Off-court connection helps Jalin Holland and Colorado establish leadership
On football Saturdays, the house of Jalin Holland, Ian Inman and Josiah Sanders becomes the gathering place for Colorado Buffaloes basketball. Teammates come to watch sporting events, play video games and spend time together off the court. What began as just three teammates choosing to live together has become a place where Colorado’s returning players can strengthen relationships within a reworked Buffaloes roster.
For sophomore guard Jalin Holland, this is where his evolving role as a leader begins.
Colorado underwent significant roster turnover during the offseason, losing eight players to the transfer portal. Among them, a powerful asset in guard Isaiah Johnson, CU’s leading scorer last season, averaging 16.9 points per game. The Buffaloes also lost 7-foot forward Bangot Dak. He was a part of the 2023-2024 team, which went to the second round of the NCAA tournament, alongside guard KJ Simpson (now a member of the Denver Nuggets) and Tristan da Silva (now a member of the Orlando Magic).
“They taught me a lot, just like little stuff. So I mean, it hurts to see them go away,” said Holland on Thursday.
Holland, Inman and Sanders are now major parts of this transition.
A year doesn't seem like much of a difference, but for Holland, Inman and Sanders, gaining one year under their belt at Colorado has changed the expectations surrounding them. As freshmen, the three were learning how to navigate college basketball, from adjusting to the pace and physicality of the game to balancing academics and the demands of being a student-athlete. Now entering their sophomore seasons, they are the returning players, alongside senior guard Barrington Hargress, expected to help set the tone for a new-look team.
Assistant coach Evan Battey explained that the extra year of experience can make a significant difference.
“I just see them being a year old, which is all the difference in the world”, he said.
For Holland, it changed his perspective on his role with the team.
“Now, we are like veterans on this team,” Holland said. “So we don't have an option but to step up.”
‘Veteran’ might sound unusual for a sophomore, but Holland’s role, along with the other returning players, is to help lead the next version of Colorado basketball.
For Holland, leadership is not always about being the loudest voice in the room. He finds it in understanding his teammates and building relationships with them.
“On and off the court, it's getting better,” Holland said. “I am trying to connect with the guys on a more personal level.”
That approach reflects the challenges of leading a young team with many new faces. With players coming from different programs and backgrounds, Holland explains there is no single way to lead a team.
“Everyone’s going to have a different way to get to them and lead them,” Holland said. “So it’s knowing them, knowing how to lead them, knowing how to make them.”
For a team that is still developing chemistry, this approach becomes extremely important. It leaves players to build relationships with teammates they did not share a locker room with a year ago. This process doesn’t just stay on the court, but extends beyond practices and games.
The house Holland shares with Inman and Sanders has become one way the players spend time together off the court. Battey said they intentionally chose to live together and create a space where teammates could spend time with them.
“They wanted a house where they can have the guys over and really spend time and really grow that friendship,” Battey said. “And that's, I think, where it started, them deciding to live together and keep that camaraderie going and further that.”
The trio regularly invites teammates over for football games, basketball games and other sporting events. As more teammates come over, it extends the relationships the players are building within the program.
“And now they’re inviting their teammates into that camaraderie,” Battey said.
CU men's basketball has undergone significant change, but the young core is showing that leadership is not limited to what happens during practice or on game night. It can also be found in the relationships built away from the court, in conversations and shared experiences with time spent together when basketball is not the focus.
For Holland, that is the type of team Colorado Basketball is becoming.
“A gritty, young, fun team,” he said.
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