Trevor Baskin wasn’t just overlooked out of high school. He essentially was ignored, and much of it didn’t make sense.

Baskin’s father, Jon, was the longtime and well-respected head coach at Pomona High in Arvada. Baskin shot up to 6-foot-7 heading into his junior prep year, and even though it took a few years to fill out his new frame, he still averaged 25 points a game for Pomona as a senior.

Still, despite showing up for every camp and showcase he could make time for, Baskin had all of one offer. And it was from the school where his dad starred decades ago.

But an offer is an offer, and Baskin more than made the most of it at Division II Colorado Mesa.

Now 6-foot-9 and coming off player of the year honors in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Baskin is taking advantage of his extra year of eligibility from the 2020-21 COVID season to challenge himself at another level with Colorado. One of CU’s three graduate transfer additions, Baskin has evolved from an overlooked prep standout to a player with an opportunity to fill several roles for the Buffaloes as they return to the Big 12 Conference.

“I would go to elite camps. I went to the Regis elite camp. I went to the Metro one. They never seemed to offer me,” Baskin said. “Mesa was by far the best option out of all of them, and it was the only school that offered me. So I got extremely lucky with that.

“Being able to see where I was four years ago, kind of playing as a backup center, and now playing in the best conference in basketball. To be able to play and represent my state at CU, I’m really excited. By no means am I going to take this year for granted. I’m going to enjoy every moment I get to play. But it’s also a testament to the work I’ve put in for the last four years. When I went into the portal, none of these schools would’ve even thought about me four years ago. But I’ve put in the work and my labor’s come to fruition. I’m excited to prove what Division II basketball can do at the next level.”

Baskin is equally versatile on both ends of the floor, and on offense he has an opportunity to fill some of the void left by Tristan da Silva when the Buffs tip off the season on Monday at home against Eastern Washington (7 p.m., ESPN+).

Last season at Mesa, Baskin averaged 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Defensively, Baskin often was forced to guard the opponent’s biggest player, and his long arms and quickness can be equally impactful along the defensive perimeter.

As Baskin grew stronger and more skilled throughout college, CU head coach Tad Boyle started receiving unofficial updates about Baskin from two of his Colorado Mesa teammates, Isaac Jessup and Owen Koonce, who are former CU walk-ons.

“We kind of followed him, and when he went in the portal and we knew what we needed, it kind of was a no-brainer to reach out,” Boyle said. “We watched some film on him, talked to those guys (Jessup and Koonce) and we jumped into the recruiting and got him. It’s good to have a Colorado guy. I think he’s happy to be here at Colorado, and we’re certainly happy to have him.”