Basketball coach says each recruit was exactly what the team was looking for
2008 BASKETBALL RECRUITING CLASS
Austin Dufault (PF)
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 210 pounds
Hometown: Killdeer, N.D.
Trey Eckloff (PF)
Height: 6-foot-9
Weight: 220 pounds
Hometown: Englewood, Colo.
Toby Veal (PF)
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 210 pounds
Hometown: Savannah, Ga.
Javonte Clanton (PG)
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 185 pounds
Hometown: Brenham, Texas
Nate Tomlinson (PG)
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 180 pounds
Hometown: Lee, Maine
Jeff Bzdelik summed up his 2008 recruiting class in five words.
“Nobody is going to redshirt,” he said.
No, there’s not a chance any recruits would sit out for a whole year, the CU men’s basketball coach said. All five of his recruits, which signed letters of intent on Nov. 14 to play for Colorado, figure to make immediate impacts on the team.
The five recruits, all rated at three stars, bring a mix of frontcourt size and backcourt experience.
“I’m really excited about this class, because four out of the five are great shooters,” Bzdelik said. “Toby Veal is not a great shooter, but Toby is an exceptional rebounder. He had 15 rebounds in his first high school game.”
At 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, Veal looks to be a strong inside presence for the Buffs in 2008. He averages 14 rebounds and five blocks per game for Johnson High School in Savannah, Ga.
Veal is rated the No. 39 power forward and the No. 148 player in the country by the recruiting service Rivals.com.
He’s joined in the frontcourt by North Dakota high school standout Austin Dufault and Cherry Creek’s Trey Eckloff.
Dufault flew under the radar through much of his high school career, playing in town of just 600 people. But the 6-foot-8 outside shooter had a breakout summer this year and has now been nominated to play for the McDonald’s All-American Team.
“He really had a great summer,” Bzdelik said.
Eckloff, at 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, will bring a hot shooting hand up U.S. 36 from Cherry Creek High School in Englewood.
“He took second in the state’s 3-point shooting contest,” Bzdelik said. “He moves his feet well, and he has great instinct. He can play, and he’s in this state, so we can’t lose players like that.
“Trey is rated the 22nd best center in the country by Rivals, and he’s only 17 years old. With his age, he should be in the class of 2009, and if he was, that would make him a top 10 center his senior year.”
Along with Veal, Dufault and Eckloff, two backcourt players who both boast significant experience round out the 2008 recruiting class.
Javonte Clanton, a 6-foot, 185-pound point guard, comes to Colorado from Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas. Clanton was recruited by Bzdelik and Air Force, the CU coach’s former school, as he was coming out of high school.
Clanton instead went to Niagara, and he then transferred to Blinn.
“Javonte is an excellent shooter, a tough, hard-nosed defender and a smart player,” Bzdelik said. “He’s going to bring maturity and toughness to our team next year.
“And so will Nate Tomlinson.”
Tomlinson, the final player in the Colorado recruiting class, comes from Australia, by way of Lee Academy in Maine. He’s a 6-foot-2, 185-pound point guard.
“Nate was on the 19-and-under Australian national team,” Bzdelik said. “And so for a guy like Nate to experience those experiences, nationally, at the highest level, you’re talking about two guys in the back court next year, and they won’t be playing as young as you might think.”
All five players signed at the first official signing date of the early recruiting period. With his class already full, Bzdelik is able to concentrate on the meat of this year’s season.
“It’s huge, but more importantly, it’s a class that was either ranked third or fourth in the Big 12,” Bzdelik said. “To me, whether they rate guys three stars, four stars, five stars – it doesn’t matter. To me, all five of those guys fit into exactly what we want, and that’s what’s most important.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Justin Coons at justin.coons@thecampuspress.com.
