Colorado guard Alec Burks was one of the last star players to announce his future plans and when he did, few were surprised.
After months of deliberations, Burks has decided to leave the Buffs for the NBA draft. Even though he said he probably won't hire an agent until May 9 ? the day after players are allowed to withdraw their names ? he left little doubt that joining the NBA was in his best interest.
"With the people coming back I felt like I was going to be a top-10 pick, in the lottery," Burks said during a press conference at Colorado on Thursday. "I felt like it's just something I couldn't pass up."
While coach Tad Boyle was disappointed with Burks decision ? he had been trying to convince the star player to return up until his announcement ? Colorado is actually in a better position than many think to absorb the loss.
Boyle already knew he was going to lose three of his top four scorers in seniors Cory Higgins (16.1 ppg), Levi Knutson (11.7 ppg) and Marcus Relphorde (11.2 ppg) and that the chances of Burks, the team's leading scorer with 20.5 points per game, staying was slim.
So Boyle added three transfers Carlon Brown (Utah), Sabatino Chen (University of Denver) and Jeremy Adams (Navarro College), and three three-star recruits in Askia Booker, Damiene Cain, Spencer Dinwiddie.
Brown averaged 12.6 points per game in 2009-10 with Utah, Checn shot 49.6 percent from the field in his two years with Denver and Adams, who originally signed with Texas A&M before going to junior college, averaged 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals.
The Buffs also return Andre Roberson, who came on strong during the second half of the season, and Austin Dufault and Nate Tomlinson, who were starters.
"It leaves us in the same position we were, we're just down a man, a pretty darn good one," Boyle said of the loss of Burks. "But in terms of the future of this program, it's as bright as it's ever been. I've got a lot of belief in the young men that are in this room and the young men that are coming to help us next year. We are losing a lot of production off this year's team, but next year's team was going to be a new team whether Alec came back or not. Obviously we're better with him than we are without him, but this doesn't change the course that Colorado basketball is on."
Boyle's first season with Colorado exceeded expectations as the Buffs finished fifth in the Big 12 and played in the Final Four of the NIT. A lot of that success was a credit to Burks, who was lightly recruited coming out of Grandview High School in the Kansas City area. Burks becomes just the third underclassmen to leave Colorado early for the NBA (Chauncey Billups and David Harrison).
"A lot of people didn't expect this from me and I probably didn't expect this from myself," Burks said. "A lot of people felt like I was going to come out here, go back home and work at the local price shop or something. I proved a lot of people wrong. I worked hard for this day."
During the past couple seasons, Burks has blossomed into one of the nation's best players and will undoubtedly be a lottery pick on June 23. In fact, NBADraft.net projects Burks as the No. 9 pick. Of course Burks' standing is helped by the fact that top players such as North Carolina's Harrison Barnes, Ohio State Jared Sullinger, Baylor's Perry Jones, and Kentucky's Doron Lamb among others are staying at their respective colleges.
Meanwhile, the Pac-12 loses another major scorer from its conference. With Burks, the conference has already lost eight early entrants to the draft, including stars such as Derrick Williams, Isaiah Thomas and Klay Thompson.
As for Colorado, which is embarking on its first year as a member of the Pac-12, Boyle is optimistic the team can move on without its star and still be a force in its new league.
"We're not as good, we're not as experienced, but that doesn't mean we can't have a great year and the future isn't bright," Boyle said. "I'm optimistic. I'm proud of Alec. This is something we can use as a positive as we move forward in our recruiting efforts and talking about kids' dreams. Part of coming to this campus is following your dreams... Alec's dream has been to play in the NBA. He has realized that at Colorado. That's something we can sell when we go out in future homes and talk about future Buffs."
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