There aren’t many visitors roaming the halls of the CU Events Center during the summer. Those who passed through the past few months likely caught a sight that grew familiar in one of Colorado’s practice gyms.
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Day after day, rep after rep, Jalin Holland fired 3-pointers, working from one corner of the arc to the other and back again. Over and over.
Certainly a finely tuned touch from long range isn’t the first thing the revamped CU men’s basketball team needs from Holland this season. But as Holland and his fellow second-year wings — Josiah Sanders and Ian Inman — embark on a season with increased expectations, improved marksmanship, particularly from Holland and Sanders, would check one question mark off the ledger for the Buffaloes.
“They both worked at it extremely hard,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said of Holland and Sanders. “Every time I walked by the practice gym, I’d see Jalin Holland in there working on it with somebody. Sometimes he’s by himself. Sometimes he’s with a manager. Sometimes he’s caging with a teammate.
“All they got to do is be able to make open shots. They’re playing with two guards in Barrington Hargress and Alex Dickeson who can find them. Those guys’ll find them. They’ve just got to be ready to catch and shoot when they’re open, and if they’re closing out to them they’ve got to be able to attack a close-out. That’s something both those kids can do. But if you can hit the three, and you can attack the close-out, and you’re playing with two guards like we’ve got, those guys will have plenty of opportunities.”
While Inman flashed potential as a knock-down shooter, hitting five 3-pointers in a win against Kansas State before finishing with a .367 3-point mark, Holland and Sanders struggled from long range.
Both players displayed versatility as rookies. Holland shot .456 on 2-pointers and averaged 2.7 rebounds per game, including 5.8 over the season’s final four contests. However, Holland finished at just .278 (15-for-54) on 3-pointers.
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Sanders was even more impressive around the rim, finishing at .545 on 2-pointers, and he posted a solid assist-to-turnover rate of 2.12 (55 assists, 26 turnovers). But Sanders essentially was a non-factor from long-range, going 3-for-24 on 3-pointers and adjusting to those struggles by attempting just two over the final eight games of the season.
For two wings capable of attacking the rim, Holland and Sanders also have been tasked with improving their free throw numbers. Holland finished at .542 at the free throw line. Sanders posted a .519 mark.
The 3-point shot doesn’t have to become the primary weapon for Holland or Sanders — two players capable of covering several roles for the Buffs on both ends of the floor. However, being able to knock down an open look will keep defenses from consistently sagging off two players expected to log big minutes.
“I put myself in the gym with a lot with a lot of better shooters than me, so I could compete and see what it was like,” Sanders said. “Not even just being in the gym, though, but winning drills or doing certain things just getting those reps over the summer. That’s one thing that’s going to open the rest of my game up. If I can knock a three down and someone has to step up, I’m going to get to the rest of my game easier.
“I was in the gym non-stop this summer, and I’m definitely excited to be on the court and show off what I’ve been working on.”
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