Ryan Kelley would probably be in Bloomington, Ind., or Spokane, Wash., if Colorado didn't have a scholarship come open at the end of last season.

But when Jeff Bzdelik decided to part company with junior college guard Javonte Clanton in March, the CU head coach and his staff began recruiting Kelley and eventually landed the 6-foot-2 guard from Pomona, Calif., in May.

Kelley is the nephew of Vince Kelley, who played for the Buffs from 1980-84 with Jay Humphries, who was also his high school teammate. Vince, who lives in Australia where he played professionally, is still No. 5 on the CU's rebounding list.

This is the fourth installment of a five-part Q&A series with CU's freshmen class. Our first conversation with Kelley:

DC: How do you like Boulder so far?

RK: I'm really enjoying it so far and starting to get used to it a lot. It's definitely a new experience from California. California is such a fast pace and coming here is a slow pace. I'm really enjoying it so far.

DC: Were you surprised when CU called you late in the recruiting process?

RK: I was at first. I didn't expect the scholarship to open back up. When it did I was definitely very enthused and looking forward to coming out here.

DC: Were you interested in CU all along because of your uncle?

RK: Yeah, because my uncle went here in the '80's. He played from 1980-84 and I wanted to come here and follow in his footsteps.

DC: Where were you headed if CU didn't contact you and offer you a scholarship?

RK: I had Indiana and Gonzaga (on the list). When I took my visit out here I was originally going to take a visit to Indiana and Gonzaga right after my visit here. But I just felt so comfortable here I decided to commit.

DC: Were you a late bloomer? It seems like the big-name programs weren't after you until the end.

RK: I think I probably could have been a little bit of a late bloomer. I started getting a lot of notoriety at the end of my senior year during travel ball and all that, started getting a lot of looks from coaches. So I was like a late bloomer.

DC: You weren't even born when your uncle played here, but have you ever watched any old video tapes of his glory days?

RK: I've seen photos of him dunking the ball up here and everything. And I've seen photos of the team. I haven't seen any footage. I'd like to try and check that out if I could.

DC: It sounds like your uncle was a pretty good player here.

RK: I heard he was a great defensive player and he liked to rebound. He was a great rebounder. I'd definitely like to get some of those traits he had.

DC: Did you get his input before committing to CU?

RK: I talked to him before I signed and when I signed. He was really pushing me to come here. He said it was a great school and he liked it here. I talked to him after I signed and he was very enthused and happy about it. He should come out here and visit me soon. I think he's going to be out here at the end of December with his family to check it out and see how things are going.

DC: What are your early impressions of this class?

RK: I feel they're really good guys and they always want to stay in the gym and work hard, which is good for us to be successful this year. They're always trying to get better and they like learning new things if they can every day. They're always trying to give their best effort every time we're out here playing and that's going to push us far this year.

DC: What do you think this class can accomplish at CU before you guys leave?

RK: The main thing we're focusing on this year is we'd like to try and make it to the NCAA Tournament and try and keep that tradition going for the next four years. That's just the major goal right there. Just have a good season and have a winning season.

DC: How do you fit into Bzdelik's system?

RK: I've been working on my shot a lot and trying to make it very consistent so I can hit a lot of the shots during games. I know his plays are based a lot around motion and getting you open for 3's. I feel my shot should be pretty good when the season comes around. I think the offense fits me pretty well.

DC: The NCAA has moved the college 3-point line back a foot (from 19 feet, 9 inches to 20 feet, 9 inches). Most of you guys weren't in college last season, so can that be an advantage for this team?

RK: It's really not too bad actually. I thought it would be back further. It's not really that much of an adjustment. I think it will be an advantage for us.

DC: What are you looking forward to the most when practices begin next month?

RK: I'm looking for us to have a lot of unity as a team, for us to be on the same page and for everybody to have the same goal in mind -- to get as far as possible and try and be as successful as we can this year.