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Barrington Hargress made an immediate impact in his first year with the Colorado Buffaloes, etching his name into the program's record books. Now, the point guard faces the task of raising his game even further as the CU men's basketball team opens its 2026-27 campaign on Monday night against Abilene Christian.
Head coach Tad Boyle, entering his 17th season at the helm, has issued a clear challenge to Hargress: expand his leadership role. While the Buffs expect consistent shooting, smart decision-making, and excellent ball security from Hargress, they need him to become a more vocal presence as the undisputed floor general.
"Coach Boyle has really been in my ear about having a quarterback's mindset," Hargress said. "You're only as good as you take your team. How I play, how does it impact winning? And how can we win as many games as possible? That's really the end goal for me. It's just going to be how many wins did we have, and how did we do in the Big 12? That's the biggest thing that I'm focused on."
After two standout seasons as the starter at UC Riverside, including a 2024-25 campaign in which he led the Big West Conference in scoring at 20.2 points per game, Hargress chose to test himself at a higher level with the Buffs, a program known for producing elite point guards under Boyle. He quickly asserted himself as the next in that lineage, finishing second on the team in scoring at 14.7 points per game.
Hargress was the driving force behind a CU offense that outperformed the team's defense and rebounding, as the Buffs finished 7-11 in the Big 12. In addition to his steady scoring—he posted five 20-point games—he set CU single-season records for 3-point percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio, the latter shattering the previous mark of 2.81 set by Billy Houston in 1982-83.
Despite playing alongside freshman guard Isaiah Johnson, Hargress was also a newcomer on a roster featuring multi-year Buffs like Bangot Dak and Sebastian Rancik. Beyond the statistics, Boyle believes Hargress's biggest challenge this year will be firmly establishing his leadership. "The next step is getting his teammates going," Boyle said. "What I mean by that is, using his voice. Barrington has tremendous respect in the locker room. Every player on our team knows he is kind of our straw that stirs the drink, so to speak. He's got to use his voice more when things aren't going well. In a word, it would be leadership. Because he's proven he's efficient. He's proven he's a good player. He's gotten the respect around college basketball, around the league. The only way we're going to get people to talk about him is to win games and put something together this year that opens people's eyes."
Key Analysis
Hargress played primarily alongside Johnson last season, as the two were the only Buffs to average at least 30 minutes per game. With rookie Alex Dickeson and second-year guard Josiah Sanders stepping into secondary ball-handling roles, the Buffs will have improved size in the backcourt on defense. Dickeson's passing skills could also create more catch-and-shoot opportunities for Hargress, the team's season 3-point percentage leader. "Just playing with Alex and Josiah, two guys that are also a little bit of a playmaking-mindset guys, it gives our offense a little more fluidity," Hargress said. "I think that I'm able to get off the ball and get into more aggressive spots, because Alex is able to take some of those ball-screen situations."
Originally reported by headtopics.