Jalin Holland is getting the same eye-opening experience as his freshman classmates.
To take his game to another level in the Big 12 with the Colorado men’s basketball team, it’s the details that matter.
Holland and the Buffaloes began their third week of preseason practice on Monday, which marked the four-week mark from CU’s season opener against Montana State on Nov. 3.
The 6-foot-5 Holland is part of a seven-player freshman class that dominates the new-look CU roster. He also is part of a heated preseason competition among a wide array of bigger wings battling for a rotation spot, a group that includes two of Holland’s fellow freshmen, 6-foot-6 Ian Inman and 6-5 Josiah Sanders, as well as former ThunderRidge star Andrew Crawford (6-8), Denver transfer Jon Mani (6-7), and second-year guard Felix Kossaras (6-6).
“The biggest adjustment I’d say is just playing the game IQ-wise, and reads, and not just be good at basketball,” Holland said. “It’s a lot about reads and making the right plays. Everything goes down to the minute details. Coach Tad Boyle does expect a lot out of us, this whole freshman class. We have higher expectations and we’re ready to go at it.”
Holland grew up in Los Lunas, New Mexico, but spent his final prep season at Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Arizona. Holland was listed as a four-star prospect by 247Sports and also was ranked as the No. 22 shooting guard in the country.
Holland and his freshman classmates are being tasked with growing up in a hurry, but Holland said the transition was eased by the 10 practices the Buffaloes went through this past summer ahead of a four-game exhibition tour in Australia.
“Just from the summer, I feel like I’m a completely different basketball player,” Holland said. “IQ-wise, play-making-wise, just finding the right reads, and then all those little details again.”
First impression
On Saturday, the Buffs went through an intrasquad scrimmage that marked the beginning of a weekly ramp-up in competition ahead of the Nov. 3 season opener. CU holds its open-to-the-public intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday. The Buffs then host Grace College, the former home of center Elijah Malone, for an exhibition game on Oct. 19 before hosting Marquette in a closed scrimmage the following week.
Boyle said he’s pleased with the early reviews of his team’s offense. But, in typical Boyle fashion, he said the Buffs’ defense still has plenty of room for improvement.
“Our offense is operating at probably a six or seven out of 10. Our defense is probably a two out of 10 right now,” Boyle said. “Our offensive rebounding is not good enough. We’re standing and watching.
“Look, it’s October 6th. We’ve got a long way to go. A lot of things we’ve got to get better at. But offensively, I’m pretty pleased with where we are.”
Notable
The doors at the CU Events Center will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday for the Buffs’ annual intrasquad scrimmage. Admission is free and the scrimmage begins at 10:15 a.m. … CU sophomore Sebastian Rancik, who is from Slovakia but went to high school in Southern California, enjoyed a rare opportunity to return home after the Buffs completed their Australian tour.
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