No coach will admit to having favorites, but it’s always been obvious with Tad Boyle, even from the beginning. Boyle inherited an Australian point guard from Jeff Bzdelik and they immediately formed an inseparable connection between basketball minds. He was never the leading scorer, but as a game manager and emotional leader, Nate Tomlinson helped lead the Buffs to the NIT Final Four, a Pac-12 Championship, and an NCAA Tournament win.
Tomlinson had been away since 2012, but he returned last year as a coaching intern. In between Boulder, he played in the National Basketball League and eventually captained his hometown Melbourne United (formerly Melbourne Tigers).