Guard ready for catalyst role
Coming up to her teammates’ shoulders, sophomore guard Whitney Houston displays a particular quality that makes the team look down — her 5-foot-5-inch stature.
Houston has returned to the CU women’s basketball team with a year under her belt.
But after only winning 13 of their 30 games, Houston and the rest of the Buffaloes are looking forward to the new season.
“You know, last year I was just trying to focus on what coach told me,” Houston said. “I wasn’t worrying about my game, just getting used to the game.”
The Tennessee native averaged 7.9 points per game and led the Buffs with 64 assists in the 2006-2007 season. And even with her accomplishments, Houston said she felt the effects of the Colorado altitude throughout the season.
“I was always going fast,” Houston said. “I learned this off-season to know when to slow down and when to go fast.”
The coaching staff at CU is expecting great things from Houston. Going in to the new season, coach Kathy McConnell-Miller’s eyes are dilated with anticipation.
“She’s an extremely intense player,” McConnell-Miller said. “She creates plays on offense and she gets us turnovers.”
Nevertheless, Houston’s improvement in her outside shooting over the off-season appears to have the most bearing for the Buffs. Only threading the net once out of 16 tries behind the arc last season, Houston reconstructed her shooting stroke.
And the happiest player about this improvement might not even be Houston.
“Last year, teams could double-up on Jackie (McFarland),” McConnell-Miller said. “(Houston’s) improvement should cancel that out this year.”
The Women’s Colorado Buffaloes Basketball team rolls out the season on the road against San Francisco on Nov. 16.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Brent New at brent.new@thecampuspress.com.
