SAN FRANCISCO – Unless you like being in gyms for 16 hours a day in July for AAU tournaments, the summer months are normally quiet for college basketball fans. However, over the last couple of years, a winner-take-all tournament called The Basketball Tournament has allowed fans to catch up with former college players who aren’t currently in the NBA.

This summer, Buffs fans were served an absolute treat by Team Colorado, a group of former Colorado hoopers who made it all the way to the finals of The Basketball Tournament.

​

Speaking at 2016 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Media Day, Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said Team Colorado was a source of pride for the current team. The squad, which featured former Buffs like Austin Dufault and Marcus Hall, returned to Boulder to have a mini-camp and played against current Buffs (unfortunately, Richard Roby, one of the best players in recent memory at CU and was signed up for the team, injured himself trying out for a pro league in Korea and couldn’t play).

“It was a great experience not only for those young men, but for our young players,” Boyle said. “It was a great way to tie the old Buffs with the current Buffs.”

Boyle had the team over for a barbecue and told them if they made the finals of The Basketball Tournament, he would fly out to New York to watch them in person. Sure enough, Boyle had to book a flight to the Big Apple.

​

Playing for a $2 million prize, the former Buffs built a 20-point first half lead in the finals but eventually dropped a 77-72 decision to Overseas Elite, which won the tournament for the second consecutive season.

“I’ve been in a lot of really tough locker rooms after losses, that might have been the hardest one,” Boyle said. “Those kids were devastated, but they really brought a lot of pride to our program.”