BOULDER — Dallas Walton is back on the court.

That in itself is enough to make the Colorado 7-footer smile. The thought of rejoining his Buffs teammates only makes his grin grow larger.

It has been a long journey for Walton, but also a road with which he is very, very familiar. Now on the way back from his third ACL tear, Walton is expected to be cleared for contact by the end of June. That means he will be able to practice and work out at full speed with his teammates this summer as they prepare for what they hope will be a very memorable 2019-20 season.

Walton is already getting in plenty of work. He is running, jumping and shooting, and can cut and pivot in individual drills. To the casual eye, he showed absolutely no effects of the injury during a Tuesday afternoon workout at the CU Events Center.

But while Walton is eager to take the next step and be cleared to participate in scrimmage situations, he is by no means over-anxious to get there. If history has taught him anything, it is that patience has its rewards.

"If there's one thing I've learned through this whole process with my injuries is that you can't rush anything," Walton said Tuesday in between sessions of CU's summer youth camp. "Things take time. Even though you think you may be ready, sometimes that extra time is really what you need, whether you realize it or not. Me embracing the process has helped immensely this go-round."

Just a year ago, Walton and his teammates were looking forward to what they hoped would be a breakout season. A roster loaded with young but talented players had an eye on springing a surprise on the Pac-12 and proving the preseason prognostications wrong (CU was picked seventh).

But just a few days after practice officially opened, Walton suffered his season-ending knee injury. And while the Buffs did indeed finish better than predicted — 23-12 overall and 10-8 in conference play, tying for fourth — the absence of Walton's presence in the post on both ends of the floor may have very well been the difference between the NIT bid CU ended up receiving and an NCAA berth that escaped their grasp.

Now, however, Walton is back, as is nearly the entire roster from last season. It is a group that is getting some national attention, and is already being tabbed as a Pac-12 title contender.

"I think everyone is excited about the opportunity to do some great things," Walton said. "Seeing how everyone has already really improved has me excited to be able to play with these guys again. I truly believe this team will be capable of some big things, but we all have a lot of work to do to get there."

Walton can't be blamed for being eager to play again. He has spent three years on the CU campus, but has played just one season. He redshirted his first year in Boulder, then enjoyed a solid redshirt freshman year, when he averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in 2017-18. He led CU in blocked shots that season with 34, good enough for 10th in the Pac-12.

Then came last year's injury, taking his rim-protecting defense out of CU's arsenal, something the Buffs missed all season long.

"Missing an entire season … it's hard to put into words," Walton said. "There were moments when I was just happy to be around my teammates. But there were some moments when I was dying, itching to get out there and help. I'm not going to lie — it was tough."

But Walton did make the best of a difficult situation. He watched, he studied and he learned. He saw the game from a different perspective, and did his best to file that information away for future use.

"I was able to see Colorado basketball in a way that you wouldn't see if you were playing," he said. "It was a chance to really dissect what is going on and what decisions should be made in the flow of a game. I think it helped build that mental aspect of the game for me."

He also attacked his rehabilitation process with a vengeance. Having gone through the process twice already — he tore the ACL in his left knee twice in high school — he knew what to expect. With the constant aid of CU strength and conditioning coach Steve Englehart , he has tirelessly rebuilt the strength in his knee, to the point that recent tests actually showed his recently repaired leg had slightly more muscle mass than the other.

"Much credit to Steve for all the work he's putting in to the process, making sure all the boxes are getting checked when it comes to ACL recovery," Walton said. "When I work out with Steve he'll test how high I can jump, how explosive each leg is, whether I'm favoring one leg or the other, things like that. It's been encouraging to see that the work I've put in is paying off."

Walton and CU's coaches haven't yet discussed what kind of "pitch count" he might be on when he returns. But odds are he won't be rushed back into full service.

Still, his presence no doubt will add another valuable weapon to the Buffs' arsenal. Along with 6-10 senior Lucas Siewert and 6-8 sophomore Evan Battey , both of whom were big contributors last year, the Buffs should have a very formidable front line this year. Throw in 6-11 redshirt freshman Jakub Dombek and 6-10 sophomore Frank Ryder , and depth also won't be an issue in the post.

But for now, Walton isn't looking too far into the future. While he admits he will be a little nervous when he returns to full-speed work, he is also eager for the opportunity.

"One thing (former Buff) Josh Scott told me when I was working out with him last week is that you can't live your life in fear," Walton said. "I'll be a little nervous, but I'm more excited than I am nervous. You never really understand what it means to play like it's your last game until you go through something like this. You learn that you have to enjoy every moment … and that's what I'm ready to do, enjoy every moment."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu