Four Colorado freshmen start season on practice squad

Colorado men's basketball enters the 2026-27 season with a thinner roster than last year. The Buffaloes finished the previous campaign with a 17-16 record and relied on a deep bench to manage game plans. That flexibility is not expected to return this season.

Coach Tad Boyle has narrowed the starting rotation to nine players. The group includes guards Barrington Hargress, Alex Dickeson, Jalin Holland, Josiah Sanders, and Ian Inman. Forwards Justin Neely, Noah Feddersen, Goc Malual, and David Gomez round out the core group. Gomez may see limited minutes as he recovers from foot surgery performed a year ago.

Four freshmen will serve as practice players for the upcoming season. The group consists of forwards Chase Hill and Eric Jacobsen, and guards Amir Jones and Rider Portela. These players joined the roster through different paths over the last year. Portela signed in November 2024, while the others arrived as late additions last spring.

Hill stated his primary goal is to develop his skills. He noted that he could have attended a Division III program with similar intentions but chose Colorado first. He plans to stay for four or five years to improve his game. Hill comes from a coaching family, with his father leading the women's basketball team at Trinity University and his grandfather, Bob Hill, serving as a longtime NBA coach.

Jacobsen, a 6-foot-1 post from the Midwest, faced a torn ACL during his junior high school season. He played at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire before transferring to Boulder. Jacobsen said accepting a limited role was difficult at first. He said he is trying to earn his place by working hard every day and not losing anything by giving his best effort.

Boyle described the situation as fluid. He said the players have the capability to play but lack consistency due to their youth. He noted that Jones had a strong practice session on Friday and that Jacobsen and Hill have also shown good progress. The coach expects their standing in December to differ from their status in late October. The team hosts Abilene Christian on Nov. 2 to start its 17th season under Boyle.