- Freshman Chucky Jeffery (23) works her way to the basket during the CU versus Nebraska women’s basketball game at Coors Events Center on Saturday, Jan. 30. (CU Independent/Stephanie Davis)
The orginal photo caption mispelled Chucky Jeffery’s last name. 2/1/2010
Freshman guard Chucky Jeffery didn’t know what she accomplished against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
In the Colorado Buffaloes 80-64 loss to No. 6 Nebraska on Saturday in the Coors Events Center, Jeffery recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
“I wasn’t even aware that I had a double-double, but it would have made it way more sweet if we had won,” Jeffery said. “But you’ve got to take it how it is.”
In spite of Jeffery’s accomplishment, she also committed a game-high six turnovers.
Head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said she wants Jeffery to take the ups and downs of the game in stride and that the difficulty of the league speaks volumes about what kind of player she has to become.
“This [Big 12 Conference] is not for the average player,” McConnell-Miller said. “This conference is not for the player that ever doubts themselves.”
Jeffery said she doesn’t doubt that one day the Buffaloes will have the promise to be as strong as this season’s accomplished Huskers, who are a perfect 19-0.
“We have a good, strong team,” Jeffery said, “and for us to be starting two freshmen already, in a couple of years I think we’ll be good because we’ll still have Alyssa [Fressle], and [Brittany] Spears will be back next year. We’ll have most of our players back and we can be the best team.”
Jeffery also displayed the kind of confidence McConnell-Miller described as a necessity for Big 12 play.
“We have the potential, and we have the players, so I think we can be that team,” Jeffery said.
Despite facing a team with six seniors, five of whom are contributors, McConnell-Miller didn’t attribute the loss to a lack of effort or performance from her younger players.
“I am not disappointed with the younger players or the performance,” McConnell-Miller said. “But at times, there is a frustration that sets in with where we are and where we want to be, but they are battling night in and night out. What they did against a top team in the country says a lot.”
In the end, McConnell-Miller compared Jeffery and her young teammates such as freshman Meagan Malcom-Peck and Fressle to the possibility of them becoming the Huskers down the road.
“[Jeffery] has seen some of the best players in the league in four straight games and she’s going to make some mistakes, but she’s growing,” McConnell-Miller said. “But that is where our young players are going to be as seniors.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Marlee Horn at Marlee.horn@colorado.edu.
