Those who have watched the CU men’s basketball team are fully aware of Cody Williams’ potential on the floor. A lot more people might be made aware come Sunday as Buffs are set for its toughest challenge of the season. They face the 15th-ranked Miami Hurricanes at the NABC Brooklyn Showcase.
On paper both teams appear to be equally matched, scoring around 84 points per game and giving up just under 70. Each team is shooting about 51% from the field and around 42% from behind the 3-point line.
But the story for the Buffs is going to be Williams. In his first seven games as a college hooper, he is averaging 14 points per game and will be one of just two starters on the floor for either team that shoots over 60% from the floor. But the one thing that has been obvious in his time on the floor is that each minute only makes him a better player.
“[It’s happening] game to game and he’s definitely getting his feet wet,” Boyle told Shawn Drotar and Sandy Clough earlier this week. “I go back to when we had Derrick White here, and we only had him for a year. He was at the end of his college career and Cody is at the beginning of his and my and my guess is we’ll only have Cody for a year. You’re going to be watch this kid in three, four, five years from now having major success just like Derrick.”
There is still room for improvement as his rebounding numbers could be better and only two players have turned the ball over more than he has.
He grew up in a lot of ways during the second half of the Buffs’ loss to Colorado State and ended up scoring 21 points, going 8-for-12 from the floor. He followed that up with another 21-point performance in the Dec. 3 win against Pepperdine. That number could’ve been higher, but with the game comfortably in hand, Williams played just 23 minutes.
As he continues to improve, Boyle has allowed himself to savor the moments that Williams is on the floor and developing into a player that will undoubtedly make his way to the NBA sooner than later.
He’s stressing to CU fans that getting the chance to see him now is something they should take advantage of, because in Boyle’s mind he’s going to be a special basketball talent.
“I remember when I was a young assistant coach at Oregon and we hosted the, then, Pac-10 Championship golf tournament,” Boyle told Shawn and Sandy. “There was a guy named Tiger Woods playing at I never went out to watch him. I could’ve been close enough to throw something and hit him while he was playing golf and I didn’t. I always regretted that.”
After playing Miami in the Big Apple, the Buffs return home on Friday to take on Boyle’s old school, the University of Northern Colorado. They’ll face Utah Tech on Thursday and then dive into their Pac-12 schedule for the final time before moving back to the Big 12.
