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Ralphie Report: JR Payne: Buffaloes have grown “leaps and bounds” since last matchup with Iowa

NCAA Womens Basketball: Oregon at Colorado

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado is ready for Caitlin Clark and Iowa

A lot can change in a year. Colorado’s fans know that better than anyone, as we witnessed our 1-11 disastrous football program transform into becoming America’s favorite team in the span of about 10 months.

Much like Coach Prime and the Buffaloes’ football team, coach JR Payne and her women’s hoops squads have really come into their own since their Sweet Sixteen defeat at the hands of Iowa in 2023. After a year of growth, the Buffaloes’ women are ready for another crack at Caitlin Clark and the one-seeded Hawkeyes.

“I think [we’ve grown] leaps and bounds in a lot of ways,” said Payne when asked about how her team has changed since their last game against Iowa. “I think just overall maturation. We have a lot of upperclassman. We’ve got a couple of fifth-year seniors and players that have just been around the program for a really long time. I think they’ve done a great job of leading and communicating.”

One of those leaders that Payne is referring to is senior forward Quay Miller, who’s playing in her final tournament with the Buffs. Miller is bubbling with excitement to get a second chance to take down Caitlin Clark and company to move CU into the Elite Eight for the first time since 2002.

“I think everyone was excited to see that we’re getting a chance at [Iowa] again,” said Miller. “I’m definitely excited just because it’s two great teams. We’re the underdog obviously and we think that we thrive in those positions.”

Miller played 36 minutes in the Buffs’ Sweet Sixteen game last year, racking up a double-double against the Hawkeyes. Since that last matchup, Miller has grown a lot, specifically with her maturity. Colorado’s star forward has learned the importance of being a key part of a system larger than herself.

“I’m more mature in the sense that it doesn’t need to be me,” said Miller. “I think that last year, I was caught up in [thinking] if I don’t play good, then I’m letting the team down. Now, I’m just confident in the pieces that we have and them all working together.”

Another Buffalo that’s really come into her own since 2023 is guard Frida Formann. Formann has always been an offensive threat since her arrival in Boulder in 2020, especially from deep.

In last year’s Iowa matchup, Frida’s 21 points led the Buffaloes in scoring and were second only to Caitlin Clark. Since then, Formann has been honed in on bolstering her skills on the defensive floor.

“I think I’ve definitely grown a lot in my maturity and as a defender,” said Formann. “I’ve been trying work on having better feet and not being a liability.”

With Colorado’s roster being stacked with some of the nation’s best defenders like Jaylyn Sherrod and Kindyll Wetta, Formann recognized that team’s were trying to exploit her weaknesses on defense. As a response, she’s been working hard to improve her one-on-one defense.

“Not that I was bad, but we have so many good defenders that the people we played were like, ‘If you’re gonna attack someone, it’s gonna be Frida,’” said Formann. “I know that they’re gonna send all their best one-on-one players against me and I have to be able to hold my ground.”

Formann’s been working on her one-on-one defense exactly for a moment like this, where she’ll likely have to go up against Caitlin Clark. Guarding a player like Clark is anything but easy, but Formann has been mentally preparing for the task.

“[I have to] just keep having confidence with that and keep learning,” said Formann. “Don’t get down on yourself if you get beat a couple times. I think I kinda just have the mentality of next time, it’s not gonna happen.”

Although the roster looks nearly identical, this Buffaloes team has changed a lot in the last year. With their newfound maturity and experience, they’re more than ready to shock the world when they face of the Hawkeyes.

“We’ve seen great players and great teams all season long and it kinda feels the same going against Iowa,” said coach Payne. “We do feel prepared, for sure.”

by RylandScholes
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Buffzone: Similarities abound between Ceal Barry, CU Buffs coach JR Payne

Only two coaches have led the Colorado women’s basketball program to consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. Shelley Sheetz played for one of them. She works for the other.

Pat Rooney
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Buffzone: Women’s basketball notes: CU Buffs’ Maddie Nolan familiar with Iowa, Caitlin Clark

Before coming to Colorado last summer, Maddie Nolan enjoyed a lot of success during her four seasons with the Michigan women’s basketball team. Her time with the Wolverines even included a win against Caitlin Clark and Iowa, on Feb. 6, 2022. Overall, Nolan went 1-3 against Iowa the past three years and is the only […]

Brian Howell
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Buffzone: Football notes: Vincent Dancy enjoying new role as CU Buffs’ outside linebackers coach

When Colorado had a hole to fill in its defensive coaching staff this past winter, head coach Deion Sanders didn’t waste time in promoting from within.

Brian Howell
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Ralphie Report: Buffs news: Both major Colorado NIL collectives combine, rebrand as “5430 Alliance”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 05 Colorado at Arizona

Photo by Jacob Snow/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In a bit of interesting news in the NIL world, both major University of Colorado NIL collectives will be combining and operating under a new name.

In a move announced earlier this week, the two different nonprofits – Buffs4Life NIL Collective and the 5430 Foundation – will now operate as one collective, renamed ‘5430 Alliance.’

The 5430 Collective and Buffs4Life Collective have joined forces to bring all of the university’s NIL opportunities into one streamlined organization. https://t.co/FZU9koii9y

— Jake Schwanitz (@JakeDNVR) March 26, 2024

Buffs4Life was started back in 2022, describing itself as an “organization that provides financial assistance and mental health resources for former Colorado athletes.” Less than a year later, 5430 Foundation was also set up, this time by CU alumni and donor Eric Belcher. The merger went into place immediately, with the new foundation launching their website on Tuesday.

Colorado athletic director Rick George was quoted in the report, expressing excitement about the merger and adding that “ ... 5430 Alliance ushers in a new chapter of NIL at Colorado and allows all our fans and alumni to support our student-athletes through one avenue.”

It’s the first time in the NIL era that all of CU’s student-athletes are represented by a single organization. The organization is not officially affiliated with the school in any way, however, and is classified as a a 501c3 nonprofit. The site offers a variety of different ways to donate to CU, including a handful of different “fan memberships.”

The new organization, as their website claims, will aim to connect CU student-athletes with “a wealth of opportunities to earn compensation while furthering their professional and personal development” while acting as the point place for supporters to donate through “memberships, tax-deductible donations and corporate sponsorships.”

by camellis
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