Senior star focues on the team to prepare for the draft
Colorado senior Richard Roby said he considered testing the NBA draft after his sophomore season in 2006. Two years removed from the decision, he said he believes that returning to CU for his junior and senior seasons have improved his chances in the NBA draft.
“I feel more prepared now than I did my sophomore year,” Roby said.
The senior guard led the Buffs in scoring the first three years of his college career. Roby averaged 16 points per game as a freshman, 17 as a sophomore and 17.3 as a junior.
Roby said he did not consider the NBA draft an option at the end of his junior year.
“Last year I knew I was coming back,” Roby said. “It was an up and down season for us last year. A lot of things happened that were out of our control, so I didn’t think it was the right time.”
The Buffs finished the 2006-07 season 7-20.
Now in his senior season, Roby still leads the Buffs in scoring. He averages 16.3 points per game, which ranks him fifth in the Big 12. He is fourth on CU’s all-time scoring list.
Roby also leads the Buffs with 6 rebounds per game, and is second in assists with about 2.5 per game.
With two months left in the season and the draft over five months away, Roby said he tries not to worry too much about life after college. He said he is trying to focus more on playing team basketball and winning games.
“I’m doing well right now, and I like where I’m at,” Roby said. “I know things are going to keep improving for me as long as I continue to put the team first.
“I know all that other stuff will come, and I’m going to have a good opportunity at the end of the season to make things happen.”
First-year head coach Jeff Bzdelik said Roby needs to be focusing on his team mentality at this point in his pre-draft career.
“Stuff takes care of itself if you just stay disciplined to what you’re doing as a team,” Bzdelik said.
Roby said the he is trying to learn as much as he can from coach Bzdelik, who has 15 seasons of experience as an NBA coach and scout.
Bzdelik was Denver Nuggets head coach for two and a half years.
“Me and Coach talk about it sometimes,” Roby said. “I know he wants to see me play at the next level. He coached at that level, and he knows the business, so I just try and pick his brain.”
One thing Bzdelik told the senior he can do to improve his stock as an NBA prospect is to never relax on the court, Roby said.
“Everybody that watches me play knows I have the talent and the skills to play at the next level,” Roby said. “They just want to see me give 100 percent at all times on the court and never play lackadaisical.”
Promising though it may be, Bzdelik said that neither Roby nor himself are overly concerned about the draft at the moment.
“We shouldn’t be worried about Richard’s draft status,” Bzdelik said. “We should just worry about him being the best he can be and getting better every day.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Brad Cochi at bradley.cochi@thecampuspress.com
