Two of the key figures in a memorable 2023-24 season already are on their way out the door.
On Wednesday morning CBS Sports national reporter Jon Rothstein reported that center Eddie Lampkin Jr. intends to enter the transfer portal following just one season with the Colorado men’s basketball team. Also on Wednesday, On3Sports reported guard J’Vonne Hadley intends to transfer as well, news Hadley apparently confirmed by sharing the post on his X account.
Both players have one season of eligibility remaining due to the extra season granted by the NCAA for the 2020-21 COVID year.
Lampkin ranked fifth on the team in scoring (10.6) and led the way in rebounding (7.0) and field goal percentage (.579). Lampkin quickly became a fan favorite, with chants of “ED-DEE! ED-DEE!” routinely raining down from the CU Events Center crowds as well as from the CU faithful who traveled during the postseason.
After spending three seasons at TCU, the final two as a key part of the rotation, Lampkin set career-highs in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and assists in his lone season at CU, helping to lead the Buffs into the Pac-12 tournament final and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He displayed impressive improvement at the free throw line with a .661 mark that, while low overall, was substantially better than the .531 mark Lampkin posted the previous two seasons at TCU. Lampkin’s 5-for-5 performance at the free throw line was critical in CU’s wild first-round win against Florida, and in three NCAA Tournament games Lampkin went 7-for-7 at the line.
Lampkin led the Buffs with nine double-doubles, including his final one in CU’s quarterfinal win against Utah in the Pac-12 tournament. In the Buffs’ six games in the Pac-12 tournament and NCAA Tournament, Lampkin averaged 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds with a .625 shooting percentage (35-for-56). On a team whose rotation shifted almost constantly due to injuries, Lampkin was steady in the middle, playing all 37 games and starting 36.
Lampkin arrived at CU a year ago on the heels of a public spat with TCU coach Jamie Dixon, leaving the Horned Frogs ahead of the 2023 Big 12 tournament. The emotional Lampkin also arrived in Boulder while dealing with deep personal trials, as his brother was the victim of a homicide in May of 2022.
One stark difference for Lampkin compared to his time at TCU was how CU head coach Tad Boyle and his staff were able to utilize Lampkin’s passing skills. In 57 games the previous two seasons at TCU, Lampkin recorded a combined 54 assists. This year he posted 82, proving adept and hitting teammates cutting to the basket while tying Tristan da Silva for the third-most assists on the team. Boyle has said previously he prefers to work with sturdy, good-passing centers such as Lampkin or former Buff Evan Battey. This move almost certainly puts CU in the market for an experienced big man via the transfer portal, because as it stands it’s unclear of that sort of player is on the projected roster.
CU’s staff has professed faith in the future of 6-foot-8 freshman Assane Diop, but he remains relatively untested after averaging just 7.0 minutes in 32 appearances off the bench. The same can be said for 6-foot-11 freshman Bangot Dak, but at 180 pounds his future unlikely is at the five-spot. The Buffs did have a potential five-player signed in the 2024 recruiting class in Dallas-area 6-foot-10 forward Doryan Onwuchekwa, but he and the Buffs agreed to part ways from that commitment in February. Onwuchekwa committed to Georgia Tech last week. The only other forward in CU’s incoming recruiting class, the 6-foot-9 Sebastian Rancik, projects as a possible da Silva-like player as a versatile stretch-four.
Hadley was another glue player in a season that saw the Buffs post a program-record 26 wins. A junior college recruit out of Indian Hills Community College in 2022, Hadley’s first season at CU was limited to 22 games due to injury, as he averaged 8.0 points and 5.9 rebounds and shot .525 while attempting just one 3-pointer.
Hadley expanded his game impressively in 2023-24, ranking fourth on the team in scoring (11.6) and second in rebounding (6.0). He shot .538 overall while going 20-for-48 on 3-pointers (.417). Hadley also finished with an .839 mark at the free throw line, ranked second on the team with 88 assists, and played 1,232 minutes, which ranks second in program history behind only the 1,298 played by teammate KJ Simpson this season.
The 6-foot-6 Hadley started 55 of his 58 games at CU, but depending how the offseason roster shakeup pans out the Buffs could still boast a number of bigger guards in the mix in Javon Ruffin, Courtney Anderson, RJ Smith and incoming freshman Andrew Crawford from ThunderRidge.