Tad Boyle expecting breakout year from Nique Clifford

Heading into the 2021-2022 campaign in which the Buffaloes are without the services of six graduated seniors from last year, Tad Boyle and his assistants will need to find new playmakers to replace the offensive and defensive production lost from this past season.

While there are a multitude of candidates to do just that, Boyle has high hopes that sophomore guard Nique Clifford can be impactful on the court for CU.

A former four-star recruit out of Colorado Springs (The Vanguard School), Clifford didn't enjoy as flashy of a debut season with the Buffs as did his fellow 2020 classmate Jabari Walker, who went on to average a bit over 14 minutes per appearance in 26 games off the bench for the Buffaloes.

Walker ensured he'd be talked about often and with high expectations as the 2021-2022 season approached, not only among basketball circles in Boulder but on the national level, following his torching of Georgetown in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, a game in which he dropped 24 points and was nearly perfect from three-point range.

Clifford saw action in 14 games last year, averaging four minutes per appearance.

Overall, he had a tough time in finding some rhythm offensively, as he made just 3-of-21 (.143%) of his shots on the year.

But through a robust offseason workout regimen, Clifford is ready to prove that he can make the jump from year one to two.

For starters, Boyle was impressed with Clifford's performance during Colorado's August Costa Rican exhibition.

While Clifford had a cold start to the trip from the floor, shooting a combined 4-of-17 in CU's two first games, he led the team in rebounding in both games before managing to shoot 11-of-15 over the final two contests.

"I was really proud of him in Costa Rica," Boyle said. "The first few days, he really did struggle shooting the ball, but he didn’t quit shooting. He took good shots and then the last two games, it came around. That’s going to happen."

"I always go back to Carlon Brown the year he was MVP of the Pac-12 Tournament. He went through a drastic shooting slump in the middle of the season. As a fifth-year senior, he went seven or eight games where he couldn’t make a shot but he just kept staying with it and he broke out of it."

Boyle in particular is stressing to Clifford that it's imperative he makes an impact on the floor even in the event that he's not shooting the ball well.

That translates to playing stout defense and rebounding the ball.

Regarding the former, Boyle hopes Clifford can become something of a study of senior guard Eli Parquet, who last season was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.

"When I talked to Nique in our individual meetings, I said there’s nobody in our program that you can learn more from — because you’re a perimeter player — than Eli Parquet," Boyle said. "The way Eli is just systematically gotten better year after year — but I don’t want (Clifford) to wait until his junior year to break out."

"I think he can do it this year, I really do. He’s really taken to heart the defense and rebounding that we preach every day."

Clifford has sought to emulate Parquet's defensive prowess, in doing so help replace the perimeter defense provided by McKinley Wright IV throughout his Colorado career.

"I’ve watched film on Eli and I try to get some pointers from him every once and awhile," Clifford said. "He's one of the best defenders in the country, so being able to have him on my team is going to be very helpful."

"I think being on the court with him, we can be a defensive team, as long as I lock in and do what I’m supposed to do. Just learning from Eli is a huge thing that I can do to help myself.”

Specifically, Parquet has worked with Clifford on his hand placement, positioning, and angles to take when stopping an opponent on the drive.

Clifford also has also picked Parquet's brain about the more intricate details of how he's been able to excel as a defender.

"He (talks about) what he looks at on defense — he locks in on the chest," Clifford said. "(Opposing players) can't go anywhere without the chest. A lot of people say that and it’s true. You really have to lock into their chest because if you bite on one of their moves, they’re going to go right past you.”

With Colorado needing to identify those among the underclassman-heavy Buffs who can be counted on to contribute, Clifford is resolved to let the offense come to him naturally while dialing into the fundamentals that Boyle and his assistants preach.

"Coming in, I know that I have a much bigger role this year," Clifford said. "I know I’m going to have to produce a lot more but I’ve just been focusing on the defensive side and rebounding. The offensive piece will come, but I’m just trying to contribute and bring what I can to this team to help us to win.”

"Coach (Boyle) has told me he’s going to be harder on me this year and coach me harder this year, which is what I want. It shows he cares and he has faith in me."