For every Alec Burks, there’s a Cory Higgins.

For every Spencer Dinwiddie, there’s an Austin Dufault and a Nate Tomlinson.

Every player that goes to Colorado wants to play in the NBA. But even in the most successful era of Buffaloes basketball, under Tad Boyle, only 13 former players (14 if you include Nique Clifford) have gone on to appear in an NBA game. Only three from that group have had a career longer than five years. 

But a 10-year NBA career isn’t a requirement for a fulfilling life in basketball. Just ask Higgins, Tomlinson and Dufault, arguably the three players who made the biggest impact in the first few years of Boyle’s tenure.

After over a decade as one of the most respected American players in Europe, Higgins, still CU’s all-time leading scorer, is in his first season as a Dallas-based scout for the Brooklyn Nets and potentially on a path similar to his father, Rod, who was a longtime NBA executive after his playing career.

“(Higgins) has got that perfect personality (and) demeanor for a front office position,” Tomlinson told The Denver Gazette. “I think he’s gonna quickly climb the ranks in the NBA.”

Tomlinson, the point guard and heart and soul of CU’s Pac-12 championship team in 2011, is in his second stint as an assistant with the Buffs and could be in line to take over for Boyle whenever he decides to retire.

“(Tomlinson) is one of my closest friends, so to see him back on staff is awesome,” Dufault told The Denver Gazette. “He and I talk all the time. We’re always checking in on each other, texting each other after a big win. I’ve really stayed in touch with them, (assistant) coach (Mike) Rohn and the staff, the guys that have been there since I (was) there.”

Dufault, whose record of career games played in Boulder might never be broken, is now in his first year as the director of player development for the Chicago Bulls after spending multiple years in various roles for the Lakers and Pistons.

“It’s been an amazing opportunity,” Dufault said. “I’m really thankful to Billy (Donovan) and the front office for giving me the opportunity to have this role. It kind of started right when (last) season ended. We had about two weeks off and then guys were back in the gym.

“To be able to go through this first summer, it was a huge learning experience. (It’s) a lot of the administrative stuff that you don’t really think about — the scheduling, figuring out gym times, going to see players when they’re out of market and spend time with them wherever they’re at. Just a lot of things that you don’t think about that have to get done, so it’s been a huge learning process for me.”

Together, that trio is a shining example of why Boyle got into coaching college basketball in the first place. He doesn’t care if it’s in the business world, becoming a doctor or a lawyer or finding a way to stick around in basketball, Boyle wants to see his former players find success and happiness.

“To me, that’s what college athletics (is about) and people lose sight of that,” Boyle said. “That’s really what we’re here to do is prepare these young people for success in their life after they’re done playing. If we can play a part in that, there’s value there. The value’s not just in money.

“That’s what basketball can help create: futures for these kids. But I want them to feel like they can be doctors, they can be lawyers, they can be businessmen, they can be teachers, they can be coaches.”

There’s one thing Boyle left out: lifelong friends. That’s Dufault, Higgins and Tomlinson. And they have basketball to thank for that. 

“It’s amazing just to see where everybody kind of ends up in life and in their profession and for those of us that are fortunate to still be working in basketball,” Dufault said. “They’re all the same people still. They’re the same guys that we were teammates (with) however long it was, 15 years ago. It’s amazing to just see where this basketball journey has taken everybody.”

Stock up, stock down

With nonconference play nearly over, here’s who’s trending up and trending down across the Mountain time zone

Stock up: Arizona 

Tommy Lloyd has done it again, folks. Even after losing the stars from last year’s Sweet 16 team in Caleb Love, Henri Vesaar and Carter Bryant, Arizona has reloaded, mostly with young players, and is the No. 1 team in the country. The Wildcats became the first team in the AP poll era to have five wins over ranked teams in their first nine games. 

Stock down: Mid-majors

The gap between the haves and the have nots continues to widen. Of the top 40 teams in Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency rankings, all but three come from the top five conferences in the country — the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. The West Coast Conference, Mountain West and Atlantic 10 feel like the only mid-major conferences with a chance to secure multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament. 

Stock up: Colorado

Don’t sleep on this Buffs team. After downing Portland State in an empty gym earlier this week, CU is 10-1 with a real chance to get to 12-1 heading into Big 12 play with remaining nonconference games against Stanford (in Phoenix) and Northern Colorado. The Buffs were picked to finish 15th out of 16 teams in the preseason Big 12 media and coaches poll, but this team looks like it belongs in the middle of the pack in the conference, and that should be good enough to get them on the NCAA Tournament bubble. 

Stock down: Air Force

No one in college basketball has a tougher job than Joe Scott. Of all the ways the service academies are getting left behind in this era of college athletics, on the basketball court is where it’s most apparent. At 3-9, Air Force ranks No. 323 in KenPom and there is no reprieve coming in Mountain West play with every other team in the conference over 100 spots higher. 

Stock up: Impact freshmen

There’s a reason everyone else in the NBA is worried the Thunder (via the Clippers) might get one of the top picks in next year’s draft. This freshman class is loaded with young talent and there’s plenty to appreciate in the Mountain time zone. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is on track to be one of the top three picks in the country, while Arizona’s Koa Peat and Brayden Burries are also likely first-round picks. Even the Buffs are getting a ton of production from first-year players, led by leading scorer Isaiah Johnson. 

Mid-major minute

It’s no surprise, but the best mid-major conference in the country is shaping up to be the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga is No. 2 in the country in KenPom and its only loss is to Michigan, the No. 1 team in KenPom. But it’s not just the Zags, as Saint Mary’s is No. 35 in KenPom with one of the best offenses in the country. This might be one final ride for the WCC as a multi-bid league, however, with Gonzaga heading to the new-look Pac-12 next year, with rumors Saint Mary’s could join as well. 

Upset of the Week

No. 23 Nebraska 83, No. 11 Illinois 80

It’s the time of the calendar where the big boys stack up wins against the little guys before conference schedules begin, so we’ll have to go with a ranked-versus-ranked upset that might not look like an upset in a few weeks. Then-No. 23 Nebraska went on the road and took down then-No. 11 Illinois last Saturday. Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort led the way with 32 points as the Cornhuskers moved to 11-0 to remain one of just seven unbeatens in the country. 

Going overseas

Speaking of Dinwiddie, after a decade in the NBA, the former first-round draft pick is in his first season in Europe as a member of Bayern Munich. Through 13 games across competition both in EuroLeague as well as the German Bundesliga, Dinwiddie is averaging 13.3 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game.