Colorado’s strong core of returning starters isn’t the only reason to be excited about this year’s Buffaloes women’s basketball team.
In addition to welcoming four true freshmen (Jadyn Atchinson, Kennedy Sanders, Lele Tanuvasa and Ruthie Loomis-Goltl), CU also snagged a pair of veteran transfers, guards Sara-Rose Smith and Maddie Nolan, who each excel in a different needed area for the Buffs.
The graduate student Nolan comes to Boulder after scoring the seventh-most made 3-pointers in Michigan history (167) over her four seasons with the Wolverines. Smith, meanwhile, started in only five games last season at Missouri but managed to lead the Tigers in rebounds per game (6.7).
“That’s always been one of the biggest parts of my game that I’ve prided myself in,” the 6-foot-1 Smith said of her rebounding abilities. “I’ve always been that taller guard. I use my athleticism to my advantage. Last year, I definitely wasn’t the greatest threat from outside the perimeter, so if I could do the little things and get us extra possessions, whether that was my own put-back or getting it back out to a teammate, that’s what I was going do. Really hunting down those rebounds, it’s those 1% things. Coaches love it, your teammates appreciate it, so you’re just going to do it if you can.”
Colorado head coach JR Payne agreed that Smith’s intangibles have an immense amount of value.
“She brings calm, she brings toughness, she brings hard work, she’s versatile (and) she can play multiple positions on the floor,” Payne said. “We will ask her to play multiple positions. When you play three years at a high level, you just have an experience and savvy that takes time to develop, so she’s going to bring that to us.”
Fresh off last year’s Sweet 16 appearance, the Buffs open their 2023-24 season on Nov. 6 against the defending national champion LSU Tigers in Las Vegas.
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