Coach Kathy McConnell-Miller speaks at Media Day Friday. McConnell-Miller hopes the team's versatility will lead to a more successful season this year. (CU Independent/Ilana Finer)
Run, Buffaloes, run.
That’s what the Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team said they plan to do this season at media day Friday.
“Nobody is ever not moving,” senior guard Bianca Smith said. “It’s a bunch of movement and we just try to keep people’s heads spinning.”
Junior forward Brittany Spears, who led the team last season in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and steals had more to add.
“It’s like an outside court where you just pass the ball and dunk it,” Spears said. “That’s how it kind of feels, but we’re not dunking.”
2008 was anything but a slam dunk. After advancing to the WNIT semifinals in 2007, head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller had high expectations for her squad despite losing All-Big 12 performer Jackie McFarland. Unfortunately, they finished 11-18 last season and 3-13 in the Big 12 Conference, which was good for dead last.
However, a couple of injuries – most notably the torn anterior cruciate ligament junior point guard Whitney Houston suffered in her left knee before the 2008 season started – derailed CU’s plans.
Houston averaged 6.1 points per game in her first two years, but her presence brings more than numbers can tell.
“With Whitney Houston back, that girl is the fastest girl I’ve seen,” Smith said. “I know she’s going to be able to get the ball up quick. It’s going to open up the outside shooting for me and Spears, and it’s also going to open up the lane for [sophomore forward] Julie [Seabrook]. If people don’t get back, it’s lay-ups all day for Julie.”
But if numbers are needed to justify Houston’s importance, then try 17.4. The figure represents the amount of turnovers the Buffs averaged per game last year, which ranks last in the Big 12.
“We’re probably at the bottom in turnovers and I think that was partially — I will take responsibility for that — in how we played and people that we had handling the basketball,” McConnell-Miller said. “I think with Whitney Houston being back, we will definitely take care of the ball a little bit better. She’s very hard to pressure, we’re very hard to press with her on the floor. She takes care of the ball. That doesn’t say she throws it around a little bit, she’s been known to do that. However, we just have more control when the ball is in her hands.”
Of course, the returning Houston isn’t the only reason why CU plans to push the ball. If it was the case, it would be a foolish mistake. What’s also pushing the Buffs to step on the gas and go pedal to the metal are the missing presence of two post players.
McFarland (2007) and Kara Richards (2008) were the strength of CU the last two seasons, but they have both graduated. Richards finished second on the team in scoring and rebounding last season after replacing McFarland.
Of the 14 players on CU’s roster today, two players are listed at centers and three are forwards. The other nine players are either guards or can play both guard and forward. Needless to say, the backcourt is the new strength of the Buffs.
“I think the fact that coach Miller has implemented this new offense has helped us to not really recognize the absence of Jackie McFarland and Kara Richards,” Smith said. “You can never replace a Jackie McFarland or a Kara Richards. I think with this new offense, it’s basically five guards out and we’re all just cutting and making moves to the basket.”
Not recognizing the missing presence of a McFarland or Richards is one thing, but it doesn’t mean the team won’t miss what they provided.
“We can slow it up sometimes,” Houston said. “But in the offense where you have to wait on a post player to get posted up and then you have to be passing it in and stuff, now we can just go full-hard. I’m excited about that, but we do miss them.”
McConnell-Miller said the change in philosophy will allow her team to play more up-tempo, play pressure defense more and allow Spears to have regular breathers as opposed to running out of gas at the end of games last season because she didn’t get a rest. But for the aforementioned items to happen, a deep team is needed and McConnell-Miller said she feels she has it.
“The depth is the biggest key,” McConnell-Miler said. “It gives us some versatility on the offensive end. If you want to play Kelly Jo Mullaney, you’re looking at a better shooter. If you want to play Chucky Jeffrey, you’re looking at somebody that is going to give us a higher possession game, she’s going to play better defense and she’s probably going to push the ball a little bit more. If you’re playing with Alyssa Fressle, you’re looking at a slasher. We’ve got so many different looks, I think we’re going to be more difficult to guard.”
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Cheng Sio at Cheng.Sio@colorado.edu.
