Andrew Crawford says he didn't go into the preseason with the intention of redshirting.
Yet as the weeks unfolded and the stark reality of the challenge of competing at the Big 12 level cleared, Crawford began mulling his options.
Crawford spoke with BuffZone earlier this week as Colorado prepared for its Friday night home test against Northern Colorado (7 p.m., ESPN+) regarding his decision to redshirt during the 2024-25 season. The former ThunderRidge standout made a shrewd assessment of where he believes he stands in his development as the Buffaloes rejoin the Big 12 Conference, the premier men's basketball league in the nation.
"Coming from Colorado high school basketball to Big 12 basketball is a huge transition for me," Crawford said. "I feel like I need a year to work on my body and get up to speed, get up to skill, with all these guys. I think all-around it will be beneficial to me. I didn't really want to waste a year on not playing. Next year, hopefully I'll get big minutes. This year is all about getting better.
"You never come into college thinking you're going to redshirt. I kind of had the thought maybe I could get good minutes this year. Maybe I'm on this level already. But then you start getting in the summer workouts and you start realizing it's a different level for sure. I realized that by the end of summer."
Last year, Boyle said he discussed a possible redshirt with then-freshman Bangot Dak, ultimately leaving the decision up to Dak. Dak decided to play last year, despite getting limited minutes. The 6-foot-6 Crawford opted for a different route, deciding the sparse playing time he might receive this year in a crowded CU backcourt wasn't worth sacrificing an entire season of eligibility.
"Just attacking practice with an aggressive mindset every day," Crawford said. "Just trying to get better, trying to go at these guys and make them get better. While I do that, it's just going to be beneficial for me ultimately in my development."
All three of the rotation players from last season's NCAA Tournament team who opted to spend their extra COVID seasons elsewhere started for their new teams in their respective openers this week.
Luke O'Brien went 4-for-9 with eight points and 10 rebounds for Georgia Tech in a rout of West Georgia. Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Syracuse barely survived Le Moyne for a four-point win, with Lampkin going 5-for-8 with 10 points and three rebounds. J'Vonne Hadley also started in his Louisville debut, going 4-for-8 overall, 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and 4-for-4 at the free throw line before finishing with 15 points and three rebounds in a rout of Morehead State.
Former Buff Joe Hurlburt played 18 minutes off the bench in his first game for Davidson, going 0-for-3 with one point and six rebounds. Playing for his third team in three years, Quincy Allen started in the opener for Chicago State, going 4-for-9 with nine points and three blocked shots.
A victory against Northern Colorado on Friday night would give CU's Tad Boyle his 300th win, becoming the first coach to reach 300 wins with the Colorado men's program. A look at Boyle's other milestone wins at CU:
Reserve guard RJ Smith recorded just one steal in his injury-shortened, seven-game season last year but recorded three steals in CU's opening win against Eastern Washington. ... CU's seven alums on NBA rosters -- Alec Burks, Spencer Dinwiddie, Derrick White, Jabari Walker, Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson -- is the fourth-most among Big 12 teams, trailing Arizona (12), Kansas (11) and Baylor (11).