Colorado great makes list of top Pac-12 women’s basketball players of all time

Chucky Jeffery, Kennedy Leonard and Jaylyn Sherrod were also considered

With 10 of the conference’s 12 schools departing for other leagues this summer, the Pac-12 as we know it is coming to a close. In turn, many are looking back at the Pac-12’s rich history on the basketball court.

ESPN released a top 50 ranking of the greatest Pac-12 women’s basketball players of all time and former Colorado star Mya Hollingshed just barely made the cut at No. 49.

Hollingshed played five seasons in Boulder (2017-22) and stands as the program’s all-time leader in games played with 141, although current Buff Jaylyn Sherrod (136) hopes to pass that mark. She’s also one of only six CU players to reach 1,600 career points and 900 rebounds.

ESPN also considered Sherrod, Chucky Jeffery and Kennedy Leonard for the top 50. Jeffery, who played the first two seasons of her college career in the Big 12, scored 1,644 points as a Buff while Leonard is the team’s all-time leader in assists (664).

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Colorado women’s basketball’s top 10 all-time leading scorers

Take a look back at the greatest scorers in CU women’s basketball history

In the nearly 50-year history of Colorado women’s basketball, 32 players have scored at least 1,000 points and two have eclipsed 2,000 during their careers.

That number should soon reach 33, however, with Buffs senior point guard Jaylyn Sherrod nearing the mark in what could be her final season in Boulder.  Likewise, junior guard Frida Formann is over the 800-point mark thanks to her 3-point shooting abilities.

The 2022-23 Buffs are rewriting the record books in a variety of areas and are likely to reach the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time in almost 20 years.

Look back at the top 10 scorers in CU women’s hoops history:

Mya Hollingshed waived by the Las Vegas Aces

Colorado women’s hoops legend Mya Hollingshed has been waived by the Las Vegas Aces. Where will she land next?

It has only been a few weeks since Mya Hollingshed was drafted eighth overall by the Las Vegas Aces, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be as on Monday, she was waived by the team.

With her impressive college resume, Hollingshed will still likely have another opportunity in the WNBA. The former Buff balled out in her last year at CU, receiving first-team All-Pac-12 honors with impressive averages of 14.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and two assists per game. That is the type of talent that the WNBA is looking for and she will no doubt take advantage of her next shot.

Hollingshed is now another name in a long line of prospective WNBA players to be waived before getting into their first professional season. In an April article by NBC Sports, it was reported that about one-third of the players drafted each year are cut before the season opener.  Looking deeper into that article, it seems as though a contributing factor may be the most recent WNBA collective bargaining agreement. While it did a lot to address crucial items such as higher salaries, it has also caused teams to crunch in order to get under the salary cap (currently sitting at 1.3 million). Most teams are not able to carry enough players for the roster limit as well.

“We talk about the 144 (total roster spots). Well, it’s not 144. I think there are three teams at the start of the season who will be able to have 12 players on the roster. The rest are at 11,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said.

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Fifth-year senior Mya Hollingshed’s loyalty rewarded with NCAA Tournament opportunity

Mya Hollingshed’s loyalty has been rewarded

Mya Hollingshed could’ve gone pro after last season, but she didn’t — the fifth-year senior had some “unfinished business” at Colorado.

And as the Buffaloes women received their invitation to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, she’ll finally have a chance to play on the big stage for the first time in her storied career.

“It’s an all-time high right now,” Hollingshed said after she learned CU was going dancing.

Hollingshed added that playing in March Madness was a major reason she decided to come back for her fifth year. Her name already littered Colorado’s history books, but earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament was that missing piece. That chapter is now being written.

The invitation marks the first for Colorado since 2013 and the first under head coach JR Payne. The sixth-year coach agreed that it was a special moment for Hollingshed.

“I think it means everything to Mya,” head coach JR Payne said. “She came here for this purpose; she pushed back the beginning of her professional career for this purpose. It means a lot that she had the confidence in herself, her teammates and her coaches to do that.”

No. 7 seed Colorado will face No. 10 seed Creighton in the first round on Friday in Iowa City.

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You Pick: Who should be the Colorado Buffaloes Wire Player of the Year?

Vote for the Colorado Buffaloes Wire Player of the Year

We’re turning it over to you, the fan, to pick our inaugural Colorado Buffaloes Wire Player of the Year.

You may not agree with our finalists, but we’ve narrowed it down to five Buffs for this prestigious award: McKinley Wright IV, Nate Landman, Carson Wells, Evan Battey and Mya Hollingshed.

To remind you just how special these Buffs were in 2021, check out our favorite article from each finalist.

These players all excelled in their respective sport. But who made the biggest impact? We’ll let you decide.

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WATCH: Mya Hollingshed becomes 18th player in CU history to reach 1,800 points

Mya Hollingshed scored a milestone point against Texas Southern

Coming into Tuesday’s game against Texas Southern three points away from 1,800, it didn’t take Mya Hollingshed long to reach the impressive mark. It took about the minimum amount of time necessary, actually. On Colorado’s first possession of the game, the 6-foot-3 forward received a pass from Peanut Tuitele and drilled the game’s opening bucket from beyond the arc.

Hollingshed, a fifth-year senior, finished the half with 11 points and is now just nine points away from tying Sandy Bean for 17th on CU’s all-time scoring list. Brittany Spears, who played her final game in 2011, sits atop the list with 2,185 points scored in her career.

Through Colorado’s first four games, Hollingshed has averaged a team-leading 13.3 points. Her presence has also been felt on the boards with a team-best 24 rebounds.

If she can keep up this pace, a spot on an All-Pac-12 team should be well within grasp.

The Buffs lead Texas Southern 44-29 at the half in search of their fifth consecutive win to open the season.