While the Colorado football program is going through a tough time in the second season of the John Embree era, things are looking good for Tad Boyle’s basketball program.
Coming off of a Pac-12 tournament title and an NCAA tournament victory in their first season in the conference, Colorado has made good use of the momentum on the recruiting trail.
After landing commitments from guard Jaron Hopkins and forward Dustin Thomas, Colorado landed a third this weekend as 6-5 wing Tre’Shaun Lexing verbally pledged to attend the school.
The 6-5 Lexing, who hails from Tacoma, Washington, also held offers from Arizona State, UCLA and Washington State.
The tie that binds these three in their decision to commit to Colorado was the impact of a football weekend on their decisions.
Even with Colorado’s on-field product struggling the atmosphere, not to mention fans’ excitement for Colorado basketball, has been something that has worked to the program’s benefit.
“Having a festive Saturday afternoon football atmosphere is contagious. The fans don’t realize how great the atmosphere that they create is,” Boyle said. “I love when Coors is packed with 11,000 people. But to me, you can’t beat a Saturday afternoon college football game in the fall. That’s what college is all about.
“I challenge our fans to continue that.”
Football weekends can have an impact on the decisions of basketball recruits as official visits take place in the fall in most instances.
Lexing and the rest of the 2013 recruiting class will join a talented roster that is capable of being a factor in the the Pac-12 race for quite some time.
Junior Andre Roberson and sophomores Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker are three of the players expected to lead Colorado this season, with freshmen Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson being two of the key newcomers.
Colorado may have finished sixth in the Pac-12 last season, but the work that Boyle and his staff have done in a short period could help them avoid finishing that low in the near future.
Raphielle is also the assistant editor at CollegeHoops.net and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.