CU women’s basketball: Meet your 2014-2015 frontcourt

 

Yesterday we gave you a look at the backcourt for Colorado’s women’s basketball team. Today we’re previewing the frontcourt contributors. Colorado has three forwards and two centers on roster, and as of right now, it seems like all of them are going to be getting minutes this season.

Starters

Jen Reese, senior forward

With the graduation of Brittany Wilson and the loss of Arielle Roberson to injury, Reese is the only person left on Colorado’s roster who averaged more than 10 points this season. Her 12.0 points-per-game average was actually only .03 points behind Roberson’s for the team’s lead. Reese didn’t start for Colorado in their scrimmage against Colorado State-Pueblo last Saturday, but regardless of her presence in the actual lineup it is hard to imagine one of last year’s top scorers not at least maintaining her 25 minutes-per-game average from last season.

Reese is an exceptional shooter, and overall she is an efficient scorer. Last January she reached her career high in points scored twice in back-to-back games, putting up 22 points against Arizona and Arizona State, respectively, in the same weekend. Reese’s game goes from the mid-range jump shot to finishing at the rim, and she can get to the free throw line as well. She was second to Roberson in rebounds-per-game with 5.8, and is an adept defender in the front court. As an All-Pac 12 team honorable mention selection last season, Reese was among the top players in the conference. Colorado will look to her to provide some steady offense and leadership in her senior season.

 

 

Jamee Swan, junior forward

Swan has been pegged to be the breakout player for Colorado this year, and in our women’s basketball column, “The Buffa-Lowdown,” we’ve already taken a look at what she could bring to the table.

To reiterate, Swan could be the most important forward, or even player, on the Colorado team this year. She brings a lot of intensity to the court, not to mention rebounding abilities and an unmatched ability to finish in the paint. Defensively, Swan provides rim protection; she led the team last season with 36 blocked shots, and her 29 steals prove she is capable in one-on-one defense, too.

Having started only eight games last season, and one her freshman year, Swan could be a mainstay in the starting lineup for the first time this season. She has managed impressive stats despite averaging only 16.3 minutes-per-game for her career, and those stats should look even better with starter’s minutes this upcoming season.

 

Bri Watts, sophomore center

Before last Saturday’s exhibition with Colorado State-Pueblo, Watts would have landed in the reserve section of this preview. But after starting that game and leading Colorado with 14 points, she has made a case that she could be the starting center for the team this season.

We haven’t seen much of Watts; she didn’t appear in a game last season. But with a full year of practice experience and conditioning at the college level behind her, Watts may be ready to take on a big role. Rachel Hargis, who was a senior last year and has gone on to play for the Colorado volleyball team, started at center last season and was the only center to play at all for Colorado. Outside of Hargis, the Buffaloes stuck to a frontcourt with two or three forwards. This could change with the rise of Watts and freshman Zoe Correal this season, as Colorado may look to keep a center in the game a majority of the time.

Watts certainly impressed in the Colorado State-Pueblo exhibition, and head coach Linda Lappe remarked after the game that the team had always known Watts had the ability to be dominant in half-court offense. Watts also led Colorado with nine rebounds and showed sparks of a solid defensive acumen. We’ll see this weekend against North Dakota, and in the coming weeks, whether or not Watts maintains her place in the starting lineup and in the rotation, but for now she certainly made the most of an impressive debut.

 

Reserves

Zoe Beard-Fails, sophomore forward

Beard-Fails averaged close to seven minutes per game as a true freshman last year, and played admirably in her role as an occasional change-of-pace type player. She brought consistency in her limited time on the court last season. This year we could possibly see her move in to take some more minutes; the 18 minutes she played in last Saturday’s exhibition against Colorado State-Pueblo might be indicative of that. As a sophomore, Beard-Fails brings valuable experience to the team after a year within coach Linda Lappe’s system.

 

Zoe Correal, freshman center

Like any first-year college athlete, Correal will face the difficulties that accompany the transition to a game with faster and more experienced players. This transition will undoubtedly be aided by Correal’s height, 6-feet-4-inches, which makes her the tallest player on the team. Correal’s length was on display in Colorado’s exhibition last Saturday, as she managed eight points and five rebounds in only 16 minutes of playing time. Correal and sophomore Bri Watts could usher in a move to more center-heavy lineups for Colorado this season, as size will be a strength for Colorado should Correal prove a fast learner in the college game.

Don’t forget to keep checking back at CUIndependent.com as we continue our basketball season preview, all in preparation for Friday’s season opener for the men against Drexel and Saturday’s season opener for the women’s team against North Dakota in the first round of the Preseason WNIT. Both games are at 6 p.m.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sam Routhier at Samuel.Routhier@colorado.edu and follow him on twitter @samrouthier.