BOULDER — This week’s announcement that Versus has picked up the telecast of the Nov. 19 Colorado at UCLA game (5:30 p.m. MST kickoff) assures that all 13 of CU’s games will be televised this season — 11 nationally, two regionally.

According to Colorado sports information director David Plati, this marks the first time that every Buffs game will be televised since 1995 — when the Buffs went 10-2 in their first season under Rick Neuheisel.

Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. home finale against Arizona will be televised on Fox College Sports (FCS), which is available on some cable and satellite packages.

As of mid-morning Thursday, one day after the beginning of the eight-day early signing period for basketball, Colorado men’s coach Tad Boyle and his prized signee, 6-9 Josh Scott of Lewis-Palmer HS near Colorado Springs, are the lead story on ESPN.com’s college basketball recruiting page.

It’s titled “Great Scott!” and says, “When you land the program’s best commit in 10 years (since David Harrison), like Colorado has done with ESPNU 100 center Josh Scott, it’s kind of hard not to be impressed.”

The page includes pictures of Boyle and Scott.

Both smiling, of course.

The CU women’s basketball team added three players to their roster for 2012. Here’s a closer look:

LAUREN HUGGINS, 6-1 wing forward, Heritage HS
National top-100 player ranked No. 63 nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz, which also has her at No. 11 among small forwards. Rated the No. 1 senior girls basketball player in Colorado, Huggins averaged 12 points and almost eight rebounds as a junior. Guided Heritage to the Class 5A Sweet 16. CU coaches believe she is one of the nation’s top jump shooters with range beyond the NBA 3-point line. CU coaches like the way she steps up her game against top competition.

JAMEE SWAN, 6-2 forward, Marana (Ariz.) High School (near Tucson)
National top-100 blue-chipper, Swan is ranked No. 38 for all positions by ESPN’s HoopGurlz. The top-rated high school senior girls basketball player in Arizona, Swan has the strength to finish in the paint and is called a “dynamic rebounder” by CU coach Linda Lappe. Ranked No. 8 among the nation’s forward prospects by HoopGurlz, Swan averaged 19.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots as a junior.

KYLEESHA WESTON, 5-7 point guard, Park Hill HS, Kansas City, Mo.
Fills a need because last year’s CU recruiting class did not have a point guard. As a junior, Weston averaged 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 2.5 assists. Athleticism enables her to play bigger than her listed height. CU coaches call her the “ultimate team player.” Said she “was speechless” when seeing the CU campus for the first time on her recruiting visit.

BOULDER – You may have to go back to the 1970s to find the last class of Colorado men’s basketball signees that included three in-state players – before this one.

After gaining the signatures of 6-foot-9 Josh Scott of Lewis-Palmer HS (Monument), 6-8 Wesley Gordon of Colorado Springs Sierra and 6-1 Xavier Talton of Sterling HS, Colorado coach Tad Boyle was asked if this signaled an upward trend in local talent or it is an aberration.

In this state, unfortunately, some years will be better than others, he said.

“That’s cyclical,” said Boyle, a Greeley native.

But Boyle added that anytime the state of Colorado produces a player that can help his program “we’re going to try like heck to not let him get out of the state. These three kids we got this year can help us win championships, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Word is, the current class of high school sophomores is, like the seniors, an exceptionally strong group in Colorado.

Boyle went out of state to land 6-6 Xavier Johnson of Orange County, Calif., and 6-7 Chris Jenkins of Detroit.

No matter where CU recruiters go, “the key is to not get bad players,” Boyle said. “If you only get good players, that’s how you improve as a team.”

FORT COLLINS – Colorado State linebacker Mychal Sisson went through practice a second time on Wednesday, this time in full pads, and has been declared a game-time decision by head coach Steve Fairchild.

Still, Fairchild sounded like he might rather hold the all-conference linebacker out another week.

“We’ll see,” Fairchild said. “We’ll talk with (head trainer) Terry DeZeeuw. I’d be very surprised. … Terry’s being cautious, Myke’s being aggressive. The right things will happen. I think TCU and Air Force are more realistic goals. But we’ll see.”

Sisson practiced on Tuesday and reported no pain from the session. He did some hitting and change-of-direction work and was pleased with the outcome. Wednesday he went through scout team and 7-on-7 work.

Sisson said he’d be available even if it was for only a few plays, something that has crossed Fairchild’s mind.

“I thought about that yesterday,” Fairchild said. “I thought even if we got a few snaps out of him that would be kind of a nice thing. But we don’t want to put him out there until he’s ready and we don’t need to make that decision right now.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

A closer look at the five Colorado basketball signings announced officially Wednesday by Buffs coach Tad Boyle:

WESLEY GORDON, 6-8, forward, Colorado Springs Sierra HS
Averaged almost 21 points as a junior last season after helping Sierra defeat Pueblo East in the Coors Events Center for the 4A state title. Rated the nation’s 23rd best power forward prospect by Scout.com as a three-star prospect but considered to have big-time potential. Extended an oral commitment to CU on March 6, three days after his friend, Josh Scott. Has power forward’s mentality on the boards.

CHRIS JENKINS, 6-7, forward, University of Detroit Jesuit HS
Three-star recruit who CU coaches believe has a big upside with the skill set to be a terrific player in the Pac-12, despite being under-recruited on a national level. Averaged 17 points and almost eight rebounds per game last season as a junior and is known for his versatility. Can guard any of several positions on the court. Shot 40 percent from 3-point range as a junior and 81 percent from the foul line.

XAVIER JOHNSON, 6-6 forward, Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, Calif.
National four-star, top-100 prospect, ranked No. 83 by Rivals.com and No. 86 by ESPN. Helped Mater Dei win 32 games and a CIF state championship last spring. Invited to play in the prestigious Top 100 NBA camp. Leaper who can fill a highlight reel with an assortment of reverse dunks and finger rolls. Has the most college-ready body among CU’s recruiting class.

JOSH SCOTT, 6-9, power forward, Lewis-Palmer HS (Monument)
National, four-star blue-chipper ranked No. 46 nationally for all positions by ESPN.com and is No. 65 on Rivals.com’s list. Committed to CU in March. Averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds last season as a junior and then jumped up national rankings with a tremendous summer. Named to prestigious NBA Top 100 camp. At 215 pounds, he needs to gain weight and strength but is regarded as having huge upside.

XAVIER TALTON, 6-1 point guard, Sterling HS
Named Class 4A player of the year last spring as a junior after leading Sterling to 27 victories and the state championship. Averaged 21.3 points in Sterling’s final three playoff games and was named tournament MVP. Coming from a small-school basketball background will be an adjustment, but Colorado coaches love his athleticism and point guard mentality to make his teammates better. CU coaches believe he was under-recruited because he played in a lower classification.

Check back Thursday at denverpost.com/cu for a rundown of the three CU women’s basketball signings announced by coach Linda Lappe.

The Penn State scandal is a case study in bad crisis management.

Steven Silvers, a principal at Denver-based GBSM, Inc., regularly counsels corporate and nonprofit clients on how to handle public relations and crisis response.

So Silvers knows how monumentally poor a job Penn State is doing handling its rape and molestation scandal, saying that the university’s lips-sealed approach “breaks every rule of modern crisis communications. As an institution, Penn State knows this.”

For future reference, Silvers alludes, the best approach is to be honest and forthright about your problems. Don’t hide from them — because they won’t just go away.

Read his rundown here.

FORT COLLINS – There will be at least one person not taking Colorado State for granted in its game against San Diego State on Saturday – SDSU coach Rocky Long.

He’s coached against the Rams many times over the years. And though he brings a San Diego State team to Fort Collins with a 5-3 (2-2 MWC) record, he’s in no way thinking it will be a cakewalk to get out of town with a victory.

“I think Colorado State is a good football team that’s struggled a little bit in some close games lately,” Long said. “They could have won all of those games. I think they are very dangerous. I think their coaches do a great job. They’ve had two weeks to prepare for us. I think we’re going to get the very best Colorado State has.”

And yet, San Diego State has a successful history against the Rams.

The Aztecs have won five of the last six games in the series, including consecutive victories in 2009 and 2010. CSU last beat San Diego State on Oct. 25, 2008 in San Diego. The Rams haven’t defeated SDSU in Fort Collins since a 21-6 victory on Nov. 15, 2003. In fact, San Diego State has won five of the last six games at Hughes Stadium.

“Hopefully our team can get into a rhythm and since we don’t have bye weeks that we have to contend with, maybe be sharp and play well,” Long said. “If we don’t play well we’re in deep trouble.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

A look around the Pac-12:

UCLA — Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke on UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel’s fate.

The Bruins’ last two wins over Cal and Arizona State has taken Neuheisel from the hot seat to the inside track on the South Division title. While he has won over some fans, others aren’t so sure. To insure his job status, Neuheisel, at 5-4, must win two of his last three regular season games starting with Utah on the road Saturday.

Then UCLA hosts Colorado and finishes at USC before a possible Pac-12 Championship game and then a bowl. A 7-5 record would insure a good bowl and should warrant an extension. A 6-6 mark would likely result in a pink slip as athletic director Bob Toledo fired Neuheisel’s two predecessors, Bob Toledo and Karl Dorrell, before bowl games.

USC — Quarterback Matt Barkley taking Steve Sarkisian praise with a grain of salt.

Arizona State — Arizona Republic columnist Dan Bickley on coach Dennis Erickson having to win his last three games against Washington State on the road and Arizona and California at home.

Arizona — Third-string tailback Daniel Jenkins could get more playing time at Colorado.

California — Golden Bear seniors have never beaten Oregon State which has won four straight in the series.

Stanford — Wide receiver Chris Owusu out indefinitely with a concussion.

Oregon — Newly released documents appear to corroborate claims recruiting service director Will Lyles made about Oregon.

Oregon State – Safety Lance Mitchell excelling despite playing in pain.

Washington – USC has plenty of motivation after losing to Huskies the last two years.

Washington State — Embattled coach Paul Wulff makes a case for him staying to finish the job.

Utah — Offensive coordinator Norm Chow squares off against his old boss at UCLA, Rick Neuheisel.

BOULDER — Colorado coach Jon Embree, an NFL assistant for four years prior to returning to his alma mater in December, was asked how many seniors could hear their names called next spring in the NFL draft or at least be signed as undrafted free agents.

“Four maybe, maybe five,” Embree said. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some guys, in the right system, can do it. If it’s not the right system, they’ll be facing an uphill battle.

“That’s what it’s about at that level. It’s getting in where you have the right fit and the right opportunity. We’ll see how it all works out for those guys.”

Embree declined to identify the seniors with pro potential.

My take — If asked to guess at which seniors could at least get a look by an NFL team, I’d say, in no particular order: guard Ryan Miller, wide receiver Toney Clemons, quarterback Tyler Hansen, tailback Rodney Stewart, tight end Ryan Deehan and linebacker Josh Hartigan.

You should follow me on Twitter @TomKensler And read more at the CU Buffs blog

FORT COLLINS – Weston Richburg was one of the first to notice. The Colorado State center nudged quarterback Pete Thomas.

“Wow, Sisson’s out here,” he said.

Thomas looked at Mychal Sisson like he was a shiny new car and smiled, knowing the enormous impact the senior linebacker’s eventual return will mean to CSU.

Sisson was on the practice field for the first time in two months today since breaking his right ankle in CSU’s second game of the season, against Northern Colorado, on Sept. 10. He practiced in shells (shoulder pads and a helmet) but did do some hitting – both individually off to the side and in a team group setting.

His status for Saturday remains questionable, but he’s closing in on returning to the team.

“I’m still taking it one day at a time,” Sisson said after practice. “We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, once I go out there and practice again. I’m just going to ramp it up everyday and see how it goes.

Asked how he felt about today’s practice Sisson said, “I actually felt real good. There were a couple of times I felt I was thinking about my ankle a little bit, seeing if it was going to hold up. But it held up. That’s the only thing, just getting my mind to stop thinking about it and just go out there and play like I normally did.”

Since the injury, Sisson was on crutches, in a walking boot and then in an ankle brace. He started running in a straight line last week during CSU’s Wednesday practice session. He moved into some change-of-direction work on Monday, and then more intensive work today, which included some hitting. He said there’s been no swelling in ankle recently, but it has been “stiff” in mornings though he’s been able to walk that off.

Sisson’s original timetable to return for the Nov. 19 game at Texas Christian, and by all rights it still is. That’s the next game on CSU’s schedule, but the team would welcome him back with open arms if he was able to play on Saturday against San Diego State. A defense that has regressed over the course of the season could use the senior leader, especially against SDSU running back Ronnie Hillman, who ranks second in the nation in rushing.

Sisson said his conditioning wasn’t as bad as he thought it might be given the fact doing any kind of cardio was difficult at best with the broken ankle. But CSU head trainer Terry DeZeeuw put Sisson through pool work, elliptical work and treadmill work as time progressed and it seems to have prevented the linebacker from falling too far behind in his conditioning.

Everyone is playing it cautious, but were happy nonetheless to see Sisson back out on the field.

“It brought some energy to the team,” Thomas said. “I have no idea if he’ll play out there on Saturday, I’ll be surprised if he does. But just having him out there at practice was pretty cool.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

I was all set to blog about Joe Paterno’s two press conferences Tuesday and neither took place. The school cancelled the one on campus scheduled for 10:20 a.m. MST and then he didn’t appear on the weekly Big Ten Conference call at 11:20 a.m. MST. They didn’t even have a replacement.

ESPN reported that Paterno wanted to appear on campus but was told he couldn’t. His son then announced an impromptu press conference was scheduled off campus for his dad. That was cancelled, too. His next public appearance will be at today’s practice.

If Penn State had been this decisive when Jerry Sandusky’s pedophile allegations surfaced, they wouldn’t be facing a complete erasure of the football program and athletic department. Good job, guys. You protected your coaches but not the children.

You should follow me on Twitter @JohnHendersonDP
And read my columns at denverpost.com/henderson

At 1-9, Colorado doesn’t seem to have a lot to play for. To coach Jon Embree they still do. But they’d better hurry. They can start against Arizona which visits Folsom Field Saturday with a 2-7 record.

“It means a lot to the kids,” Embree said on Tuesday’s Pac-12 Conference call.

“We’re obviously running out of opportunities for these seniors and that’s what I mean by ‘the kids.’ This whole year I’ve talked to the kids about what their legacy’s going to be as a senior, what it is we’re going to say about them, what is history going to say about them, as far as Colorado football. So for us to go a whole year without a Pac-12 win would be dishearteningly, to say the least. I’m just glad we have some opportunities to try and do that.”

Colorado coach Jon Embree was asked on Tuesday’s Pac-12 Conference call about the key to stopping Southern California.

“We did a poor job of playing the deep ball,” Embree said.

“When you say defend their offense, once (USC coach) Lane (Kiffin) saw we were struggling on the back end, as any good coach would do, he kept going at it. Matt (Barkley) is a tremendous player. He did a real good job of putting the ball where his receivers had a chance to catch it. He ran around a little bit which didn’t give us too many problems but he kept plays alive where he’d get it down field.

When playing them or defending USC you have to do a good job of tackling. You can’t let (Robert) Woods take little pass and go a long ways with it. You have to make them march it down the field.”

A look around the Pac-12:

Stanford – It’s No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 6 Oregon, marking the first match-up of top 10 teams in Stanford Stadium history. It’s the first in the Bay Area since No. 3 Washington visited No. 7 California in Berkeley in 1991.

Everything is on the line: Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck’s Heisman Trophy chances, the North Division lead, Stanford’s potential BCS Championship game berth. More than 400 press credentials were issued, twice the normal number, including a visit from ESPN’s “GameDay.”

Both teams are getting healthy and showing some vulnerability. Stanford’s offense struggled in the first half at Oregon State; Oregon’s did at Washington.

Read more…

FORT COLLINS – A growing restlessness among Colorado State fans about the team’s play and the direction of the program has started to spill into questions in press conferences.

CSU coach Steve Fairchild took one such query on Monday, during his weekly press conference on campus. Fairchild, whose team has bowl aspirations but owns a 3-5 record going into the final quarter of the season, was asked if he had a message to frustrated fans.

This is what he said: “We’re working hard. I’d like to think this is a better football team than the record shows, but we are nicked up. We’re getting a roster here that will help us get to the top of the league. I think the kids see it; they sense that. We’ll just keep working.”

Fairchild was asked if he thought the team is better now than we he took over four years ago.

“I think this whole program’s better,” he said. “And it’s not me it’s the way assistant coaches have recruited, it’s the way the administration has helped facilities and resources. I’ve said all along I wish it had happened quicker but it’s going to happen and we’ll get it done.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

FORT COLLINS – Surprises came all around when Paul Madsen took the field at his usual right tackle slot for CSU against UNLV on Oct 29.

CSU coach Steve Fairchild was surprised at how long the senior, who missed the previous game with a sprained knee, was able to play.

Madsen was surprised at how good he felt.

“I definitely feel like I played more (than I thought),” Madsen said. “I went into that game thinking I was going to play every other series, or maybe a quarter or two. But I got out there and I felt good enough that I only took two series off. I felt really good.”

Read more…

Just two days before the eight-day early signing period is to begin for basketball, Colorado men’s coach Tad Boyle and his staff were hoping to add to CU’s class of four commitments.

But, according to Rivals.com, Colorado struck out Monday on two targets. Point guard Tyrone Wallace of Bakersfield (Calif.) High School, picked Pac-12 rival California over CU. Wallace, 6-feet-4, is a national top-100 prospect.

Also, 6-5 swingman Damyean Dotson of Yates High School in Houston, chose Oregon over Colorado and Texas Tech.

Even if Colorado holds at four commitments, the Buffaloes’ class will be considered among the highest rated in school history. It includes two national top-100 prospects in 6-9 Josh Scott of Lewis-Palmer HS near Colorado Springs, and 6-6 Xavier Johnson of Mater Dei HS in Santa Ana, Calif.

The Buffs also have oral commitments from 6-8 Wesley Gordon of Colorado Springs Sierra and 6-7 Chris Jenkins of Jesuit High in Detroit.

The CU men’s and women’s programs have scheduled a Wednesday morning news conference to announce their signees.

You should follow me on Twitter @TomKensler And read more at the CU Buffs blog

Long-range shooters are always in demand but now even more so for women’s college basketball.

Beginning this season, the 3-point line was moved out a foot from 19 feet, 9 inches to the men’s distance of 20 feet, 9 inches.

That’s why Colorado coach Linda Lappe landing freshman sharpshooter Lexy Kresl, a 5-foot-11 guard, could prove to be a shrewd move.

In Sunday’s 78-40 exhibition victory over Regis, CU players combined for just 6-for-21 from 3-point range. Kresl tied for the team high with a pair of 3s. She went 2-for-8, but settled down after missing her first four treys.

Read more…

How thin is the line between Colorado State’s current 3-5 record and one that could have been 4-4, 5-3 or better?

Razor thin.

Colorado State starts a stretch run of football games this week at home against San Diego State. It cannot change the previous month of games where a considerable number of shortcomings have left it desperately seeking solutions to get back on track.

These are by no means the only ones, but had this group of plays gone CSU’s way, the conversation of coach Steve Fairchild’s status beyond this season and all of the things that ail the Rams right now probably would have taken a back seat.

Read more…