The Pac-12 released its preseason honors for both men’s and women’s basketball Tuesday and its preseason media poll Wednesday, and the Buffs are well-represented all around.
Both squads carry high expectations into the 2023-24 campaign, and the preseason voting reflect the talent that they both have.
On the men’s side, forward Tristan da Silva and point guard KJ Simpson both earned preseason All-Pac-12 first-team honors after their stellar 2022-23 seasons that earned them both all-conference spots.
The Buffs, meanwhile, were voted fifth in the preseason poll.
The senior da Silva was the Buffs’ leading scorer a season ago, clocking in at just under 16 points per game and earning first-team all-conference honors. He is one of Colorado’s most experienced players, already with 90 games and 64 starts under his belt as he enters his fourth season.
“I feel as good about Tristan da Silva as a senior as I’ve felt about anybody in this program since I’ve been here,” head coach Tad Boyle said after the Buffs’ first practice of the season a few weeks ago. “In terms of his understanding of what he needs to do, the game has slowed down for him. He’s picking and choosing his spots. He’s a guy that’s gonna score a lot for us this year, and he’s also gonna be a playmaker for us this year.”
Simpson took a big leap in his first year as the Buffs’ starting point guard, leading the team in both assists and steals. His sophomore season landed him on the All-Pac-12 second-team. The young guard started 28 games for the Buffs last year and more than doubled his scoring average from his freshman year output, nearly matching da Silva at 15.9 points per game.
The Buffs are one of just two teams to have multiple selections on the 10-man preseason first-team, joining USC (Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier). In addition, highly-touted freshman Cody Williams made the Preseason All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention as a recipient of at least five votes.
On the women’s side, fifth-year seniors Quay Miller and Jaylyn Sherrod earned preseason All-Pac-12 honors, while Frida Formann and Aaronette Vonleh were named honorable mention. There are two preseason polls for Pac-12 women's basketball -- coaches and media -- and the Buffs were picked fourth in each.
Sherrod has been the leader of this Buffs’ team for a few years now, earning first-team All-Pac-12 and All-Defensive nods last season after leading the conference in both assists and steals. Opening night will be Sherrod’s 100th start in a Buffs uniform.
Miller has excelled both off the bench and in the starting lineup in her two seasons since transferring to Boulder from Washington, winning Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year in 2021-22 and making the All-Pac-12 first-team last season. In her first season in the starting lineup for Colorado, Miller nearly averaged a double-double, scoring 13.1 points per game and collecting just a shade under 9 rebounds a night.
Vonleh established herself as an interior force in her first season with CU after transferring over from Arizona, averaging 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds, while Formann was the Buffs’ premier threat from outside. The Danish guard knocked down a career-high 75 threes at an efficient 39.3% clip.
"I am excited that several of our players were selected for Preseason All-Conference awards," head coach JR Payne said in a press release on Monday. "I see the work they put in during the offseason and the way they attack various areas that need to develop. I know they're prepared to have a great season both individually and collectively as a team. To be considered elite in such a great conference like the Pac-12 is very special."
That veteran quartet made up nearly 70% of the Buffs’ scoring a season ago, and they return to a squad that is looking to build off of a Sweet 16 run last season.
Both the men’s and the women’s basketball teams will host exhibitions in Boulder on Oct. 28 before tipping off their respective seasons on Nov. 6.
See the full preseason polls here:
