Williams is Pac-12 Freshman of the Week
Buffs wing scored 39 points in victories over Oregon and Oregon State
Finally able to string together a few games in a row, Cody Williams has been flashing the skills that made him one of the top recruits in the nation.
On Monday, he received his first significant collegiate honor.
The dynamic wing from the Colorado men’s basketball team was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after turning in a pair of solid all-around games in the Buffaloes’ home wins against Oregon and Oregon State.
It is the fifth Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award for the Buffs, and Williams is the fourth CU player to pick up the honor, joining Jabari Walker, Julian Hammond III and KJ Simpson, who won it twice in the 2021-22 season.
Williams began the weekend by going 10-for-13 with a season-high 23 points in a win against thenfirst-place Oregon. Williams went 3-for-4 on 3-poiners, hitting three 3-pointers in a game for the first time this season. Williams also recorded two rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots against the Ducks. In Williams’ 11th appearance of the season, it was his third 20-point game.
Williams turned in another versatile performance in Saturday’s win against Oregon State, going 6-for-10 from the floor with a 2-for-3 mark on 3-pointers before finishing with 16 points and a season-high-tying six rebounds. Williams also had two steals, one assist and no turnovers in nearly 32 minutes.
With the 5-for-7 showing from the 3-point line in the two games, Williams improved his long-range percentage to .500 (11-for-22). In four games since returning from a seven-game absence due to a left wrist injury, Williams has averaged 17.0 points.
“It just feels good and kind of lets me know I’m on the right track. I’m doing some good things out there,” Williams said. “So I’ve just got to keep playing unselfish, keep playing my game. But it is nice to kind of have that recognition. It kind of helps me know I’m doing the right things.”
Deivon Smith from Utah was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after averaging 19.0 points, 8.0 assists and 7.5 rebounds in the Utes’ home wins against Oregon State and Oregon.
Boyle rollover
CU athletic director Rick George confirmed to Buffzone that the automatic rollover written into head coach Tad Boyle’s contract was invoked again this year. The move has become more
of a formality, as either the university or Boyle have the option to opt out of the fiveyear agreement (essentially taking the terms down to four years) by Dec. 31 of each year. Neither side has
ever invoked the clause, basically keeping Boyle in a five-year agreement.
Notable
After missing the win against Oregon State due to a sore knee, J’vonne Hadley practiced “partly” on Tuesday, according to Boyle. … CU (14-5, 5-3 Pac-12) received one point (one 25thplace
vote) in this week’s AP top 25. The Buffs didn’t receive any votes last week but have received points in 11 of 12 polls this season, getting ranked in the first two polls of the regular season. … Arizona jumped three spots to No. 9 in this week’s top 25. Utah was the only other Pac-12 team to receive votes, netting 20 points and unofficially landing at No. 33.