Colorado men’s hoops learning from Denver Nuggets
The University of Colorado is hosting the Denver Nuggets’ preseason game this Sunday. While the fans are taking it in, so are the players.
“They’re f*cking huge, I’ll tell you that,” guard Alex Dickeson said after a practice.
“I was walking out, I turned around and I just saw DeMar DeRozan,” forward Goc Malual said. “I'm shocked it’s DeMar DeRozan.”
This opportunity to host an NBA team in a college arena isn’t new. The Nuggets played in the CU Events Center in 2014 and 2015 before an 11-year hiatus.
“CU being able to host them, it’s a good opportunity for the school but also for us to get around them,” Dickeson said. “Seeing how they work and their environment, how the NBA is so much different than the college level.”
“It’s great, our guys get to see pros, see what they look like, see what they act like, see what they work like,” head coach Tad Boyle said.
With NBA-level talent in the building, the Buffs are trying to build their own skill sets up.
“They’re just carrying a huge presence around us,” Malual said.
“You hear them talk and train and it’s so much better than what we do, and it shows where we need to get to,” Dickeson said. “Boyle’s always on us about not talking enough, and it just goes to show that the NBA is really that step above.”
“It’s been really cool to see them and interact with them,” Boyle said. “Getting to know them a little more and see how they operate.”
For the upperclassmen, this is an opportunity to improve their draft stock by modeling their game after the pros, especially for senior guard Barrington Hargress.
“It’s an unbelievable connection to have an NBA team come here and get some work in,” Hargress said.
He could appear on NBA scouts’ watchlists with another breakout season. With the Nuggets in town, he’s watching and learning.
“We’re just seeing how those guys approach [the game], seeing what their everyday life is, seeing what they’re going through,” Hargress said. “‘Be where they’re at’ is something that’s on my mind and something I’m gonna pick their brains [for].”
The Denver Nuggets play in the CU Events Center on Sunday, Oct. 4, before the Buffs tip off their 2026-27 campaign on the campus of CU Denver for their Mile High Hoops Classic against the North Texas Mean Green on Sunday, Oct. 18.
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