Boyle a Buff

Not since the Barnett scandals has the University of Colorado at Boulder been up in arms about a coaching move until now.

Okay, maybe that’s a little hyperbole but the excitement around campus is real and it’s a very good thing. For the first time in a long time people are more excited about Buffalo basketball more than they are about Buffalo football; and this happening as spring practices are in full swing.

Quarterback controversy is old news, and Tad Boyle is new.

But was it another ‘Bohn’head coaching move?

Tad Boyle has 4 years of head coaching experience under belt at a division 1 school. He has 12 years of assistant coaching experience at Oregon, Tennessee, Jacksonville State and Wichita State. He assisted Jerry Green at both Oregon and Tennessee who is disciple of Larry Brown. He coached under Mark Turgeon (now Texas A&M’s head man) at Wichita State. He played for Kansas from 1981-1985 with Larry Brown as his coach. Larry Brown approved the decision to hire Boyle earlier this week. He won 25 games last year at Northern Colorado. He recruited several 2 star recruits to Greeley, I’m impressed. His two leading scorers were guards; Will Figures 16.6ppg, and Devon Beitzel 14.3 ppg. Colorado has 2 of the most dynamic guards in the Big XII Conference for at least next year. (As Alec Burks declared that he was staying for his sophomore season earlier today). After a strong year in 2009-2010 and most of the talent returning it looks to be a lock as a successful year.

Well, let’s not jump to conclusions just yet….

Tad Boyle has an overall record of 54-62 as a head coach at Northern Colorado winning only 4 games in his first year. He never really ‘played’ that much for Kansas, be it may that he played during the era of the great Danny Manning. (At least there are no significant stats on him) The two leading scorers of the Bears were recruited by the previous coach at UNC. After playing at Kansas in 1985 he was away from the game until 1994, an almost decade of absence. So don’t give us a NCAA bid just yet.

Coach Boyle may turn out to be the right move in the long run, but he still has to prove quite a bit to me and the University of Colorado. And with Higgins and Burks being the liaisons between him and the rest of the fan base next year this upcoming season is looking to be a smooth transition with a productive and successful outcome. But after this year, that’s when he’s really going to prove it to me.