King, Buffs return to Pentagon court

BOULDER» George King wasn’t sure what to expect the last time he set foot on the Sanford Pentagon floor.

Friday night, the University of Colorado men’s basketball team returns to the venue in Sioux Falls, S.D., where the Buffaloes began the 2015-16 season 25 months ago. It wasn’t the result the Buffaloes wanted, dropping a sixpoint decision against No. 7-ranked Iowa State, but the contest proved to be a statement game for King.

Coming off a redshirt season, King stepped on to the floor at the Sanford Pentagon as a third-year sophomore and showed immediately his time on the sideline was wellspent. King hopes a similar personal performance can lead to a better team result Friday against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a lot of fun,” King said. “It was a high-level game against Iowa State. They said it was a neutral court, but it wasn’t. It was like a road game, and we lost a close one. I’m looking forward to going out there again. It’s one of my favorite courts, actually.”

King came off the Buffs’ bench two years ago against Iowa State and played 27 minutes, the second-most on the team. He knocked down four 3pointers before finishing with 14 points and six rebounds to jump-start a season that ended with King winning the Pac-12 Conference’s most improved player award.

King’s senior season at CU has been a mixed bag so far. He is averaging a career-best (and teamleading) 8.6 rebounds per game, yet after entering the season with a .405 career 3-point percentage, the second-best mark in team history, King has shot just .378 (17-for-45) from long range through the Buffs’ first 11 games.

But he is shooting a career-best .478 overall from the field for the Buffs.