Forward Siewert showing signs of breaking out
BOU L DER» Power forward Lucas Siewert has given the Colorado Buffaloes a spark before.
Yet it hasn’t been nearly as frequently as either Siewert or coach Tad Boyle would prefer, and typically Siewert’s brief flashes of greatness have been followed by long stretches of play more in tune with the averages of 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds he has produced since joining the Buffs last season.
Right now Siewert finally has a little momentum on his side. After producing back-to-back games with at least 10 points for the first time in his career, the talented but inconsistent sophomore forward hopes to keep pushing the envelope when the Buffs host California in a Pac-12 Conference battle late Wednesday night.
“I’ve challenged myself to be more aggressive, and I know the coaches want me to be more aggressive,” Siewert said. “Everyone is encouraging me to be more aggressive in practice. Namon (Wright) at practice was specifically calling me out telling me to play aggressive, because then in games it will come naturally.
“That’s what I’ve been looking to do.”
Until the past two games, Siewert had reached 10 points only twice over his first 19 games of the season (Siewert missed two games in November due to a sprained ankle). His first double-digit outing of 2017-18 — a 14-point effort in a double-overtime win against South Dakota State on Dec. 15 — was followed by a total of 16 points over the next seven games, a stretch that included four scoreless games.
Siewert recovered to go 4-for-6 with 11 points and four rebounds in a home win against Washington State, but he again followed that performance by scoring just five points over the next two games.