Men's basketball: Felix Kossaras ready to make a home in CU Buffs' backcourt
Jun. 12—KJ Simpson put together one of the top all-time individual seasons in program history. That production won't be replaced by just one player.
Yet one newcomer hoping to help fill that void, and maybe play a pivotal role in the future of the Colorado backcourt, is freshman Felix Kossaras.
Kossaras, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Montreal who played at the Fort Erie International Academy, has joined his two freshman classmates — forward Sebastian Rancik and former ThunderRidge star Andrew Crawford — in getting his CU journey started this month with the beginning of summer workouts.
"It's been a little overwhelming, going through everything," Kossaras said. "But it's been nice so far. The coaches are taking care of me, helping me out with whatever I need. Just getting used to being in the weight room and practice and getting my shots up. Just trying to find that schedule, that's me basically trying to adjust to the school here and this new place I'm in."
No single player will immediately replace Simpson, whose monster season (19.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.9 apg, .434 3-point percentage) has left him squarely in the mix to hear his name in the NBA draft in two weeks. But, like Simpson and McKinley Wright IV before him, Kossaras likely will have an opportunity to cement a backcourt rotation spot immediately out of the gate.
Although head coach Tad Boyle still has an open scholarship spot, he also has professed faith in a mix of backcourt returnees that boast an equal amount of talent and question marks.
Julian Hammond III has the inside track at the starting point guard spot, but he missed 13 games last season due to back and knee issues. Javon Ruffin has flashed an intriguing array of skills but has been limited to 42 games in three seasons due to knee injuries. RJ Smith redshirted as a true freshman in 2021-22 and played in only seven games last season before getting sidelined. Courtney Anderson redshirted last season as a true freshman.
Nothing, of course, will be promised to any of those players. But amid that uncertainty, Kossaras and Crawford will have a chance to earn minutes immediately.
"Felix Kossaras, I think he's got a chance to play as a freshman," Boyle told BuffZone this spring, "and Andrew Crawford as well."
Kossaras, a three-star prospect ranked as the No. 29 shooting guard in his class by 247Sports, is, like Crawford, considered more of a combo guard than a true point guard. However, a traditional point guard was less significant in the five-out attack the Buffs shifted to last season — nearly every regular rotation player besides Eddie Lampkin Jr. could bring the ball up the floor following a defensive rebound — yet CU nonetheless will need another ball-handler to emerge alongside Hammond. Kossaras picked Colorado in large part because he believes he can be that type of player.
"They have a history of guys my size going to the league," Kossaras said. "I just felt like they could develop my game to be able to reach that point. That was one of my requirements, kind of (during recruiting). Definitely need to get stronger, do more conditioning. And just keep working on my game. Be consistent, and then maybe I'll be ready to play in the season."
