2021-22 Pac 12 Preview: Colorado

 

PAC 12 Preview:  Colorado

2021-22 Roster

 

Last Season:  Colorado went 12-11 overall, and 8 - 8 in the conference.  

The Coaches:  Head Coach JR Payne will be in her 6th year at Colorado

Coach JR Payne

after two seasons at Santa Clara.   Payne led Santa Clara to its first winning season in 8 seasons and finished 23-9.   JR, no periods, and real name Ali-Marie, is a graduate of St Mary’s where she played for now Oregon coach Kelly Graves.   Her first coaching job was at age 23 for Graves when he started at Gonzaga.  

Shandrika Lee is in her 6th season as an assistant at Colorado after coaching for Payne at Santa Clara.  Lee is a graduate of Pepperdine and has coached at Oregon.

Toriano Towns is also in his 6th and also coached with Payne at Santa Clara.  Towns coached at Gonzaga with Payne and later at Arizona where he was the Post coach for the great, late Polk.

Alex Earl is in her 6th year on the staff.    Alex was an assistant with Payne three seasons ago at Santa Clara and played for years at ASU graduating in 2013.   Alex was a HS teammate of JJ Hones on a team where all five starters player Division 1 basketball.  

 

Losses:

Annika Jank is a 6-3 Post who played very little.

Madison Buford, 5-9 Guard a JC transfer who averaged just 6 minutes in 13 games.   

Zuzanna Kulinska is a Guard from Poland.  Last season she averaged 2 points and 1 rebound. 

Bottom line not much in the way of losses.

 

Additions:          

Tameiya Sadler is a 5-8 Guard and a Soph who transferred from Washington.  

Quay Miller is a 6-3 Jr Post who transferred from Washington.  

Maura Singer 6-4 Redshirt Soph Post

Kennedy Taylor is a 6-3 Frosh Forward.  

Kindyll Wetta is a 5-9 Frosh Point Guard.

Two excellent additions in Sadler and Miller coming from Washington.  

 

The Schedule:   Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and Marquette head the non conference list. 

 

The Team:   

Mya Hollingshed is a 6-4 Sr Post using her extra year who averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds.

 Mya Hollingshed

Jaylyn Sherrod, 5-8 Jr Point Guard who averaged 10 points, but injury caused her to miss the second half of the season.  

Tameiya Sadler is a 5-8 Guard and a Soph who transferred from Washington.  Sadler averaged 10 points per game for Washington and while made just 14 threes she did at 45%.  

Quay Miller is a 6-3 Jr Post who transferred from Washington.  Miller averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds with the Huskies.  

Frieda Formann, 5-11 Soph Guard from Denmark.   Formann averaged 12 points per game and hit 62 threes at 41%.  

Sirena (Peanut) Tuitele is 6-1 Sr Forward who averaged 8 points and 5 rebounds. 

Charlotte Whittaker is a 6-4 Redshirt Jr Post from Australia who averaged 5 points and 2 rebounds.   

Maura Singer 6-4 Redshirt Soph Post who missed her frosh and soph years with injuries.        

Lesila Finau is 5-10 Sr Guard who averaged 5 points.  

Aubrey Knight is a 6-0 Redshirt Sr Wing who averaged 5 points and  5 rebounds. 

Tayanna Jones is a 6-1 Sr Guard who transferred from Georgetown a year ago.  She averaged 4 points and 2 rebounds.

Allysa LaFontaine is a 6-0 Soph Guard who played in just 7 games. 

Kylee Blacksten is a 6-3 Soph Wing who averaged 4 points and 2 rebounds.

Kennedy Taylor is a 6-3 Frosh Forward.  Taylor was the Kansas 6A POY and threw the Discus in HS. 

Kindyll Wetta is a 5-9 Frosh Point Guard.   She was ranked as the # 16 Point Guard in the nation.  Her Mom played Basketball at Colorado.  

 

Predictions:  

With Hollingshed, Miller, Sadler, Formann and Sherrod Colorado can start 5 players who averaged 10 or more points in the Pac 12 last season.  Plus the Buffs have good depth.   This is a team on the rise to the top 6 in the league or better.  

 

2022 Recruiting:    

Jada Wynn, 6-0 Guard from SoCal daughter of the former Washington coaches, unranked

Lizzie Holder, 6-1 F, MN   Unranked