It was about a year ago, not long after Elijah Malone received an unexpected extra year of eligibility, when Tad Boyle said he’d be happy to bring the 6-foot-10 center back for another season.
That extra season hasn’t panned out the way neither Malone nor the Buffaloes would have preferred. Yet Malone is doing his best to deliver in the final run through March of his collegiate basketball career.
A sixth-year player who is completing his second season at CU, Malone will be the lone senior honored when the Buffs host No. 2 Arizona in the regular season finale Saturday night (9 p.m., ESPN2). Injury and ineffectiveness have dampened the impact Malone hoped to make this season, but he provided a spark to the shorthanded Buffs during a win at Utah earlier this week and will look to do so again as CU expects to be without forward Sebastian Rancik for a second consecutive game against the Wildcats.
Malone hasn’t started since a Jan. 29 loss at Iowa State, but Boyle said he plans to start Malone against Arizona.
“(Utah) had trouble matching up with him in the post and didn’t double the post, so those are teams that he can usually have some success against,” Boyle said. “The kid’s worked hard. He’s been dealing with a shoulder issue for the majority of this season and has fought through it. He’s a wonderful young man and we’d love to have him go out with a bang.”
Malone was a two-time NAIA All-American at Grace College in northern Indiana before transferring to Colorado ahead of the 2024-25 season. Malone endured his share of ups and downs during his first season at the Division I power-conference level, enjoying a hot start before fading during Big 12 play. But he finished strong, recording 14 points in CU’s upset of West Virginia at the Big 12 tournament before posting his first Division I double-double in the season finale against Villanova, recording 17 points and 10 rebounds.
That strong finish bolstered the belief Malone would be even better with a year of Big 12 experience under his belt. He started the campaign accordingly, recording a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double in a season-opening win against Montana State while adding career-highs of five assists and four steals.
Malone scored in double-figures in three of the season’s first seven games, but a shoulder injury soon limited his effectiveness. The frustration mounted during Big 12 play, as Malone twice fouled out in minimal minutes — fouling out in just 8 minutes, 33 seconds at West Virginia on Jan. 17 and doing the same in just 5:11 of court time during a Feb. 21 home win against Oklahoma State.
Malone didn’t play in the next two games, the first time in his CU career he has sat in consecutive games, but he came through off the bench during Wednesday’s win against Utah, going 3-for-3 with six points and two rebounds in 11:52 of action.
In 61 games with the Buffs going into the matchup with Arizona, Malone had recorded 41 starts while averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds with a .576 field goal percentage.
“Especially his rebounding, his confidence in going after balls outside his area,” Boyle said of the impact of Malone’s shoulder injury. “Getting that shoulder above your neck, it’s pretty painful. But he’s done a good job managing it and fighting through it.
“He’s given us everything he’s had. His work ethic has been great. He hasn’t had the kind of senior year I think that he wanted or expected, or maybe that we wanted or expected. But it’s not because he’s not a good kid. You’re not going to have a higher-character kid in your program than Elijah Malone.”
Hence then, the article about elijah malone trying to finish strong in final bow with cu buffs was published today ( ) and is available on The Denver Post ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Elijah Malone trying to finish strong in final bow with CU Buffs )
Also on site :