King Ready To Lead, Bring All-Around Game

BOULDER - George King knows the time is now.

Time to make one more impression on pro scouts. Time to take his game to the next level on both ends of the floor.

But most of all, time to assume the reins of team leader and help guide the Colorado men's basketball team back to the NCAA Tournament.

King, a fifth-year Buffs senior, still has a chance to join a select group of Buffs, those who have played in three NCAA Tournaments. To do that, he will not only have to have an outstanding year, he will also have to help shepherd the development of a highly regarded freshman class that brings plenty of potential to Boulder.

"I've been trying to do this for a while, but I have to do it now more than ever," King said recently. "I have to walk the walk. It's not about talking the talk. Not only just lead by saying, 'Hey, this is what we need to do,' but also lead by example. It means showing up with punctuality. Being on time or maybe a little early. Going to class. Doing the right thing off the court as well as on. Setting a good example for everyone and living by that."

In the last two years, King has proven he has the ability to produce on the court. Two years ago, he was voted the Pac-12's Most Improved Player when he came off a redshirt year to average 13.6 points (second-best on the team) and 4.7 rebounds (third-best) on a CU team that advanced to its fourth NCAA Tournament in five years.

Last season, his scoring slipped to 11.1 points per game, but he improved his rebounding to a team-leading 6.8 per game — not an easy task on a squad that also included Wesley Gordon and Xavier Johnson.

But the Buffs missed on their bid for another NCAA Tournament, thanks in large part to a seven-game skid to start the Pac-12 season and a handful of games the Buffs let slip away in the final moment of regulation or overtime.

Now, however, King and his teammates — both the returnees from last season and the five incoming freshmen — are embarking on what is basically a new chapter of the Tad Boyle Era. While the Buffs have advanced to the postseason in all seven of Boyle's seasons in Boulder — including four NCAA berths — the Buffs are hitting the "reset" button to a large degree.

"This year is really important," King said. "I want to leave this program better than I found it. If Colorado grows as a basketball program, it helps this university as a whole — and to do that, you have to win games. That's how you become nationally known. That helps with publicity for the university and the next thing you know — boom — you've helped take the university to the next level."

It will no doubt be an interesting year for the Buffs, as Boyle attempts to blend the newcomers with the returnees. While the head coach has made it clear that he expects some significant contributions from the freshman class, he will also have to have increased and more consistent production from the returnees — especially seniors King, Tory Miller and Dominique Collier.

King has already had a chance to see several of the freshmen play, including D'Shawn Schwartz, Tyler Bey and McKinley Wright. He's been impressed with what he's seen. The key, he said, will be making sure they understand all that goes into playing the college game.

"We're going to be young, but we're extremely talented," King said. "The freshmen are like wet clay — it's up to the older guys to help mold them in the right way. That way their clay will dry and when the older guys are out, their mold is set and they're molding the next group of guys. That's how you start a fraternity — and that's what we're all about. Trying to start a fraternity on the court and off the court. That way, years down the road we're having a get-together alumni gathering and we're all the same and we can reflect back on our good days at this university."

King's aim is to make sure his final season at CU includes plenty of memories of "good days," and he will be expected to be among the team leaders in scoring, rebounding and defense.

The scoring part shouldn't be a problem. King has shown great ability in that department. Last season, even though his average dipped, he still had eight games with 15 points or more.

Neither should the rebounding be an issue — although he'd like to bump those numbers up again next season.

But he knows the third part of that equation — defense — is where he needs to take big strides.

King went through the NBA Draft declaration process this year, but did not hire an agent because he knew he would be back for his senior season at CU. It was more of an exploratory mission, an opportunity to hear from NBA folks on what they believe he needs to work on in his senior year with the Buffs.

"The NBA guys talked to me about defense," King said. "They didn't say anything about me offensively. Offense has always come natural, and my goal this year is to flip that. I want to be a defensive-minded guy first. I have all the tools to do that; it's just a matter of flipping that switch and getting into the mindset of, 'OK, I've got a guy who's averaging 15 points a night. Well, tonight, against me he's getting seven.' Or doing whatever I can to slow down whoever."

King believes if he adapts that mindset — and plays that way — it will rub off on his teammates, something Boyle would no doubt love to see.

"If I'm out there getting active defensively, me being a leader, that's going become contagious," King said. "It's easy for a guy to say, 'We've gotta play defense' and get on guys, but they're looking at you saying, 'Hey, your guy just went to the rim on you.' How much respect can you really have when that happens? So I might be saying we have to play defense, but that's really all I'm going to say. I'm going to go out and show them."

The Buffs will have the advantage this summer of a trip to Italy, an overseas excursion that will allow them 10 extra practices as well as a handful of games in Italy in August. That, King believes, should accelerate the process of the newcomers meshing with the returnees.

"I'm more excited about this year than anything," King said. "I'm the older guy on the team and it's a whole new team, a new chapter. It's a young group and I'm really excited to see how we can get these guys to shift it into gear quickly. I'm going to take a little of that first chapter with me, but leave some of it behind. I'll take the good things I learned and insert them into this new chapter. That's why I'm excited. I've been thinking a lot about how we can do this the right way and the best way possible as a senior class."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu