Tad Boyle owns a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and he was in the midst of establishing a career in finance in Boulder before he was bitten by the coaching bug.

It was assumed those economic skills were, for the most part, put on the shelf until the day Boyle finally contemplates retirement. As it turns out, Boyle will be putting those skills to use as the de facto general manager of the Colorado men’s basketball program as it enters the revenue sharing era of college basketball.

The offseason officially still is at least a week-plus away, as the Buffs will get a bonus experience for the 2024-25 season with a first-round date against Villanova in the inaugural College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas on April 1. But the wheels are turning already in piecing together next year’s roster.

Boyle, who is finishing his 15th season at CU, said earlier this week he expects to sign at least one if not two players out of the transfer portal. He also previously stated the Buffs expect to remain at 13 scholarships, even with roster/scholarships set to expand to 15 (rosters will be capped at 15, but teams aren’t required to carry 15 scholarships).

Managing the money, especially with revenue sharing on the way, has become as necessary for major college programs as diagramming the Xs and Os.

“Any coach will tell you they don’t mind spending money if they’re going to get value for it,” Boyle said toward the end of the regular season. “There are a lot of teams this year who spent a lot of money that didn’t get the value out of that. It’s going to be interesting. That’s why evaluation, to me, is the key.”

Although the figures haven’t been finalized, Division I athletic programs are expected to have $20.5 million to distribute among its athletes. How that money gets dispersed is up to each school, although most projections expect at least 75% will go to football programs, with men’s basketball getting the next biggest piece of the pie. It will be up to each program how its allotment will be divided among the players.

Many programs, in basketball and football alike, are creating general manager positions. Like at the pro level, such positions allow coaches to focus on coaching while the burden of handling the money falls on other shoulders. Boyle, though, said a GM of Colorado men’s basketball isn’t likely in the cards.

“It’s not my choice. That’s a question for Rick George, not Tad Boyle, but I haven’t gone to Rick with that request,” Boyle said of a possible GM position. “I feel like I’m capable of wearing that hat, especially now that we’re in revenue sharing. But I do think you need some help. For me, that help has to come from my staff.

“Internally, we’re doing some benchmarking in terms of the Big 12. How those programs are staffed relative to how ours is staffed. We’re not done doing that yet. I’ve thought about (a GM) but it’s not like I feel like that’s what we’re missing. Because guess what it’s going to cost to hire a general manager? Money. Guess what’s in high demand around here? Money. I’m sure that’s the way Rick thinks of it, and I can understand that. So we’ll see.”

Alumni corner

Colorado State’s Nique Clifford isn’t the only former CU Buffs player to get a taste of the Big Dance this week.

Former Buff J’Vonne Hadley and his Louisville teammates were eliminated in the first round on Thursday by Creighton. It was a typically solid game from Hadley, who went 5-for-8 with 13 points and eight rebounds. Former CU guard Keeshawn Barthelemy was averaging 10.1 points with a .417 3-point percentage in 33 games for Oregon going into the Ducks’ first-round game against Liberty on Friday night.

Eddie Lampkin Jr., who, like Hadley, was a starter for CU’s NCAA Tournament team last year, averaged 11.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in 33 games (32 starts) for Syracuse. Another key figure from that team, Luke O’Brien, was limited to only 10 games at Georgia Tech due to injuries. O’Brien last played on Dec. 18. Syracuse didn’t reach the postseason, while Georgia Tech lost in the NIT first round Tuesday.

Former CU center Lawson Lovering could see his season extended in the College Basketball Crown with Utah after averaging 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 25 games for the Utes. (Lovering’s status with the Utes is uncertain after reports surfaced Friday he plans to enter the transfer portal and seek a medical hardship for a fifth season of eligibility. Presumably, Lovering will petition regarding his freshman season at CU, when he played the first 18 games before a knee injury sidelined him for the final 15).

Quincy Allen, a classmate of Lovering’s in the 2021 recruiting class, averaged 8.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20 games for Chicago State. Former CU forward Joe Hurlburt, in his first season at Davidson, averaged 1.2 points and 5.8 minutes in 28 games off the bench.

Two former CU walk-ons, Owen Koonce and Isaac Jessup, enjoyed big seasons in the Big West Conference at Cal Poly. Koonce led Cal Poly with 16.9 points a game while averaging 4.8 rebounds with a .404 3-point percentage. Jessup averaged 11.7 points with a .428 3-point percentage.

Notable

Villanova, CU’s opponent on April 1 in the CBC, is being led by assistant Mike Nardi on an interim basis in place of Kyle Neptune, who was fired earlier this week after three seasons. … CU hasn’t faced Villanova in more than 25 years, but several of the Buffs have faced Wildcats guard Wooga Poplar, formerly of Miami. During CU’s win against the Hurricanes last season in Brooklyn, N.Y., Poplar went 4-for-11 with 11 points and six turnovers.