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Rising Star: Colorado Forward Wesley Gordon

By Andrew Kahn

If Colorado head coach Tad Boyle could hang out for a night with only one of his players, he’d call Wesley Gordon. Boyle says the redshirt sophomore has a great sense of humor and keeps things light. “He doesn’t have that dominant, alpha-dog personality. And because of that sometimes he defers on the court.” Becoming more assertive on the offensive end is the next step in the development of Gordon, who is already rebounding and defending at a high level for the Buffaloes.

Coming to Boulder, 100 miles north of his hometown of Colorado Springs, Gordon was talented enough to play right away. But his body and mind needed some extra time. Boyle redshirted Gordon to allow him to get stronger and focus on academics. To trade what would have been 10 to 12 minutes per game as a true freshman for what will hopefully be a very productive fifth year was, to Boyle, a “no brainer.”

Gordon was productive in his first season last year and has elevated his play as a starter this season. The 6’9”, 240-pound power forward is averaging 7.6 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the field. In conference games, he’s third in the league in rebounding, first in offensive rebounding, and second in blocks. Gordon is adept at calculating the factors that determine where a missed shot might end up and being the first player to that spot.

When Colorado’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, Josh Scott, missed eight games in January because of injury, Gordon stepped up. He guarded opposing centers and, in a homestand against the Washington schools, posted back-to-back double-doubles: 10 points and 17 rebounds in one game and 10 and 14 the next. Scott is back, helping on the boards and reducing some of Gordon’s touches, but Gordon still tallied 14 points and six rebounds in Wednesday’s loss at Oregon. He went 6 of 7 from the field in that game, with all of his shot attempts coming right at the rim.

“He’s not a go-to guy right now but he’s a capable low-post scorer,” Boyle says. “As his career progresses, we want to see more of that. We don’t necessarily run plays for him but he want him to touch the ball.” Late in the second half against Stanford on Sunday, Gordon spun off his defender towards the baseline and fired a pass to a teammate for a corner three that gave Colorado a lead it never relinquished. “He’s an underrated passer,” Boyle says. “He’s sometimes almost too unselfish. [Leading scorer] Askia [Booker] and Josh [Scott] have a scoring mentality. I wouldn’t say Wesley Gordon has a scoring mentality.”

Gordon says his role is to defend and rebound and “get a few offensive buckets here and there.” He worked on his jumper in the offseason and will continue to do so. “Once I develop pure shot, people will have to guard me differently and that will open up more things. I’m confident; it’s just not going in as much as I’d like.”

Boyle believes the friendly but quiet Gordon can progress into a more aggressive offensive force and vocal leader in his remaining two years of eligibility. If he does, Colorado (12-13, 5-8 in the Pac-12), which will likely miss the NCAA Tournament this season after three straight trips, will have a much better chance of returning.

Andrew Kahn is a regular contributor to CBS Local who also writes for Newsday and The Wall Street Journal. He writes about college basketball and other sports at AndrewJKahn.com. Email him at andrewjkahn@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @AndrewKahn.

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