BOULDER – Ahead of the Colorado Buffaloes’ blowout win over the Pepperdine Waves, it was confirmed that redshirt freshman guard RJ Smith had suffered a lower leg injury and wouldn’t play. Midway through the first half, another redshirt freshman Harrison Carrington got his first “real” minutes of the season.
“I feel pretty good, playing alright this season,” Carrington said about the Buffs’ play so far. “We have a few tough losses. Definitely, we’re capable of winning but our team is growing every day and we’re just trying to get better every day – it’s our main goal right now.”
With Smith’s setback, that goal became a lot harder with head coach Tad Boyle saying the backup guard would be out for an “indefinite” amount of time after CU’s win last Sunday, Dec. 3. Still, Boyle is optimistic and ready to see guys like Carrington as well as freshmen Assane Diop and Bangot Dak step up.
“I wanted to play 10 guys in the first half,” Boyle said on Sunday. “RJ Smith, with him being down now – I don’t know when he’ll be back – but Harrison Carrington was kind of next man up. You know, 10th guy. Bangot Dak, wanted to get him in the game, Assane. Those freshman bigs, we just need to get those guys minutes.”
While Dak saw his most minutes this year with 12 and Diop’s eight minutes were the most the forward has seen since the third game of the season, Carrington received more minutes against the Waves (9) than he had combined in four games this season (7). In the little time he saw last Sunday, the forward only tallied one rebound and a personal foul but he didn’t seem uncomfortable. As a guy fighting to see the court, the redshirt freshman knows stuffing the stat sheet isn’t the top priority, playing winning basketball is.
“Coach Boyle and I had a talk before the season, he talked to everyone individually,” Carrington said. “In our conversation, similar to how it’s been so far, (we talked about) just working out every day and knowing that every day is a new opportunity, especially when I’m trying to fight for minutes.”
Although, the three men grinding to make this Buffs’ team better in Smith’s absence aren’t trying to outshine one another. All three guys as well as redshirt freshman big man Joe Hurlburt understand their individual strengths as they collectively battle for minutes.
“We’re usually practicing on the same team every day,” Carrington said. “We’re constantly talking, I hang out with them outside of practice a lot so we’re all really close. And we talked about it, and we all know our roles. All we have to do, it’s just a matter of going out there and doing what we talked about in practice outside of practice.”
Whether it’s Carrington, Dak, Diop, or even Hurlburt that takes on the role of the eighth man will have to be seen. In upcoming contests, however, the top three, potentially all four, could see an increase in minutes. Whether the increase in minutes continues will be up to how each player fares.
With the No. 15-ranked Miami (FL) Hurricanes on Sunday, Dec. 10, the boys will have a huge challenge in each of their young careers with the expectation of at least Carrington, Dak, and Diop to see the floor in the first half.
“I think we’ll get a feel for that as the game goes,” Boyle said after Thursday morning practice. “I think right now, we’re looking at a 10-man rotation that could shrink a little bit in the second half.”
“...I don’t know the answer to that. I know there are seven guys that we’ve been relying on. We’re gonna continue to rely on guys like BD and Assane and Harrison to stay ready and even a guy like Joe has to stay ready – we just never know.”
Whoever sees the floor on Sunday with the breaths of the other three down their neck as Boyle looks for a solidified rotation before Pac-12 play begins is yet to be seen. But in Carrington’s first opportunities as a Buff while being the smallest of the four players to potentially play, he may be able to take on the tall task of filling the RJ Smith-sized hole in the rotation.
While Carrington’s game is still yet to be displayed in just the 17 minutes the redshirt freshman has played in college, it would not be odd to see him play a similar role to Smith. With the 6-foot-3 guard bringing his defensive prowess to the table before being injured, the 6-foot-7 guard/forward has shown similar flashes in his few minutes and play during practice. If given the chance, however, maybe Carrington can tap into the 20-point and eight-rebound high school averages that helped Boyle and Colorado find him in the first place.
Until then, Carrington will continue to put his head down and work hard as the potential future of his career lies in his hands.
“It all starts in practice,” Carrington said, “just working every day in practice, and going hard. Practice. If you do that, it’ll just translate to the game. So just been working hard in practice and staying ready.”
The Buffs play the No. 15 Miami (FL) Hurricanes on Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Tip-off is set for noon MST and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
Cover photo by Tony Harman/cubuffs.com
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