Among transfer portal pickups in the 2023 college basketball offseason, few are bigger than this one: Colorado and Tad Boyle beat out several other schools for TCU big man Eddie Lampkin. How significant is this pickup? Lampkin was viewed as a core piece of a Final Four contender at TCU. He left the team, however, late in the season, depriving the Horned Frogs of the low-post presence they sorely missed in a close loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With Lampkin, TCU had Final Four potential. Without him, the Frogs fell short of their bigger goals.
Now Colorado has Lampkin, a central building block for a run at the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Our friends at Buffaloes Wire have more:
“After losing a trio of players to the transfer portal in recent weeks, head coach Tad Boyle reloaded in a big way by landing the commitment of former TCU big man Eddie Lampkin Jr. on Sunday afternoon,” Jack Carlough wrote.
“The 6-foot-11, 263-pound Lampkin picked the Buffs over a final list that included Georgetown, Memphis, Cincinnati, Arkansas, Florida and Xavier.”
Carlough offered this early assessment of CU’s projected starting lineup for next season:
“Colorado’s starting lineup next year will likely include Lampkin at center playing alongside incoming freshman forward Cody Williams, KJ Simpson, Tristan da Silva and Luke O’Brien.”
That’s a strong starting five. If the Buffs have enough help off the bench, they should be an NCAA Tournament team. Their outlook will be even brighter if Williams — a touted freshman — lives up to expectations.
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