After two seasons with the Colorado men’s basketball team, Daylen Kountz opted to gamble on himself with a change of scenery.

It was a risk that has paid immense dividends for the former Denver East star.

Now in his third season at Northern Colorado, Kountz has developed into one of the most dynamic players in the Big Sky Conference as he and his Bears teammates get set to visit the Buffaloes on Sunday afternoon.

“When I decided to leave, I just kind of felt like I wanted to give myself an opportunity to get on the floor. That was the biggest thing,” Kountz said. “As long as I tried to work hard and just give myself the opportunity, things would take care of itself from there. From the day I got here, it was pretty much open arms. They were just kind of willing to accept me and just help me grow and become a better player, a better person.”

Kountz appeared in 68 games (seven starts) for the Buffs over two seasons, averaging 4.3 points and 1.1 rebounds. He showed glimpses of his potential, particularly during a late surge at the end of his freshman season in 2018-19 as the Buffs rode a hot streak into the Pac-12 Conference semifinals and the NIT quarterfinals.

As a sophomore the following year, however, Kountz struggled, going 4-for-26 on 3-pointers while averaging just three points as his classmate, Elijah Parquet, moved ahead of Kountz in the backcourt rotation.

That offseason, Kountz opted to transfer to UNC. It became a perfect fit. Kountz averaged 14.1 points during his first season with the Bears and took off last season, earning first team All-Big Sky Conference honors after shooting .512 from the field and scoring 21.2 points per game.

In a tough early schedule for UNC that has included road games at No. 5 Houston and No. 11 Baylor, Kountz returns to the CU Events Center averaging 17.4 points this season.

“Physically, he’s matured. He’s a grown man now and has some girth to him,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “He was a little skinny and slight when he first got there. I think his ability to drive and absorb contact has gotten better. He was always a great athlete with a great first step. Great one-on-one player. And he’s a more consistent jump shooter. He averaged 20 points a game last year. That’s hard to do. He’s grown really with every element in his offensive game.”

This will be Kountz’s second visit to CU since leaving the program, yet neither matchup could be described as a perfect reunion. Kountz faced his old teammates in just his third game at UNC early in the 2020-21 pandemic season, going 2-for-9 with five points and five turnovers, but without fans in the arena none of Kountz’s local friends and family members could attend. This time fans obviously have returned, but none of the current Buffs were ever teammates with Kountz.

Players transferring away from the program where they were recruited is part of the cost of doing business in college basketball, but few have left CU’s program to enjoy the sort of career Kountz has put together (although former CU player Tre’Shaun Fletcher won the 2018 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year honor in his lone season at Toledo).

“I knew how talented Daylen was when we recruited him,” Boyle said. “Every kid is looking for something different out of their college experience. From Daylen’s perspective, my guess is he wanted a bigger role earlier in his career. He would’ve been a starter for us right now as a senior, for sure. He’s developed well. He would’ve developed well here too, but they’re all looking for different things.”