JR Payne got a jump start on the 2023 recruiting cycle with her first commitment to the class.
Kennedy Sanders, a 5-foot-8 point guard from Chaska, Minnesota, verbally committed to the Colorado Buffaloes on Monday.
“I am extremely honored and excited to announce my commitment to the University of Colorado,” Sanders wrote in her tweet announcing her commitment. “I would like to thank my family, coaches, teammates and friends who have all helped me along the way.”
Chaska High School girls’ basketball won the Class 4A state title in Minnesota last season, with Sanders scoring 10 points and adding six rebounds in the state final.
She scored 21 points in the state semifinal and snapped Hopkins’ 78-game winning streak. Hopkins was No. 1 in the country on ESPNW and No. 3 on MaxPreps when Sanders’ team beat them.
The Chaska Hawks finished the season ranked No. 3 in the nation on MaxPreps and No. 6 on the ESPNW rankings.
Sanders plays club basketball with the Minnesota Fury.
Colorado just needs to hope Sanders is anywhere close to as good as the last point guard named Kennedy to play hoops at Colorado. Kennedy Leonard set all sorts of records during her four years at CU.
Payne’s Buffaloes were picked to finish seventh in the Pac-12 this season. They have not made the NCAA tournament during Payne’s tenure.
This is the highest expectations have been for Payne’s Buffs after a season that saw them end up in the NIT tournament last year. They return most of their contributors and add some talented transfers in Quay Miller, Tayanna Jones and Tameiya Sadler.