COLUMBIA, Mo. — After losing to an old enemy from his playing days here on Saturday night, it was time for Tad Boyle to start thinking about beating a good friend.
Colorado, coming off an 89-73 loss to No. 14 Missouri, must regroup and prepare for Wednesday`s game against No. 16 Texas A&M at the Coors Events Center.
Boyle and Aggies head coach Mark Turgeon played together at Kansas, the Tigers` Border War rival, and coached together at three different universities.
“It`s two teams that are struggling right now a little bit. We`re both like wounded dogs. I wouldn`t say I`m looking forwardto coaching against him,” said Boyle, who talks often with Turgeon during the season and watched Texas A&M`s overtime loss to Baylor on television at the team hotel before the Buffs headed to Mizzou Arena. “I`m looking forward to getting home. We need a win bad. And they need a win, too. So it should be a hell of a game.”
When Boyle`s run at Allen Fieldhouse ended he worked for nine years as a stock broker in Boulder, moonlighting as the coach at Longmont High School for three seasons.
After surviving a serious car accident, Boyle made a life-changing decision to follow his coaching dreams at the college level. Turgeon, who was working on the Oregon staff, persuaded Jerry Green into hiring Boyle as a low-paid director of basketball operations.
“The rest is history,” Turgeon said during an interview with the Camera before the start of the season. “I knew what kind of person Tad was and what kind of coach he was going to be. And he has proven that.”
Boyle helped Turgeon rebuild programs at Jacksonville State and Wichita State before getting his first head coaching opportunity at Northern Colorado.
The Bears went from having the nation`s worst RPI to 25 wins last season during Boyle`s four-year run in his native Greeley.
Following Jeff Bzdelik`s abrupt departure from Boulder for Wake Forest last April, Turgeon called the CU search committee to make a pitch for Boyle to be the next head coach of the Buffs.
“Tad is the best assistant I`ve ever had. He was like a co-head coach when I had him and he helped me build two programs,” Turgeon said. “Tad is ready to take a program to the next step and he knows how to build a program.”
The Buffs (15-9, 4-5) were the talk of the Big 12 after a 3-0 start, but Boyle`s entertaining team has now dropped five of its last six games after getting roughed up by the Tigers. A victory over the Aggies (17-5, 4-4) would enhance CU`s postseason resume.
“I don`t look forward to coaching against him because we are close,” Boyle said.
The feeling is mutual. Turegeon is one Big 12 coach who is not unhappy CU basketball is leaving for the Pac- 12 next season.
“I`m glad it`s only one year, and I wish we were playing at home instead of Colorado this year,” Turgeon said. “Because if we don`t win, I`ll have to hear it the rest of my life from him and all our buddies, our mutual friends.”
