Back in late April, then-four-star guard K.J. Simpson, a former Arizona signee who was released from his NLI following the firing of Sean Miller in Tucson, suddenly found himself back on the market looking for a new home.

Simpson didn't stay available for long.

Tad Boyle and Mike Rohn stepped in quickly following his departure from the Wildcats and Simpson, who had CU high on his list originally before committing to Arizona, soon pledged and signed with the Buffs.

He wound up being a late spring addition to Boyle's Class of 2021 that ranked No. 17 in the nation by Rivals.

Simpson was joined by fellow four-stars Lawson Lovering and Quincy Allen as well as guards Javon Ruffin and local standout Julian Hammond III.

A standout point guard at Chaminade College Preparatory High School in West Hills, Calif., Simpson provided the Buffaloes with a young option to eat some minutes at point guard in the immediate aftermath of McKinley Wright IV's departure.

Behind sophomore Keeshawn Barthelemy and graduate transfer Mason Faulkner, Simpson seemed primed to add some raw depth for CU at point guard.

However, his role in 2021-2022 in all likelihood will be much more prominent, given the recent news that Faulkner decided to leave the Buffs.

Faulkner, who boasted a veteran's resume with two years at Northern Kentucky and another two at Western Carolina, was projected to help bridge the transition from the senior-laden 2020-2021 Buffs to this year's underclassman-dominated unit.

But what's done is done and Simpson is ready for what that entails.

“That gives us, especially me, a lot of opportunities and a lot of weight to carry on my shoulders, especially as a freshman, but I came in with high hopes of contributing right away," he said. "So, if anything, there’s a certain pressure, but I’m up for it and I want to carry that moving forward.”

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Simpson arrived on campus at CU back in June, where he began getting to know his fellow 2021 signees and teammates in general.

Colorado's 10 allotted summer practices held in light of the Buffs' current international tour of Costa Rica, during which they'll play four exhibition games, proved beneficial for Simpson as he looked to build some chemistry with coaches and players alike.

While Simpson, like most college freshmen leaving home for the first time, had some concerns as he touched down in Boulder, he's since settled down and gained some comfortability with his new surroundings.

“Right away, I didn’t know how I was going to feel about being without my parents and being with a different group of guys for a long period of time," he said. "I didn't know how it was going to go."

"...Everybody was genuine, everybody took me in and (Boulder) has really felt like a family and home setting. It feels like a home now and being on my own, I feel like it’s matured me in a good way that’s helped me on and off the court.”

While his transition from California to Colorado has gone seamlessly enough, more works remains to be done in terms of adjusting from high school to college hoops, something not lost on Simpson.

"When you’re in high school, you can get away with stuff but in college, everybody’s good, you’re playing against great competition every night, people who are as fast as you, who can jump as high as you and who are as strong — you’ve got to tighten up on certain things and certain techniques," he said.

"That’s the biggest challenge of going from high school to college."

Beginning Friday evening at 8 p.m. MST, the Buffs will play their first of four exhibition matches against an unspecified Puerto Rican professional team.

While Allen and Ruffin, both of whom have been banged up (to varying degrees) this summer, will not participate, heavy minutes should be expected for the likes of Simpson, Lovering and Hammond III.

For Boyle, these four games represent the first opportunity to see how his young team fares against actual competition outside of a practice setting.

"What I want is to learn about the team we have so when we come back from Costa Rica, having played games against different opponents — and I have no idea what the level of competition is going to be, I’ll be able to speak to that when we get back — it’s learning about our team."

After the Buffaloes wrap up their Costa Rican exhibition, the next game they'll play will be Oct. 31, another exhibition match, this time in Lincoln vs. the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Time will tell how Simpson continues to hone his skills, but as far as he's concerned, he's learning something new every day and is in an environment that fosters self-improvement.

“I feel extremely comfortable, especially with the team and then getting a feel for what college ball is like," he said. "I’ve also improved. I’d say that I have stepped up my shooting a lot, passing — you want to work on that stuff constantly."

"It’s good to be around a great group of guys who share that work ethic. Being around these guys, you get more comfortable and also improve yourself.”