While the Colorado campus still basked in the glow of an improbable football victory, the signature sounds of dribbling basketballs and the squeaking of gym shoes echoed out of the CU Events Center. The CU men’s basketball team began preseason practice on Monday morning, officially tipping off the 15th season under head coach Tad Boyle. The Buffaloes are coming off a memorable 2023-24 campaign that included a program-record 26 wins, two victories in the NCAA Tournament and, later, three selections in the NBA Draft. But now Boyle’s program is hitting the reset button. Monday’s workout included three true freshmen (Andrew Crawford, Felix Kossaras, Sebastian Rancik), three graduate transfer additions (Trevor Baskin, Andrej Jakimovski, Elijah Malone) and even two new assistant coaches in former NBA veteran Danny Manning and former Buffs standout Evan Battey. The Buffs also are bracing for the move into the Big 12, the toughest men’s basketball conference in the nation. The preseason will feature a Buffs team that will remain a work in progress into the season. In the six weeks between Monday’s opening workout and the Nov. 4 opener at home against Eastern Washington, the Buffs will have plenty to sort through. Here is a look at three questions that will be preseason priorities for Boyle and his staff. Who will emerge in backcourt? Julian Hammond III will be the starting point guard. After Hammond, the Buffs need someone to emerge as a dependable contributor out of a cast marked by inexperience and unproven assets. The hope is that Hammond can play more like the player who enjoyed a stellar run late in the 2022-23 season with KJ Simpson sidelined. Over the final five games of that season, including two games apiece in the Pac-12 tournament and the NIT, Hammond averaged 13.2 points while shooting 49.0% overall and 5 for 13 on 3-pointers (38.5%). Hammond also recorded 20 assists against eight turnovers during that five-game run. Back and knee injuries conspired to limit Hammond to 24 games last season, though he finished with a career-high 7.4 points per game. Yet in the guard-oriented game of college basketball, the Buffs lack experience. Javon Ruffin is in his fourth year in the program, but he has played only 42 games after knee injuries cost him one full season and parts of two others. RJ Smith is a third-year player, but after redshirting as a freshman, his season ended last year after just seven games off the bench. True freshmen guards Felix Kossaras and Andrew Crawford, in addition to redshirt freshman Courtney Anderson, have yet to play a college game. “When Ruff has been healthy, in practice and in the games, he’s shown that he can play at a high, high level,” Boyle said. “With the combination of (Ruffin and Hammond) and RJ Smith, who’s been in the program now going into his third year, yeah, he’s unproven, but I have confidence in him. If I didn’t have confidence in RJ, if I didn’t have confidence in Julian, if I didn’t have confidence in Javon, we would’ve signed somebody. But our backcourt for sure is probably the most unproven of our positions.” Can CU’s sophomore forwards take next step? Assane Diop and Bangot Dak played sparingly last year while the Buffs leaned heavily on a veteran rotation. The  6-foot-8 Diop enjoyed minutes early last season but saw those opportunities wane as the year progressed. Dak is 6-foot-11 but plays more like a big wing than a back-to-the-basket scorer. The Buffs’ three graduate transfers figure to play roles in the frontcourt rotation. Yet the versatile skills of Dak and Diop were a big reason why Boyle was comfortable moving to a five-out offensive attack last year, believing the system would be a good fit for CU’s personnel beyond last season. “The one thing I do know is true, from talking to (Dak and Diop) and from any competitive Division I athlete, is they didn’t play as much as they wanted to play last year,” Boyle said. “Now, they were playing behind some really, really good players. So guess what their opportunity is now? Their opportunity now is to say, ‘Well, coach I should’ve been playing more last year.’ Let’s go prove it.” Related Articles College Sports | CSU Rams stars add spice to rivalry with CU Buffs College Sports | Men’s basketball: CU Buffs to face Michigan State in Maui Invitational opener College Sports | Men’s basketball notes: Andre Roberson leading the way for Team Colorado College Sports | Grading The Week: EA Sports’ College Football 25 is apparently drinking the Coach Prime Kool-Aid now, too College Sports | Former CU Buffs Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva land in NBA draft first round Can Buffs’ new pieces fit into winning puzzle? On the floor, the Buffs played with great cohesion in 2023-24, even as injuries rearranged the rotation throughout the season. Seven of this year’s 13 scholarship players have never logged a single minute for the Buffs. Two others, Ruffin and Smith, have missed more time than they’ve played during their CU tenures. Except for Ruffin during a short duration two years ago, Hammond is the only player who previously has been a regular part of the rotation. Finding the right mix of players that clicks, not only in the starting lineup but the entire rotation, will be a preseason focus. “Our identity has always been about defense and rebounding, and that’s not going to change,” Boyle said. “But I think becoming a team that can rely on each other, because we have so many roles that have yet to be defined. I think in those 30 (preseason) practices, we’ve got to improve in every aspect of the game. But we’ve got to mesh together and have some of those roles when we get ready to play on November the fourth.” Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.