Last year, while working in North Dakota I broadcasted many high school basketball games in which "Mr. North Dakota Basketball" Austin Dufault played in. I have since left North Dakota and have watched his freshman season with the Colorado Buffaloes. I saw many of his games on TV, but last night I saw Dufault play in person for the first time since Killdeer High School went out in the 2008 District 7 Regional Tournament.
Colorado was blown out by Oklahoma State 76-55 and Dufault in his own words played the worst game of his life. Dufault played 24 minutes, scored 2 points on 1/6 shooting, had 2 rebounds and assists, went 0/4 from the foul line, and also fouled out for the first time in his college career.
Colorado Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik held a press conference afterwards, where one could say he was a little bit more then mad at his team. Here are some of the quotes from Bzdelik following the game courtesy of cubuffs.com
Colorado Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik
GENERAL— “The lack of passion and effort from a great majority of our team was embarrassing. Even though we haven’t won a lot of games we have played with a lot of effort and passion and a commitment to play the game the right way. Tonight that was absent from a great majority of the team. I know I am embarrassed, I would hope our team is embarrassed because I am. No excuses, we got our butt beat. We missed 12 layups, and at one point in second half, we were 1-7 from the foul line. Defensively we were chasing people instead of guarding people. Early on, we got sucked in on flat drives and didn’t locate shooters.”
“Everybody has to be collectively engaged with a commitment to playing hard and right for all 40 minutes for us to have a chance to win.”
ON AUSTIN DUFAULT BEING IN EARLY FOUL TROUBLE—“That shouldn’t have mattered. 90% of fouls are defensive mistakes, so his positioning wasn’t very sound.”
ON TEAM MAKEUP—“Defensively we are so soft; we’re just a soft team. We’re soft finishing layups, we don’t foul hard. There is a way to foul hard within the sportsmanship of the game so guys don’t get and-one’s. There’s a difference between chasing people and guarding people. They just take balls from us; they don’t finish at the rim. I recruited a bunch of nice, young men.”
ON BEING MOTIVATED TO PLAY A TEAM ON THE “BUBBLE”—“I told them before the game it is an honor and a privilege to play college basketball. People are paying to see you play, you are on national TV. Let’s compete, let’s battle, have fun and leave it all out there. You shouldn’t even have to be motivated.”
All of this sounds like a disasterous night in Boulder right? Well, I don't necessarily think so. Lets go back to Austin Dufault. Yes, he had a bad game and more bad games will come in the future. Looking at Dufault's season as a whole, it has been very good. In North Dakota he was the man, the leader and the best player in the state. Dufault lit up gyms across the state with his dominant height advantage and his terrific outside shooting and scoring. After arriving at Colorado, Dufault's game has changed and evolved. He no longer is the go to man for scoring, he doesn't get as many touches and he isn't looked at as a superstar. These are all good things for Austin Dufault. Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik has turned Dufault into a much better all around player. I noticed this on TV watching Colorado's games throughout the season, however seeing Dufault in person last night, it was even more confirming that Dufault's game has reached a different level. If you look at the statistics from last night Dufault played a bad game, but it's what doesn't go into the box score that is important in basketball. No matter what the score or his stats at the time, Dufault never takes a play off anymore. In high school he played hard, but the game came to him, now Dufault is coming to the game. Dufault's passing has been outstanding, he continues to pass up shots that he would knock down in high school in order to get his teammates involved. He is the best screener on the Colorado roster. Dufault is also twice the defender he was in high school and his hustle play has been great. Every time I speak with Dufault, he continues to say the right things. Dufault is all about getting stronger, becoming a better athlete, a better teammate and doing his part for Colorado Basketball to become successful. I also admire Dufault for playing within Coach Bzdelik's system. Dufault gets way less attention around the perimeter then he did in high school and much less touches, yet he doesn't complain. Dufault is averaging under 10 points per game, when he used to average close to 30 and he doesn't complain. Dufault has bought into Coach Bzdelik's plan to win rather then try to be the superstar he was in high school and you have to admire that.
Despite the losing season and the blowout loss last night, Colorado Basketball is in good hands. Coach Bzdelik is highley respected among his peers. I've been around many coaches at the high school, college and pro level and it is difficult to find a better coach then Bzdelik. His key stregnths are getting the absolute best out of each and every player, his defensive tactics and his ability to succeed with whatever players he has on the floor. Bzdelik was mad last night and had a right to be. He didn't get the best effort out of his players and I think that drives him more crazy then the loss itself.
I compare the 2008-2009 Colorado Buffaloes with 2002-2003 Denver Nuggets, both teams coached by Bzdelik. In that particular season with the Nuggets, Bzdelik won 17 games. It sounds like he did a terrible job, however it is the exact opposite. With the roster Denver had they would have been lucky to win 5 games that season. Jeff Bzdelik got the most out of each of his players and the team was competitive throughout the season despite only winning 17 games. The next season, Denver drafted well getting Carmelo Anthony and went on to make the playoffs under Bzdelik. The 2008-2009 Buffs are similar not because of the lack of talent but because of their youth. This is a very young team and I think Bzdelik is getting everything out of his kids. Colorado is 1-12 in conference and 9-18 overall, but they have been for the most part very competitive when many thought they wouldn't have been. Forget about Colorado's record for the moment and think about what kind of job Bzdelik has done. With all the youth on Colorado's roster, did you ever think they would take Oklahoma down to the final minutes on the road? Did you think they would take Texas to overtime? Did you think they would go to Kansas and only lose by 5? Colorado has also hung tight with tournament contenders such as Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas State. Jeff Bzdelik gets the most out of his guys and that is why he is a great fit for Colorado. Colorado is only going to get more experienced and add good recruits. Bzdelik is a very solid recruiter, the proof being in Austin Dufault. I don't know what other schools were looking into him, but Bzdelik tracked down just the 2nd athlete out of the state of North Dakota to attend CU. (Ozzie Carlson in 1960-61-Valley City) All in all, put last night's blowout aside and look forward to a bright future for Austin Dufault and the Colorado Buffaloes.
20 QUESTIONS WITH CU BUFF AUSTIN DUFAULT
Q-A year ago you were getting ready for the Region 7 Tournament in North Dakota and now you're coming up on the Big 12 Tournament. Describe the difference.
A-The talent level is the obvious difference. In both cases you are playing against desperate teams. In North Dakota, teams want to make the state tournament and now teams are wanting to get in NCAA Tournament. As for me, the motivation to play well has been the same in both cases, there is just a little bit more pressure at the college level
Q-CU has been competitive against some really good teams (Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas). You have been winning games your whole life, is it frustrating to be losing these types of games or are you looking it as a positive that CU is so young and you are still putting up a fight in these games?
A-As a young team it is a good feeling knowing we can compete with the best in the league, however it still hurts to lose. It's good knowing we are making steps to begin getting the wins
Q-As a team CU has been defensively sound pretty much all season. How do you guys get better on offense?
A-On offense we have times where we stray away from running our stuff. We have periods where we just don't execute the way we should. We also tend to become repetitive in our sets when things aren't going right.
Q-Since I last spoke with you, what part of your game has improved the most?
A-Finishing. I have worked with coaches that have helped me become a better finisher at the basket. In the past I would shy away from taking it to the hole and settle for a fade-away jump shot. Now, I'm better around the basket at scoring.
Q-Is the chemistry between you and your teammates still good?
A-Yes, despite the struggles and the losing we have stuck together. The relationships on the team are good.
Q-How is your relationship progressing with Coach Bzdelik? What is the most important thing you have learned from him?
A-Good. Coach is ok with my play on the floor. He has taught me toughness and hard work. He wants me to have a big offseason. He wants me to get stronger, more athletic and more hardworking.
Q-At Killdeer you were the man taking most of the shots, has it been difficult for you to adjust your game offensively and not take the amount of shots you had taken in the past?
A-I'm a better overall player for it. I like passing up shots I would have taken in the past in order to get my teammates involved. I've become better at setting screens and moving without the ball. College isn't like high school, I don't have to score 30 a night to help our team win, for me it is all about winning and I don't need to score big for us to win.
Q-The rest of your regular season games are all pretty much against "bubble teams". Does it give you extra motivation that you can wreck a team's season by beating them?
A-Yes it does. If we go out there with no motivation we get blown out, like last night. If we can beat teams that need wins down the stretch, it will only give us more confidence down the road.
Q-How excited are you for the Big 12 tournament coming up?
A-This is the biggest tournament of my life, I'm very excited.
Q-Can CU be a sleeper and knock off a few teams?
A-Yes, we have proven we can hang with the upper part of the conference, even on the road.
Q-What has been your best game this year in your opinion?
A-At Oklahoma (Stats: 13 pts. 3 reb. 2 assists) and home against Missouri (Stats: 15 pts. 5 reb. 1 assist)
Q-What has been your worst game this year in your opinion?
A-Last night against Oklahoma St. (Stats: 2 pts. 2 reb. 2 assists, 0-4 FT's, fouled out)
Q-You vs. Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. CU goes into Norman and almost pulls off the upset and you have a Big 12 best 13 points in Oklahoma. Can you describe that experience?
A-I was talking with friends back home about what it is going to be like going against a potential #1 overall NBA draft pick and it was exciting. Blake is the best athlete I've ever seen and is on a whole different level then the rest of us college players. As a team, we played them hard and never gave up, it just didn't turn out the way we wanted. I'm going to try to become a better athlete and get stronger and maybe someday be close to or at that level.
Q-Who is the best team in the Big 12?
A-I think it is Missouri. They created the most match-up problems for us. Going over the schedule we played in my head, I would have to say Missouri based on the way we play.
Q-Can anybody from the Big 12 win it all?
A-If Blake Griffin comes back healthy for Oklahoma, they have the right ingrediants to win the whole thing.
Q-What are you going to focus on during the offseason to make you a better player?
A-Getting stronger, becoming a better athlete and toughness.
Q-Have you had any basketball advice from your Dad? (Former Killdeer High School Boys Basketball Head Coach)
A-He has been very encouraging and it is nice to have my parents around to watch the games. In high school, as my coach, he was more intense and critical of my play. At Colorado, my Dad is all about encouragment.
Q-Do you still follow whats going on back in North Dakota? Is there anything that has surprised you?
A-Yes, I do. I thought Bowman would be a little better this season. I have also been surprised by the way Linton is playing.
Q-Tonight in North Dakota, the Girls Region 7 Championship takes place. Who do you got, Dickinson Trinity or Hazen?
A-I have to take Trinity. It always seemed like they have had Hazen's number.
Q-Final question, you almost have an entire season under your belt, do you have any regrets about coming to CU? Are you a Buff for the long run?
A-I have no regrets other then wanting more wins. I will be a Buffalo the next 4 years.
THANKS TO ANDREW GREEN FROM THE BUFFS SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BUFFS BASKETBALL VISIT http://www.cubuffs.com/
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