Tag: JR Payne

Colorado makes ESPN’s way-too-early women’s basketball top 25

Colorado was well-positioned in this way-too-early top 25

The Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team is getting some national love after its impressive showing in the NCAA Tournament. ESPN writer Charlie Creme ranked Colorado at No. 20 in its way-too-early top 25 for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

Head coach JR Payne and the Buffs shocked most of the women’s basketball world this last season after being picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 preseason polls. The Buffs shot all the way up to third when the season ended and captured a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament where many thought No. 11 Middle Tennessee State would get the first-round upset.

CU would dominate MTSU and upset the Duke Blue Devils in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years before falling to eventual national runner-up Iowa in a hard-fought contest that saw the Buffs hold a halftime lead.

Colorado will not be sneaking up on anyone this year as ESPN points out the returning core and Payne’s recent contract extension as major factors (h/t ESPN and Charlie Creme):

20. Colorado Buffaloes

After the Buffaloes’ first Sweet 16 appearance in 20 years, coach JR Payne was rewarded with a five-year contract extension. It also looks like she will have most of her veteran team back for another run. The top four scorers — Quay Miller, Aaronette Vonleh, Frida Formann and Jaylyn Sherrod — are expected to be back next season. This season marked the second time in 27 years Colorado had won as many as 25 games, and the third-place finish in the Pac-12 was the program’s best since joining the conference in 2011.

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CU women’s basketball head coach JR Payne receives contract extension

Following back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and a run to the Sweet 16, JR Payne has received a contract extension

Coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, Colorado women’s basketball head coach JR Payne received a five-year contract extension, as announced by athletic director Rick George on Thursday.

Payne’s seventh season leading the Buffs culminated in a Sweet 16 appearance and a 25-9 overall record. Her 119 career wins are second-most in program history to only the great Ceal Barry (427).

According to Brian Howell of BuffZone, Payne was previously the lowest-paid head coach in the Pac-12 at an annual salary of $417,500, but her new contract is expected to pay her over $700,000 annually through the 2027-28 season (h/t BuffZone).

“I’m so thankful to Rick George and our administration for their support and belief in our staff,” Payne said in a press release. “We have poured our heart and soul into building this program into something special and we’re so thankful for the opportunity to continue to push ourselves to national prominence.”

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Colorado women’s basketball: JR Payne, players share thoughts on reaching Sweet 16 against Iowa

Colorado coaches and players gave their thoughts on Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup against Iowa

The No. 6 seed Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team has had quite the NCAA Tournament run so far, traveling all the way to Durham to defeat Middle Tennessee and Duke to reach the program’s first Sweet 16 in 20 years.

Once the celebration of beating the Blue Devils died down, the Buffs set their sights on a new opponent, the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes. Colorado stopped in Boulder to practice and meet with the media on Wednesday before heading west to Seattle for Friday’s game against Iowa.

Here are some of the best quotes from head coach JR Payne and players from their meeting with the media on Wednesday:

Tony’s Take: Is Colorado close to being an ‘everything’ school?

How close do you think Colorado is to being an “everything” school?

The Colorado Buffaloes have had a very interesting 2022-23 when it comes to marquee sports. While the results were not always there during games, the pieces have been put together for CU to become an “everything” school in the near future.

What is an everything school? On3 defines it as a school that makes a bowl game in football while also making the NCAA Tournament in both men’s and women’s basketball. Fourteen schools achieved all three feats during the 2022-23 cycle: UCLA, USC, Texas, NC State, Duke, Maryland, Baylor, Alabama, Iowa, Mississippi State, Tennesse, Purdue, Illinois and UConn.

The Buffs are sitting 1-for-3 as the women’s team is set for the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. JR Payne’s squad has made the Big Dance for the second year in a row and has reinforcements inbound. The men’s team is also in the NIT after a rare down year in the Tad Boyle era while the football team struggled to a 1-11 record. But brighter days are on the horizon.

The football team made its biggest hire in years with the addition of head coach Deion Sanders, has put together an outstanding recruiting class and has more potential talent on its way. The men’s basketball team also signed one of the best recruits in program history to go along with what should be a veteran squad next season.

When you add all this up, Colorado is on the cusp of completing the trifecta. I’m setting the over-under at three years and smashing the under. What are your thoughts, Buffs fans? Are you taking the under with me or will one of the three pillars not deliver?

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Colorado women’s basketball: Buffs react to March Madness selection

Naturally, #cubuffs players and coaches were excited to hear their name called on Selection Sunday

Buffaloes Wire had you covered as I was on-site to watch the Colorado women’s basketball team react to its NCAA Tournament selection. It was a festive atmosphere inside the Dal Ward Athletic Center as the team gathered for a banquet that ended in a Selection Sunday watch party.

Colorado found out it will be a No. 6 seed in the Seattle 4 region, and it was met with a jubilant cheer from the team. But soon after the celebration died down, it became time for the Buffs to focus on the task at hand. The players I spoke to were ready for the challenge in front of them with a trip to Durham, North Carolina to face Middle Tennessee looming.

Here’s how Buffaloes players and head coach JR Payne reacted to the program’s second straight March Madness bid:

JR Payne named candidate for Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year

JR Payne landed on the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year late-season watch list

The No. 21 Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team is all set to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in what has been a strong year for the Pac-12 Conference.

The Buffs are back in the AP Top 25 and could even host a March Madness game in Boulder. Colorado is 20-5 on the year and plays Arizona State on Friday, and the Sun Devils have yet to win a single Pac-12 game this year.

As such, head coach JR Payne has been named a late-season candidate for the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year.

The list includes 15 coaches, with two other Pac-12 coaches making the cut: Utah’s Lynne Roberts and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer.

Here are the other candidates:

  • Geno Auriemma, UConn
  • Lisa Bluder, Iowa
  • Kenny Brooks, Virginia Tech
  • Denise Dillon, Villanova
  • Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
  • Shauna Green, Illinois
  • Niele Ivey, Notre Dame
  • Kara Lawson, Duke
  • Kevin McGuff, Ohio State
  • Teri Moren, Indiana
  • Kim Mulkey, LSU
  • Dawn Staley, South Carolina

The Buffs have surpassed all expectations this year after being picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12. With two weeks left in the regular season, Colorado sits third and in real contention to make a run at a Pac-12 Tournament title.

The Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year candidates will be narrowed down to 10 on March 8 and then narrowed again to four on March 20. The winner will be announced during the Final Four on March 29.

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Buffs women’s hoops adds new assistant coach Tim Hays

JR Payne hired new assistant coach Tim Hays on Friday

The Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team is making additions in the summer. However, this move isn’t about a player. Instead, the Buffs and head coach JR Payne have added assistant Tim Hays to the staff, as announced in a press release from the program.

Hays previously was the head coach at Southeastern University and brings a ton of experience to the staff. Coach Payne discussed the addition of Hays:

“We are extremely excited to hire Tim as our newest assistant coach. He comes to CU with an incredible amount of success both on the recruiting trail and on the court. Tim has a proven track record of player development and has won at every level of the game. He embodies everything that is great about coaching in that he is highly driven and competitive, but also values relationships and the development of the whole student-athlete above all else. I know that Tim will have a huge impact on our student-athletes and their future success.”

Hays lost just 13 games during his time at Southeastern and was at Colorado Christian prior to that and is still the program’s all-time winningest coach.

The Buffs are hoping that the experience of Hays will pay dividends on and off the court.

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Colorado women’s basketball beats Mines in exhibition

11 different Buffaloes scored in an exhibition against Mines.

The Colorado women’s basketball team kicked off its season on Monday night with a commanding 63-52 exhibition win over the Colorado School of Mines. Junior guard Jaylyn Sherrod, who missed the latter part of last season with an injury, led the Buffs with nine points.

A few new faces also chipped in to beat the Orediggers. Highly-touted freshman guard and Colorado native Kindyll Wetta tied the team-high of six rebounds and led with four assists. Washington transfer Quay Miller also had six rebounds in her CU debut.

“Early in the season, especially this early, there’s going to be some really good things and there’s going to be some really bad things and a whole lot in the middle,” head coach JR Payne said. “I thought we were pretty typical. I thought we had spurts where we did some really good things and transitioned defensively in spurts. We were not so good in spurts as well, but that’s ok. As long as we continue to learn, grow and attack those areas that weren’t as sharp as we wanted.”

One of those bad spurts happened in the fourth quarter when Mines ended the game on a 15-2 run. But Colorado also led by as many as 26 points during the contest. Another good omen was that 11 different Buffaloes scored and the team shot 47.2% from the field.

“I thought everyone that came in the game gave tremendous effort,” Payne said. “No one was perfect, offensively or defensively, but I thought our effort was really good.”

The Buffs will play their first official game at Oklahoma State on Nov. 10.

CU Buffs women’s basketball adds first commit of 2023 class

Kennedy Sanders is committed to the CU women’s basketball team.

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.

Colorado women’s basketball picked to finish seventh in Pac-12

The Colorado women’s hoops team is just weeks away from its first game.

One year after recording its best conference record since 2012-13 and reaching the WNIT quarterfinals, the Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team was picked to finish seventh in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll.

Head coach JR Payne’s Buffs earned 65 points to put them in the bottom half of the conference poll. Stanford, which the Buffaloes beat last season, was picked to finish first with 121 points.

Colorado returns a wealth of talent from last year’s squad including All-Pac-12 forward Mya Hollingshed. She will be embarking on her fifth season in Boulder.

At guard, junior Jaylyn Sherrod is fully recovered from a hip injury that cut her sophomore season short. Sherrod will also be joined by deadly three-point shooter Frida Formann.

The Buffaloes’ incoming freshman class enters with high expectations as well. Last year’s Kansas 6A Player of the Year Kennedy Taylor should be an impactful 6-foot-3 forward in addition to Hollingshed. Payne was also able to secure the Colorado 5A Player of the Year from Valor Christian High School, Kindyll Wetta, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 16 point guard by ESPN.

Colorado will play its first regular season game at Oklahoma State on Nov. 10.