Colorado freshmen made huge impacts in the first game of the season against the Eastern Washington Eagles. The Buffaloes opened up their 2024-25 season campaign with a 76-56 win.
Freshmen Felix Kossaras (guard) and Sebastian Rancik (forward) played a huge role in the season opener for the Buffs.
Just under seven minutes into the first half, Felix Kossaras was subbed into the game to make his collegiate debut.
Throughout this contest, the Canadian came up with huge rebounds for the Buffs. He recorded a total of three rebounds, two of which were offensive.
While Kossaras only shot 1-for-6 from the field, his presence was definitely made known. His effort was seen on both ends of the court. Specifically, Kossaras’ offensive effort led to many points for the Buffs as he completed numerous passes and created chances for his teammates that led the Buffs to scoring points, despite only recording two assists.
Kossaras played a total of 11 minutes in the win.
Sebastian Rankcik made his college debut just under seven minutes into the game as well.
"When he gets his feet set, his ball is going in. We want him shooting the ball when he gets his feet set in the perimeter. Eventually, he's going to get scouted, and people are going to start running at him and running him off the line. He's gonna have to put it on the floor and make plays that way," head coach Tad Boyle said. "Sebastian's doing a lot of good things for us… his talent is unquestionable. His skill level is unquestionable. It's a high level for a freshman. So we're going to need him, and we needed him tonight, and when he gets open shots, he can make them."
He immediately made an impact as he got a defensive rebound less than a minute into his appearance. Rancik’s first career collegiate bucket was the first 3-pointer of the game for the Buffs.
“I mean he’s not phased at all. He’s never scared to be aggressive. That’s one of the reasons he was out there and one of the reasons he was able to make an impact. He’s a super talented player. The fact that he can step up when no one’s making shots and our offense is struggling, and actually make some shots and get us going is huge. That kind of turned the corner for us offensively at times,” CU guard Javon Ruffin said.
Rancik played a total of 15 minutes as he went on to finish the game as the team’s leading scorer with 13 points. He shot 4-for-6 from the field.
“He’s a fearless, fearless kid and ultra talented. That 3 he had to the game was an electric moment for sure, and he has no room for fear in his mindset whatsoever. Talking to him you can understand for sure. He’s a great player and is going to be great here for a long time,” Buffs forward Trevor Baskin said.
Kossaras and Rancik will look to continue making an impact this Friday as the Buffaloes (1-0) will face the Northern Colorado Bears (1-0) on Friday, Nov. 8 at the CU Events Center at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
Cover photo by Brody Rector/Sko Buffs Sports
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