University of Colorado at Boulder Parent Guide
CU Buffs Women’s Basketball Outlook 2009-2010
Unpublished
The Colorado Women’s basketball team returns four of its top five scorers from 2008-09 and that doesn’t include the addition of Whitney Houston, who sat out last season due to injury but has averaged 6.1 points and nearly two assists over her first two seasons. Junior guard/forward Brittany Spears returns as one of the most dynamic players in the Big 12. She led Colorado by averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game as she was named to the All-Big 12 Conference second team. She topped the 1,000 career points barrier at the end of last season, becoming just the second player in CU history to reach that mark in her sophomore season.
After the loss of Houston, Colorado featured four guards who all were playing their first significant minutes in a Buffaloes uniform. Alyssa Fressle, regarded as the top prep player to come out of Colorado in 2008, started the majority of the season as a true freshman. She responded by averaging 7.7 points and a team-best 3.4 assists per game, en route to a spot on the Big 12 All-Rookie team. Junior Kelly Jo Mullaney played her first games for CU after transferring from Colorado State 2007, and averaged 5.3 points per game. She split starting time at point guard with Britney Blythe, who started 15 games as a sophomore. Junior Chelsea Dale, a sharp shooting guard/forward, saw her first extensive playing time at the tail end of the 2008-09 campaign.
“Our strength is in our backcourt,” McConnell-Miller said. “I think if you ask any of our players, any would attest that our guards have the most experience right now and we are going to rely heavily on our guards to make sure the ball is being taken care of, to make sure we are playing the tempo and the style of play we need to play and we are featuring our strengths.”
Colorado is excited about its incoming freshman class, rated the No. 32 class in the country by ESPN.com’s HoopGirlz. Three in-state signees headline CU’s biggest freshman group since 2006. Boulder natives and twin sisters Brenna and Meagan Malcolm-Peck, a pair of 6-foot, 2-inch guard/forwards, had great careers at Horizon High School, guiding the Hawks to the Class 5A state semifinals. Janeesa “Chucky” Jeffery, a 5-10 guard, is the two-time Colorado Springs Gazette Big School Girls Player of the Year, helping Class 4A Sierra High school to three consecutive league titles and the 2009 state quarterfinals.
The Buffaloes will also bring in a pair of Omaha natives who fill immediate needs. Kailah Bailey, a 6-0 forward, is a defensive minded player with a knack for rebounding, a spot of concern for the Buffaloes last season. CU also brings in Melissa MacFarlane, a 6-7 post player who will be the tallest player in school history, helping CU’s need in the low post.
“We are fourteen strong, and I would say one of our strengths this year would be our depth,” McConnell-Miller said. “We can go deeper into our bench than ever before.”
| Date | Opponent | Network | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat. Jan. 9 | *MISSOURI | FSN | 12 p.m. |
| Tue. Jan. 12 | *at Texas Tech | 6 p.m. | |
| Sat. Jan. 16 | *IOWA STATE | FSN RM | 4:30 p.m. |
| Wed. Jan. 20 | *at Kansas State | FSN KC | 6 p.m. |
| Sun. Jan. 24 | *OKLAHOMA STATE | FSN | 2 p.m. |
| Wed. Jan. 27 | *at Kansas | 6 p.m. | |
| Sat. Jan. 30 | *NEBRASKA | FSN RM | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat. Feb. 6 | *at Baylor | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Wed. Feb. 10 | *TEXAS | FSN RM | 7 p.m. |
| Sat. Feb. 13 | *at Oklahoma | TBA | |
| Tue. Feb. 16 | *KANSAS | FSN RM | 7 p.m. |
| Sat. Feb. 20 | *at Nebraska | 12:05 p.m. | |
| Tue. Feb. 23 | *at Missouri | 5:30 p.m. | |
| Sat. Feb. 27 | *TEXAS A&M | 2 p.m. | |
| Wed. Mar. 3 | *KANSAS STATE | 7 p.m. |
