Tag: Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball

Shelomi Sanders finds new home in transfer portal

Shelomi is returning to the SWAC

After one and a half seasons at Colorado, Shelomi Sanders is headed back to the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The former Jackson State guard announced her commitment to the Alabama A&M Bulldogs on Thursday. Sanders, the daughter of CU football head coach Deion Sanders, played in five games this past season for the Buffs as a walk-on.

Hopefully, Sanders’ move back to the SWAC will allow her to see increased minutes. Alabama A&M went 15-16 last season (10-8 SWAC) but will enter next year led by new head coach Dawn Thornton.

Other Colorado women’s basketball transfers who’ve found new homes include Aaronette Vonleh (Baylor) Mikayla Johnson (Pitt), Ruthie Loomis-Goltl (Idaho) and Brianna McLeod (SMU). Jaylyn Sherrod and Quay Miller have both signed WNBA contracts while Sophie Gerber has retired from basketball to pursue her goal of becoming a surgeon.

In an interview with DNVR Buffs last week, Deion Sanders was asked about his daughter Shelomi entering the transfer portal:

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Oregon State transfer Talia von Oelhoffen considering Colorado

Oregon State transfer Talia von Oelhoffen is heavily considering Colorado

Talia Von Oelhoffen, one of the more experienced guards looking for a new home in the transfer portal, is considering Colorado women’s basketball as a potential destination.

Along with the Buffs, von Oelhoffen named Kentucky, Louisville and USC to her top four on Friday. The 5-foot-11 Washington native entered the portal just over two weeks ago on April 2.

Von Oelhoffen averaged at least 10.5 points per game in each of her four seasons with the Beavers and is a career 39.1% field goal shooter.Ā  As a junior this past winter, she averaged 10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and a career-high 5.0 assists.

CU head coach JR Payne (and USC’s Lindsay Gottlieb) should have somewhat of an advantage in recruiting von Oelhoffen due to their time together in the Pac-12 Conference. The Buffs are plenty familiar with her game, which could make for an easy transition.

Earlier this week, former Iowa State forward Nyamer Diew was announced as Payne’s first offseason transfer portal pickup.

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Jaylyn Sherrod signs WNBA training camp deal with New York Liberty

Jaylyn Sherrod has been given an opportunity to prove herself in the WNBA

Soon after Monday’s 2024 WNBA draft concluded, Colorado women’s basketball announced that Jaylyn Sherrod signed a training camp contract with the New York Liberty.

It was somewhat disappointing to see Sherrod snubbed in the three-round draft, but the point guard has received an opportunity to prove herself, and that’s all one can ask for. After all, Colorado was her only Division I offer, so Sherrod is no stranger to proving others wrong.

The Alabama native averaged a career-high 12.8 points per game in her fifth and final season with the Buffs.

No news has dropped yet regarding Charlotte Whittaker and Quay Miller, fellow former Buffs looking to play professionally.

The New York Liberty, which led the WNBA’s Eastern Conference last season at 32-8, selected four players in Monday’s draft, including two from the Pac-12: Ole Miss guard Marquesha Davis (No. 11 overall), Arizona forward Esmery Martinez (No. 17), Mississippi State center Jessika Carter (No. 23) and USC forward Kaitlyn Davis (No. 25).

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CU women’s basketball center Aaronette Vonleh enters portal

Aaronette Vonleh’s departure creates another big gap within Colorado’s roster

CU women’s basketball suffered a massive blow on Monday as BuffZone’s Brian Howell confirmed that center Aaronette Vonleh has entered the transfer portal.

Vonleh played her first college season at Arizona before transferring to Colorado before the 2023 season. In her two years with the Buffs, Vonleh developed into one of the best post players in the country. The 6-foot-3 center gave the Buffaloes a weapon in the paint as she bullied her way to averaging 14 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. She also possessed a great combination of strength and touch that allowed her to shoot 54.9% from the field on the season.

Vonleh’s 2023 season was a coming-out party of sorts, and it started with a bang when she scored 24 points in Colorado’s upset of LSU.

The transfer portal has not been kind to the Buffaloes this offseason with Vonleh, Brianna McLeod, Jadyn Atchison, Mikayla Johnson, Ruthie Loomis-Goltl, Lele Tanuvasa and walk-on Shelomi Sanders all either in the portal or committed elsewhere. CU head coach JR Payne and her staff have their work cut out in replacing players such as Vonleh.

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Quay Miller, Jaylyn Sherrod featured in ESPN’s last-minute WNBA mock draft

ESPN projects two Colorado players to be drafted tonight

Colorado women’s basketball stars Quay Miller and Jaylyn Sherrod are both projected to find homes on Monday evening in arguably the most highly anticipated WNBA draft ever.

ESPN released a very last-minute mock draft on Monday morning that featured Miller going No. 23 overall to the New York Liberty and Sherrod landing No. 36 to the Las Vegas Aces, last season’s WNBA champs.Ā With only 12 teams (for now) in the WNBA, the draft is three rounds long, meaning Sherrod was the final pick in ESPN’s projection.

Longtime Colorado forward Charlotte Whittaker also declared for the 2024 draft, but she was not featured in ESPN’s mock.

However, as we saw with former Buff Mya Hollingshed in 2022, even first-round picks aren’t guaranteed much in the WNBA due to the limited number of available roster spots. Hollingshed recently signed a training camp contract with the Phoenix Mercury, though.

As expected, ESPN projects the Indiana Fever to select Iowa star Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick.

The 2024 WNBA draft kicks off Monday at 5:30 p.m. MT on ESPN.

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A photographic look at Colorado women’s basketball’s 2023-24 campaign

Relive Colorado women’s basketball’s stellar season

Led by head coach JR Payne and veteran point guard Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado women’s basketball recently concluded another impressive season.

The Buffs began things by upsetting then-No. 1 LSU by 14 points on opening night, giving Colorado plenty of early national respect. Payne’s Buffs continued to play strong basketball but a late-season slide ultimately landed them fifth place in the Pac-12 standings.

After falling to Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals, Colorado beat both Drake and Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year.

Check out the best photos from Colorado’s 2023-24 season:

Where Colorado ranks in final women’s basketball coaches poll of the 2023-24 season

Colorado made a slight leap in the final coaches poll of the season

The final USA TODAY Sports college women’s basketball coaches poll of the 2023-24 season dropped on Monday and Colorado was ranked No. 16, a one-spot increase from the pre-NCAA Tournament poll.

The Buffs, fresh off their second straight Sweet 16 appearance, finished their final Pac-12 season with an overall record of 24-10. Five other Pac-12 teams were ranked in the final coaches poll: No. 6 USC, No. 8 Stanford, No. 9 UCLA, No. 10 Oregon State and No. 22 Utah.

As expected, new national champion South Carolina took the top spot while Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes ranked second.

Colorado was ranked as high as No. 3 during the season but slid down considerably following a poor finish to Pac-12 play. Head coach JR Payne’s Buffs dropped five of their final six regular season games before bouncing back and securing two March Madness wins.

So far this offseason, several Buffs have entered the transfer portal while others, including Jaylyn Sherrod, have declared for the WNBA draft.

Here’s a complete look at the final coaches poll of the season:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 South Carolina 38-0 750 (30) ā€“
2 Iowa 34-5 720 ā€“
3 UConn 33-6 678 +4
4 North Carolina State 31-7 31-7 +7
5 Texas 33-5 593 -1
6 USC 29-6 590 -3
7 LSU 31-6 572 -1
8 Stanford 30-6 518 -3
9 UCLA 27-7 513 -1
10 Oregon State 27-8 470 +5
11 Notre Dame 28-7 452 -1
12 Indiana 26-6 385 +2
13 Gonzaga 32-4 352 ā€“
14 Ohio State 26-6 343 -5
15 Baylor 26-8 310 +3
16 Colorado 24-10 295 +1
17 Virginia Tech 25-8 262 -5
18 Kansas State 26-8 210 -2
19 Creighton 26-6 170 +1
20 Oklahoma 23-10 166 +1
21 Duke 22-12 149 ā€“
22 Utah 23-11 121 ā€“
23 Syracuse 24-8 115 ā€“
24 UNLV 30-3 100 -5
25 West Virginia 25-8 75 +1

Schools Dropped Out

No. 24 Princeton;Ā No. 25 Louisville

Others Receiving Votes

Iowa State 52;Ā Louisville 29;Ā Tennessee 27;Ā Middle Tennessee 25;Ā Nebraska 17;Ā Princeton 15;Ā Ole Miss 15;Ā Fairfield 5;Ā Richmond 3;Ā Alabama 3;Ā North Carolina 2;Ā South Dakota State 1;Ā Kansas 1;Ā Jackson State 1

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Frida Formann announces return for fifth year at Colorado

Frida Formann is running it back

Frida Formann took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce she’s returning for a fifth year to play for head coach JR Payne’s Colorado women’s basketball team.

The news is welcomed as Formann was a crucial piece of the Buffs’ NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 berths over the last two years. This past season, the sharpshooter averaged 12.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

The 5-foot-11 guard, nicknamed “Three-da,” had her best shooting season too, setting career-highs in field goal percentage (44%), 3-point percentage (42.1%) and free-throw percentage (90.1%). She became CU’s all-time leader in career 3-point makes in men’s and women’s program history by draining her 260th deep shot in the Buffs’ Sweet 16 loss against Iowa.

With fifth-year seniors Jaylyn Sherrod, Quay Miller and Maddie Nolan moving on, Formann and soon-to-be junior center Aaronette Vonleh are currently the only two returning starters for the Buffs.

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Quay Miller, Charlotte Whittaker up for WNBA draft consideration

Two more Buffs have entered the WNBA draft pool

Now out of college eligibility, Colorado women’s basketball forwards Quay Miller and Charlotte Whittaker have both joined the 2024 WNBA draft pool, according to a release. Point guard Jaylyn Sherrod announced her professional intentions earlier this week, giving the Buffs three draft candidates.

Miller played the final three seasons of her college career at Colorado after transferring from Washington in 2021. Along with earning the Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year as a junior, she totaled 1,077 points and 712 rebounds as a Buff in 99 games played.

Whittaker, a native of New Zealand, spent her entire six-year career at Colorado after joining the Buffs midway through their 2018-19 campaign. She played in 33 games this past season, averaging 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds.

The 2024 WNBA draft is scheduled for April 15 at 5:30 p.m. MT (ESPN).

According to BuffZone’s Brian Howell, at least 11 of Colorado’s 17 total players from this past season are moving on. Those who’ve entered the transfer portal in recent days include Shelomi Sanders, Jadyn Atchison, Ruthis Loomis-Goltl, Lele Tanuvasa, Briana McLeod and Mikayla Johnson.

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Colorado women’s basketball walk-on Shelomi Sanders looking to transfer

Shelomi Sanders, daughter of CU head coach Deion Sanders, is reportedly looking to transfer

Shelomi Sanders, the daughter of Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders, plans to transfer out of the CU Buffs women’s basketball program, according to BuffZone’s Brian Howell.

A 5-foot-6 redshirt freshman guard, Shelomi was previously with her father and two brothers, Shilo and Shedeur Sanders, at Jackson State for the first semester of her college career. She appeared in two games for the Tigers before walking on with the Buffs midway through the 2022-23 season.

Shelomi came off the bench for Colorado in five games this past season, totaling 11 minutes. The likely highlight of her year came on Dec. 2 when she drained a 3-pointer at Air Force. She then recorded an offensive rebound and a steal in Colorado’s blowout win over UT Arlington three days later.

Howell also reported Tuesday that fellow Colorado bench players Brianna McLeod and Mikayla Johnson will be entering the transfer portal.

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