheless be important to the team. Boyle said he does not want the players to feel permanently shut out. He called it a fluid situation.

Boyle noted that Jones had a very good practice on Friday. He said Jacobsen and Hill have also done good things. The coach explained that these players have the capability but lack consistency because they are young. He believes their standing in December could look very different from mid to late October. He asked them to prepare every day so they are mentally ready when called upon.