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WBB 2019 Pre-Season Info Thread
- Thread starter MarkW
- Start date
http://www.buffzone.com/womensbasketball/ci_32008420/cameron-swartz-feels-at-home-cu-buffs-womens
Cameron Swartz feels at home with CU Buffs women's basketball
Freshman working to bring her all-around game up to college speed
By Brian Howell
"We love Cam's mindset," CU head coach JR Payne said. "She can shoot it. She'd be top one or two or three best shooters on the team already. She's got limitless range.
Cameron Swartz feels at home with CU Buffs women's basketball
Freshman working to bring her all-around game up to college speed
By Brian Howell
"We love Cam's mindset," CU head coach JR Payne said. "She can shoot it. She'd be top one or two or three best shooters on the team already. She's got limitless range.
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Mark linked to the article on Sila Fenau. Here it is
http://www.buffzone.com/womensbasketball/ci_32004545/lesila-finau-eager-get-started-cu-buffs-womens
Lesila Finau eager to get started with CU Buffs women's basketball
Freshman can play either guard spot for Payne's squad
"She's great in transition, she makes good decisions in transition," CU head coach JR Payne said. "She's going to give us great depth and she's excited about the opportunity to play with and sort of be mentored by a great senior point guard (Kennedy Leonard)."
http://www.buffzone.com/womensbasketball/ci_32004545/lesila-finau-eager-get-started-cu-buffs-womens
Lesila Finau eager to get started with CU Buffs women's basketball
Freshman can play either guard spot for Payne's squad
"She's great in transition, she makes good decisions in transition," CU head coach JR Payne said. "She's going to give us great depth and she's excited about the opportunity to play with and sort of be mentored by a great senior point guard (Kennedy Leonard)."
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MObuff
Well-Known Member
I found online that CU will be playing away in Reno, NV at the Nugget Classic on Nov 23rd and 25th against Utah St. and Nevada. Does that mean there is no Omni Classic this year? I usually fly into Boulder for Thanksgiving just to see the women play a couple of games. I am bummed out.
http://www.utahstateaggies.com/sports/w-baskbl/sched/ust-w-baskbl-sched.html
http://www.utahstateaggies.com/sports/w-baskbl/sched/ust-w-baskbl-sched.html
Had heard that but had not been able to find confirmation. Last year, Omni didn't sponsor the tournament. No idea what happened. It didn't help that the games were played during the day on Black Friday and then on Saturday so not many fans in attendance.
It's on Nevada's website also https://nevadawolfpack.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=344
From the article: Nevada returns home Nov. 23 and 25 to host the annual Nugget Classic at Lawlor. This year's classic will feature a pair of Power 5 programs in USC and Colorado, along with Mountain West foe Utah State. The event format will be different than in year's past with the Pack scheduled to play the Trojans and Buffaloes.
It's on Nevada's website also https://nevadawolfpack.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=344
From the article: Nevada returns home Nov. 23 and 25 to host the annual Nugget Classic at Lawlor. This year's classic will feature a pair of Power 5 programs in USC and Colorado, along with Mountain West foe Utah State. The event format will be different than in year's past with the Pack scheduled to play the Trojans and Buffaloes.
MarkW
Well-Known Member
WOW. The Buffs had been hosting a tourney in the days following Thanksgiving for a gazillion seasons. Hard to comprehend the non-conference schedule without it.
Wonder if low attendance combined with lack of a title sponsor was the reason for not having it this season?
I do not know the reasons. I made it known to the powers that be that the Thanksgiving tournament is a CU tradition. It appears the Coors Classic started in the 88-89 season and has happened every year until now. It hasn't been that long since it became the Omni and then, last season, there was no sponsor.
Last season, we talked to Ceal about why it had been played in the day time the last two seasons after being at night for so many years. Last year, her answer was CU had no choice because the Pac-12 Network was televising volleyball being played at CU on Friday night. That doesn't explain the year before or the upcoming season. I'm disappointed as it was a good time for me to travel to Boulder also.
Last season, we talked to Ceal about why it had been played in the day time the last two seasons after being at night for so many years. Last year, her answer was CU had no choice because the Pac-12 Network was televising volleyball being played at CU on Friday night. That doesn't explain the year before or the upcoming season. I'm disappointed as it was a good time for me to travel to Boulder also.
https://cubuffs.com/news/2018/7/19/...-release-2018-19-non-conference-schedule.aspx
Buffs Release 2018-19 Non-Conference Schedule
By: Andy Schlichting, Assistant SID
Release: July 19, 2018
CU to face five teams that made the postseason last season
Story Links
BOULDER – Colorado's women's basketball team released its non-conference schedule on Thursday. The Buffs will play 11 games prior to Pac-12 play, including eight at home. Five of the team's non-conference opponents made the postseason last year, including two in the NCAA Tournament.
CU opens the 2018-19 season on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the CU Events Center against Northern Colorado. It will be a homecoming for UNC first-year head coach Jenny (Roulier) Huth as she was a four-year letterwinner at CU from 1998-2002. She will coach her first career game in Boulder after being named head coach of the Bears earlier this summer.
The Buffs will take on another in-state rival in the second game of the season, hosting Colorado State on Nov. 14. North Carolina will then visit Boulder on Nov. 18 before the team heads to Nevada for the Nugget Classic in Reno over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Buffs will take on both Nevada and Utah State in the classic.
This will be the first time since 1986 that CU has not hosted a preseason tournament. However, the Rocky Mountain Hoops Classic is expected to resume next season.
CU returns home on Nov. 27 to host Pepperdine. The Buffs open the month of December on the road at Miami (Fla.) on Dec. 2, before returning home for the final four non-conference games vs. San Jose State, Navy, Prairie View A&M and Samford.
All dates and times are subject to change for TV selection. The complete Pac-12 schedule will be announced later this summer.
Fans can reserve their season tickets for the 2018-19 season here.
Northern Colorado (Tuesday, Nov. 6)
UNC is coming off a 25-7 season that included an NCAA Tournament appearance ... former Buff Jenny (Roulier) Huth was named head coach in May ... leading scorer Savannah Smith (5-6, Sr., 18.5 PPG) is among three returners to start at least 15 games last season, including Krystal Leger-Walker (5-9, Jr., 5.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG) and Bridget Hintz (6-3, Jr., 4.2 PPG)
Colorado State (Wednesday, Nov. 14)
CSU went 21-12 last season and made the second round of the WNIT ... the Rams return two starters in Grace Colaivalu (5-7, So., 7.3 PPG, 2.8 APG) and Annie Brady (6-1, Sr., 7.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG)
North Carolina (Sunday, Nov. 18)
The Tar Heels went 15-16 last season ... UNC returns four starters in leading scorer Paris Kea (5-9, Sr., 19.4 PPG, 4.8 APG), Janelle Bailey (6-4, So., 15.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG), Taylor Koenen (6-2, Jr., 8.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG) and Jaelynn Murray (6-2, So., 4.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG)
at Nevada (either Friday, Nov. 23 or Sunday, Nov. 25)
The Wolf Pack went 19-17 last season and reached the semifinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational in the postseason ... Nevada loses its top two scorers, but returns three players that started over 15 games last season in Jade Redmon (5-7, Sr., 8.8 PPG), Terae Briggs (6-3, Sr., 8.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG) and AJ Cephas (6-0, Sr., 7.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG)
vs. Utah State (either Friday Nov. 23 or Sunday, Nov. 25, in Reno, Nev.)
USU went 7-23 last season ... the Aggies return four starters in Olivia West (5-6, Jr., 12.3 PPG), Rachel Brewster (5-11, Sr., 9.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG), Shannon Dufficy (6-2, Jr., 7.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG) and Eliza West (5-5, Jr., 6.1 PPG, 4.4 APG)
Pepperdine (Tuesday, Nov. 27)
The Waves went 10-20 last season ... Pepperdine returns three starters and its top two scorers from last season in Yasmine Robinson-Bacote (5-11, Sr., 18.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG), Paige Fecske (5-4, Sr., 11.0 PPG) and Barbara Sitanggan (5-6, Jr., 4.9 PPG, 3.5 APG)
at Miami (Fla.) (Sunday, Dec. 2)
The Hurricanes went 21-11 last season and made the NCAA Tournament ... Miami returns three starters in Mykea Gray (5-4, So., 11.7 PPG), Emese Hof (6-3, Sr., 9.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG) and Endia Banks (5-9, So., 7.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG)
San Jose State (Thursday, Dec. 6)
SJSU went 7-23 last season ... the Spartans lost their top two scorers from last season, but return four players who started 14 or more games in Analyss Benally (5-8, Jr., 6.9 PPG), Cydni Lewis (6-0, So., 6.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG), Fa-Ko-Fieme'a Hafoka (5-9, Jr., 6.1 PPG) and Megan Anderson (6-0, So., 5.3 PPG)
Navy (Sunday, Dec. 9)
The Mids went 25-8 last season and made the WNIT ... Navy returns three starters in Kaila Clark (5-11, Jr., 7.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG), Bianca Roach (5-7, Sr., 6.3 PPG) and Laurel Jaunich (6-0, Jr., 5.2 PPG)
Prairie View A&M (Wednesday, Dec. 12)
PVAMU went 15-16 last season ... the Panthers return their top two scorers and four starters in Shala Dobbins (5-6, Sr., 21.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.5 APG), Dominique Newman (5-7, Jr., 11.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG), La'Neique Nealey (5-11, Sr., 6.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG) and Mariah Campbell (6-2, Jr., 3.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG)
Samford (Thursday, Dec. 20)
The Bulldogs went 15-16 last season ... Samford graduated its leading scorer, but returns four starters in Olivia Crozier (6-1, Jr., 9.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG), Charity Brown (5-8, Jr., 7.9 PPG, 5.5 APG), Samantha Fitzgerald (6-0, Jr., 6.9 PPG) and Cassidy Williams (5-8, Sr., 5.6 PPG)
Complete Schedule:
Nov. 6, Northern Colorado (HOME)
Nov. 14, Colorado State (HOME)
Nov. 18, North Carolina (HOME)
Nov. 23, Tournament at Nevada (Reno, Nev.)
Nov. 25, Tournament at Nevada (Reno, Nev.)
Nov. 27, Pepperdine (HOME)
Dec. 2, at Miami (Miami, Fla.)
Dec. 6, San Jose State (HOME)
Dec. 9, Navy (HOME)
Dec. 12, Prairie View A&M (HOME)
Dec. 20, Samford (HOME)
Buffs Release 2018-19 Non-Conference Schedule
By: Andy Schlichting, Assistant SID
Release: July 19, 2018
CU to face five teams that made the postseason last season
Story Links
BOULDER – Colorado's women's basketball team released its non-conference schedule on Thursday. The Buffs will play 11 games prior to Pac-12 play, including eight at home. Five of the team's non-conference opponents made the postseason last year, including two in the NCAA Tournament.
CU opens the 2018-19 season on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the CU Events Center against Northern Colorado. It will be a homecoming for UNC first-year head coach Jenny (Roulier) Huth as she was a four-year letterwinner at CU from 1998-2002. She will coach her first career game in Boulder after being named head coach of the Bears earlier this summer.
The Buffs will take on another in-state rival in the second game of the season, hosting Colorado State on Nov. 14. North Carolina will then visit Boulder on Nov. 18 before the team heads to Nevada for the Nugget Classic in Reno over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Buffs will take on both Nevada and Utah State in the classic.
This will be the first time since 1986 that CU has not hosted a preseason tournament. However, the Rocky Mountain Hoops Classic is expected to resume next season.
CU returns home on Nov. 27 to host Pepperdine. The Buffs open the month of December on the road at Miami (Fla.) on Dec. 2, before returning home for the final four non-conference games vs. San Jose State, Navy, Prairie View A&M and Samford.
All dates and times are subject to change for TV selection. The complete Pac-12 schedule will be announced later this summer.
Fans can reserve their season tickets for the 2018-19 season here.
Northern Colorado (Tuesday, Nov. 6)
UNC is coming off a 25-7 season that included an NCAA Tournament appearance ... former Buff Jenny (Roulier) Huth was named head coach in May ... leading scorer Savannah Smith (5-6, Sr., 18.5 PPG) is among three returners to start at least 15 games last season, including Krystal Leger-Walker (5-9, Jr., 5.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG) and Bridget Hintz (6-3, Jr., 4.2 PPG)
Colorado State (Wednesday, Nov. 14)
CSU went 21-12 last season and made the second round of the WNIT ... the Rams return two starters in Grace Colaivalu (5-7, So., 7.3 PPG, 2.8 APG) and Annie Brady (6-1, Sr., 7.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG)
North Carolina (Sunday, Nov. 18)
The Tar Heels went 15-16 last season ... UNC returns four starters in leading scorer Paris Kea (5-9, Sr., 19.4 PPG, 4.8 APG), Janelle Bailey (6-4, So., 15.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG), Taylor Koenen (6-2, Jr., 8.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG) and Jaelynn Murray (6-2, So., 4.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG)
at Nevada (either Friday, Nov. 23 or Sunday, Nov. 25)
The Wolf Pack went 19-17 last season and reached the semifinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational in the postseason ... Nevada loses its top two scorers, but returns three players that started over 15 games last season in Jade Redmon (5-7, Sr., 8.8 PPG), Terae Briggs (6-3, Sr., 8.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG) and AJ Cephas (6-0, Sr., 7.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG)
vs. Utah State (either Friday Nov. 23 or Sunday, Nov. 25, in Reno, Nev.)
USU went 7-23 last season ... the Aggies return four starters in Olivia West (5-6, Jr., 12.3 PPG), Rachel Brewster (5-11, Sr., 9.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG), Shannon Dufficy (6-2, Jr., 7.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG) and Eliza West (5-5, Jr., 6.1 PPG, 4.4 APG)
Pepperdine (Tuesday, Nov. 27)
The Waves went 10-20 last season ... Pepperdine returns three starters and its top two scorers from last season in Yasmine Robinson-Bacote (5-11, Sr., 18.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG), Paige Fecske (5-4, Sr., 11.0 PPG) and Barbara Sitanggan (5-6, Jr., 4.9 PPG, 3.5 APG)
at Miami (Fla.) (Sunday, Dec. 2)
The Hurricanes went 21-11 last season and made the NCAA Tournament ... Miami returns three starters in Mykea Gray (5-4, So., 11.7 PPG), Emese Hof (6-3, Sr., 9.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG) and Endia Banks (5-9, So., 7.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG)
San Jose State (Thursday, Dec. 6)
SJSU went 7-23 last season ... the Spartans lost their top two scorers from last season, but return four players who started 14 or more games in Analyss Benally (5-8, Jr., 6.9 PPG), Cydni Lewis (6-0, So., 6.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG), Fa-Ko-Fieme'a Hafoka (5-9, Jr., 6.1 PPG) and Megan Anderson (6-0, So., 5.3 PPG)
Navy (Sunday, Dec. 9)
The Mids went 25-8 last season and made the WNIT ... Navy returns three starters in Kaila Clark (5-11, Jr., 7.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG), Bianca Roach (5-7, Sr., 6.3 PPG) and Laurel Jaunich (6-0, Jr., 5.2 PPG)
Prairie View A&M (Wednesday, Dec. 12)
PVAMU went 15-16 last season ... the Panthers return their top two scorers and four starters in Shala Dobbins (5-6, Sr., 21.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.5 APG), Dominique Newman (5-7, Jr., 11.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG), La'Neique Nealey (5-11, Sr., 6.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG) and Mariah Campbell (6-2, Jr., 3.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG)
Samford (Thursday, Dec. 20)
The Bulldogs went 15-16 last season ... Samford graduated its leading scorer, but returns four starters in Olivia Crozier (6-1, Jr., 9.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG), Charity Brown (5-8, Jr., 7.9 PPG, 5.5 APG), Samantha Fitzgerald (6-0, Jr., 6.9 PPG) and Cassidy Williams (5-8, Sr., 5.6 PPG)
Complete Schedule:
Nov. 6, Northern Colorado (HOME)
Nov. 14, Colorado State (HOME)
Nov. 18, North Carolina (HOME)
Nov. 23, Tournament at Nevada (Reno, Nev.)
Nov. 25, Tournament at Nevada (Reno, Nev.)
Nov. 27, Pepperdine (HOME)
Dec. 2, at Miami (Miami, Fla.)
Dec. 6, San Jose State (HOME)
Dec. 9, Navy (HOME)
Dec. 12, Prairie View A&M (HOME)
Dec. 20, Samford (HOME)
All games except for 3 at home. Two teams in the NCAA tourney last season and 3 that were in the WNIT.
Hope the schedule gets upgraded by next season.
If you read the Daily Camera article, JR said she couldn't field a competitive tournament so no tournament this season.
http://www.buffzone.com/womensbaske...s-basketball-announces-nonconference-schedule
"For a one-year hiatus it's going to be great for our seniors, who have never been anywhere for Thanksgiving other than here," Payne said. "With nine of your 13 players being underclassmen, we need them to be tested to a certain extent on the road. It'll be a good experience."
Hope the schedule gets upgraded by next season.
If you read the Daily Camera article, JR said she couldn't field a competitive tournament so no tournament this season.
http://www.buffzone.com/womensbaske...s-basketball-announces-nonconference-schedule
"For a one-year hiatus it's going to be great for our seniors, who have never been anywhere for Thanksgiving other than here," Payne said. "With nine of your 13 players being underclassmen, we need them to be tested to a certain extent on the road. It'll be a good experience."
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MarkW
Well-Known Member
Congrats to Peyton on the scholarship.
Seems like the non-conference schedule is a bit tougher in the first part and eases off a bit after the three games with perhaps the exception of Navy.
Is it just me, or does it seem the season gets started earlier each year? Nov. 6 for Northern Colorado. Speaking of the NoCo, great to have Jenny Roulier back in Colorado.
I too would like to see the non conference schedule "upgraded" in the future. To me that would mean playing Wyoming on a regular basis while continuing to play CSU and UNC. DU is also a team I'd like to see as well at times. (It may be that DU will be a closed scrimmage this season.) AFA isn't very good, so no need to play them on a regular basis.
The next step would be to get former Big 8 foes on the schedule. Play Oklahoma at home one season and away the next.
Other "regional" teams to consider would be UTEP, BYU and New Mexico State.
Seems like the non-conference schedule is a bit tougher in the first part and eases off a bit after the three games with perhaps the exception of Navy.
Is it just me, or does it seem the season gets started earlier each year? Nov. 6 for Northern Colorado. Speaking of the NoCo, great to have Jenny Roulier back in Colorado.
I too would like to see the non conference schedule "upgraded" in the future. To me that would mean playing Wyoming on a regular basis while continuing to play CSU and UNC. DU is also a team I'd like to see as well at times. (It may be that DU will be a closed scrimmage this season.) AFA isn't very good, so no need to play them on a regular basis.
The next step would be to get former Big 8 foes on the schedule. Play Oklahoma at home one season and away the next.
Other "regional" teams to consider would be UTEP, BYU and New Mexico State.
@buffgal and others: Love that you're posting, sharing and driving interest in WBB by posting relevant articles.
Please remember, though, that Allbuffs does not produce much of its own content and relies on others to do great work that we can compile and discuss.
We want to support those sources by giving them clicks, which drives their advertising revenue to keep those content outlets in business and the journalists employed.
So, by all means link their work with the appropriate credits and links. Even include a quote or snippet that's about the size of what would fit into a tweet (one paragraph or two short ones) that can drive discussion while also giving people reason to follow the link in order to read the whole article.
But what we don't want to do is post the whole article.
No worries about doing that when it's a university released statement, but when it's the Camera, DP, 247sports, ESPN, Rivals and others trying to keep their doors open, let's be sure to post their content in a way that helps their business.
Thanks, everyone.
And please let me know if you see any posts that need to be edited. You can either PM me a link or use the "Report" button so that any of the mod team can take care of it.
Please remember, though, that Allbuffs does not produce much of its own content and relies on others to do great work that we can compile and discuss.
We want to support those sources by giving them clicks, which drives their advertising revenue to keep those content outlets in business and the journalists employed.
So, by all means link their work with the appropriate credits and links. Even include a quote or snippet that's about the size of what would fit into a tweet (one paragraph or two short ones) that can drive discussion while also giving people reason to follow the link in order to read the whole article.
But what we don't want to do is post the whole article.
No worries about doing that when it's a university released statement, but when it's the Camera, DP, 247sports, ESPN, Rivals and others trying to keep their doors open, let's be sure to post their content in a way that helps their business.
Thanks, everyone.
And please let me know if you see any posts that need to be edited. You can either PM me a link or use the "Report" button so that any of the mod team can take care of it.
Last season's first official game was on November 10. There was an exhibition earlier than that.
Count me in as one who would love to see former Big 8 or 12 foes on the schedule. I'm partial to Iowa State, but Oklahoma would be great.
Wyoming would be an excellent addition to the schedule. I was going through old photos and found some of a bus trip to Wyoming. When is the last time there was a bus trip to any away game?
Count me in as one who would love to see former Big 8 or 12 foes on the schedule. I'm partial to Iowa State, but Oklahoma would be great.
Wyoming would be an excellent addition to the schedule. I was going through old photos and found some of a bus trip to Wyoming. When is the last time there was a bus trip to any away game?
Buffballer
Well-Known Member
Just curious if anyone has heard anything on what type of support or campaign the Athletic Department and WBB program is putting together, or if they are, for Kennedy’s senior year run at conference and national awards? Like Lieberman, All Amarican etc, obviously these are huge for recruiting. Based on what I’ve looked at she could be the first player in CU history to be a 3 time First Team PAC 12 player and is the only player I’ve found from a Power 5 conference entering into this season with 1350+ pts , 500+assists, 300+ rebounds and 180+ steals. I’m seeing campaigns for football players and for Wright on the Men’s BB side just wondering what’s in the works on the Women’s side.
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Article from cubuffs.com https://cubuffs.com/news/2018/7/26/...-cu-can-help-her-reach-her-olympic-dream.aspx
Clarke Hoping CU Can Help Her Reach Her Olympic Dream
By: Andy Schlichting, Assistant SID
Release: July 26, 2018
Australian native was a late find for the Buffs in the 2018 recruiting class
BOULDER – Emma Clarke has one major goal in life, to play in the Olympics for her home country of Australia. A native of Perth, Western Australia, she originally committed to play basketball at UC Santa Barbara, but coaching staff turnover there led her to reopen her recruitment and sign with Colorado, a decision she believes will ultimately help her achieve her goal of playing for the Opals in the Olympics one day.
Clarke is on the right career path so far for making the Olympic team at some point in her future, starring on Australia's youth national teams. In 2017 she represented the U-17 team at the FIBA Oceania Championships and averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists, while shooting 60.7 percent from the floor. She led Australia to the gold medal and an undefeated tournament, and was named to the All-Star 5 as one of the tournament's five best players.
"That was a really good experience and anytime I'm in the green and gold, it's a rush," Clarke said. "You just really want to represent your country and I want to do my family proud and obviously myself and all of my friends."
Clarke was also selected for camp with the U-18 team in August, but will be unable to attend due to CU's foreign tour in Italy and school starting when the team returns to Boulder next month. But she still hopes to be selected to Australia's squad that will compete in India in October at the 2018 FIBA Asia U-18 Championships. The top four finishers will all qualify for the U-19 world championships next summer.
Looking ahead to this season at CU, Payne thinks Clarke will be able to contribute immediately to an already strong backcourt. At 6-foot-1, she brings length, skill and athleticism to the Buffs on the perimeter.
"Emma comes to CU with a very high basketball IQ," head coach JR Payne said. "She has played with some very high-level talent and has a good feel for the game. She is long, versatile and athletic and has the ability to play a variety of guard positions. I believe her ability to run the floor will help our transition game and her length will be an asset on both ends of the floor. We have a strong backcourt already and I believe that Emma has the potential to contribute offensively and defensively to this group."
Back when Clarke was initially committed to UCSB, she was concerned more about the chance to play immediately than about her long-term goals. She believed she stood a good chance of starting as a freshman at UCSB.
"I was really hell-bent on playing and just wanted to go somewhere where I was going to play [right away]," Clarke said. "Then I kind of reevaluated after I reopened my recruitment and said, 'what do I really want in a school?' With the Under-19s in Australia coming up, I needed people to actually push me like at an international level and really fight for positions. I don't want to just take it easy, I want to work for my spot on the team and really challenge and see where my basketball can take me."
Clarke determined that she can get the level of competition to prepare for international play in Boulder, both with her teammates in practice at CU, and on a game-by-game basis in the Pac-12 Conference.
But if not for the changes at UCSB, Clarke never would have stepped foot on campus in Boulder and perhaps would not have had the opportunity to build her game at a Power Five school. She visited Santa Barbara in January and really liked the coaching staff and players, giving a verbal commitment shortly after her visit.
After a shake up in the coaching staff and some turnover on the roster, Clarke decided to reopen her recruitment. Within a day, CU assistant coach Toriano Towns was on the phone with her, a call that lasted two hours.
"Coach T just got to know me, asked me how I am, what do I do, what do I like in school, basketball questions, and what I look for in a school and he just said they really wanted to have me here," Clarke said. "A few days later, Coach J [Payne] called and we Facetimed and it was kind of the same, just getting to know them. It was really easy [to talk to them].
"When I heard from them, I just researched on the internet and called a few people and I was just overwhelmed with how amazing this university was because it was never in my prospects. I was just like, 'wow, this Pac-12 school wants me.' I just never envisioned that I would go to such a high-profile school with such amazing coaches...I had heard lots of good reviews about CU—[it's in the] Pac-12, [has] amazing coaches, a good program, and a good vision of where they want to go and the program that they're trying to make. They're in a nice area. It's like Australia, but just missing the beach."
Since the CU coaches had yet to see Clarke play in person, they had to do their own research on her. Jeff Cammon, who was an assistant at CU under Payne in 2016-17, recruited Clarke to play at Long Beach State, where he finished his first season as head coach in 2017-18. He gave Payne a strong recommendation.
"We were very excited to learn about Emma because she came to highly recommended by people that we really trust," Payne said. "Jeff said, 'You will LOVE her! She's your kind of player.' That has definitely turned out to be true. Jeff is a fantastic recruiter and knows our system and style very well. When he called and told us how much we would love Emma, I was instantly excited about her potential."
The beach is the one thing, besides her family, that Clarke misses from home. In fact, it was one of her top factors in her initial list of schools she considered. Nearly every school was located near a beach in California, including Long Beach State and UCSB. When the Buffs came calling, she realized that it might be a nice change of pace to live in Colorado's breathtaking Rocky Mountains for a few years, a half hour Denver, and in the center of the United States.
It's a stark contrast from Perth, known as the second-most isolated major city in the world because it is a five-hour flight from the nearest major city. But it is also a beautiful city along white sand beaches and turquoise waters, located on the southwest coast of Australia on the Indian Ocean. The natural beauty was the common denominator.
"In Perth, I'm like a five-minute walk from the beach, which is really nice," Clarke said. "But I chose CU because the environment is so clean, there's trees everywhere, the sky is blue, there's mountains, which is different, and it's a change of scenery. I thought I'll probably never live in snow and see snow ever again, so these four years are like a big change diversity-wise."
Just to clarify, this coming winter will not be her first experience seeing snow. Clarke has seen it before when visiting parts of the eastern half of Australia, though she admitted most of it was man-made. But she has never lived in a place where it has snowed.
Clarke is extremely close with her family, but she said the transition to CU will not be as hard as it might normally be to leave home and go across the world. That's because she spent 2017 at the Australian Institute of Sport's Centre of Excellence as one of 12 players in the country selected for a basketball scholarship. She had to move across the country to Canberra, located in Australian Capital Territory, an hour from the southeastern coast.
Her family made her year away at the institute much easier.
"My dad and my family set me up really well before I left and they gave me all of the skills and tools I needed to succeed," Clarke said. "My dad is like my idol and such an influence on me as a person. And my mum's amazing too. I don't know how I would have done that transition without them, or made this transition, just knowing they're at home and they've got my back and they're always there when I need them. That made it a lot easier, just knowing the support is there."
She joked that her younger brother, who is 9, has already moved into her room.
These next four years should be similar to her year away from home in 2017, but across the world instead of across the country. So far, it has been a smooth transition. Clarke mentioned the coaches, upperclassmen Alexis Robinson and Quinessa Caylao-Do, and her fellow freshman have all been huge in helping her feel at home.
The other four freshmen are like sisters to her.
"We're all pretty close and we always hang out together," Clarke said. "We make sure everyone's okay, doing our schoolwork together, coming to get extra shots. We go out sometimes to The Hill, or we just go on drives up in the mountains and the views up there are really nice."
Her biggest challenge so far has been going back to school. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia's academic year ends in November ahead of their summer, so Clarke has been out of school for over half a year. But her professors and academic advisors have been helpful in her transition back to the classroom.
Clarke Hoping CU Can Help Her Reach Her Olympic Dream
By: Andy Schlichting, Assistant SID
Release: July 26, 2018
Australian native was a late find for the Buffs in the 2018 recruiting class
BOULDER – Emma Clarke has one major goal in life, to play in the Olympics for her home country of Australia. A native of Perth, Western Australia, she originally committed to play basketball at UC Santa Barbara, but coaching staff turnover there led her to reopen her recruitment and sign with Colorado, a decision she believes will ultimately help her achieve her goal of playing for the Opals in the Olympics one day.
Clarke is on the right career path so far for making the Olympic team at some point in her future, starring on Australia's youth national teams. In 2017 she represented the U-17 team at the FIBA Oceania Championships and averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists, while shooting 60.7 percent from the floor. She led Australia to the gold medal and an undefeated tournament, and was named to the All-Star 5 as one of the tournament's five best players.
"That was a really good experience and anytime I'm in the green and gold, it's a rush," Clarke said. "You just really want to represent your country and I want to do my family proud and obviously myself and all of my friends."
Clarke was also selected for camp with the U-18 team in August, but will be unable to attend due to CU's foreign tour in Italy and school starting when the team returns to Boulder next month. But she still hopes to be selected to Australia's squad that will compete in India in October at the 2018 FIBA Asia U-18 Championships. The top four finishers will all qualify for the U-19 world championships next summer.
Looking ahead to this season at CU, Payne thinks Clarke will be able to contribute immediately to an already strong backcourt. At 6-foot-1, she brings length, skill and athleticism to the Buffs on the perimeter.
"Emma comes to CU with a very high basketball IQ," head coach JR Payne said. "She has played with some very high-level talent and has a good feel for the game. She is long, versatile and athletic and has the ability to play a variety of guard positions. I believe her ability to run the floor will help our transition game and her length will be an asset on both ends of the floor. We have a strong backcourt already and I believe that Emma has the potential to contribute offensively and defensively to this group."
Back when Clarke was initially committed to UCSB, she was concerned more about the chance to play immediately than about her long-term goals. She believed she stood a good chance of starting as a freshman at UCSB.
"I was really hell-bent on playing and just wanted to go somewhere where I was going to play [right away]," Clarke said. "Then I kind of reevaluated after I reopened my recruitment and said, 'what do I really want in a school?' With the Under-19s in Australia coming up, I needed people to actually push me like at an international level and really fight for positions. I don't want to just take it easy, I want to work for my spot on the team and really challenge and see where my basketball can take me."
Clarke determined that she can get the level of competition to prepare for international play in Boulder, both with her teammates in practice at CU, and on a game-by-game basis in the Pac-12 Conference.
But if not for the changes at UCSB, Clarke never would have stepped foot on campus in Boulder and perhaps would not have had the opportunity to build her game at a Power Five school. She visited Santa Barbara in January and really liked the coaching staff and players, giving a verbal commitment shortly after her visit.
After a shake up in the coaching staff and some turnover on the roster, Clarke decided to reopen her recruitment. Within a day, CU assistant coach Toriano Towns was on the phone with her, a call that lasted two hours.
"Coach T just got to know me, asked me how I am, what do I do, what do I like in school, basketball questions, and what I look for in a school and he just said they really wanted to have me here," Clarke said. "A few days later, Coach J [Payne] called and we Facetimed and it was kind of the same, just getting to know them. It was really easy [to talk to them].
"When I heard from them, I just researched on the internet and called a few people and I was just overwhelmed with how amazing this university was because it was never in my prospects. I was just like, 'wow, this Pac-12 school wants me.' I just never envisioned that I would go to such a high-profile school with such amazing coaches...I had heard lots of good reviews about CU—[it's in the] Pac-12, [has] amazing coaches, a good program, and a good vision of where they want to go and the program that they're trying to make. They're in a nice area. It's like Australia, but just missing the beach."
Since the CU coaches had yet to see Clarke play in person, they had to do their own research on her. Jeff Cammon, who was an assistant at CU under Payne in 2016-17, recruited Clarke to play at Long Beach State, where he finished his first season as head coach in 2017-18. He gave Payne a strong recommendation.
"We were very excited to learn about Emma because she came to highly recommended by people that we really trust," Payne said. "Jeff said, 'You will LOVE her! She's your kind of player.' That has definitely turned out to be true. Jeff is a fantastic recruiter and knows our system and style very well. When he called and told us how much we would love Emma, I was instantly excited about her potential."
The beach is the one thing, besides her family, that Clarke misses from home. In fact, it was one of her top factors in her initial list of schools she considered. Nearly every school was located near a beach in California, including Long Beach State and UCSB. When the Buffs came calling, she realized that it might be a nice change of pace to live in Colorado's breathtaking Rocky Mountains for a few years, a half hour Denver, and in the center of the United States.
It's a stark contrast from Perth, known as the second-most isolated major city in the world because it is a five-hour flight from the nearest major city. But it is also a beautiful city along white sand beaches and turquoise waters, located on the southwest coast of Australia on the Indian Ocean. The natural beauty was the common denominator.
"In Perth, I'm like a five-minute walk from the beach, which is really nice," Clarke said. "But I chose CU because the environment is so clean, there's trees everywhere, the sky is blue, there's mountains, which is different, and it's a change of scenery. I thought I'll probably never live in snow and see snow ever again, so these four years are like a big change diversity-wise."
Just to clarify, this coming winter will not be her first experience seeing snow. Clarke has seen it before when visiting parts of the eastern half of Australia, though she admitted most of it was man-made. But she has never lived in a place where it has snowed.
Clarke is extremely close with her family, but she said the transition to CU will not be as hard as it might normally be to leave home and go across the world. That's because she spent 2017 at the Australian Institute of Sport's Centre of Excellence as one of 12 players in the country selected for a basketball scholarship. She had to move across the country to Canberra, located in Australian Capital Territory, an hour from the southeastern coast.
Her family made her year away at the institute much easier.
"My dad and my family set me up really well before I left and they gave me all of the skills and tools I needed to succeed," Clarke said. "My dad is like my idol and such an influence on me as a person. And my mum's amazing too. I don't know how I would have done that transition without them, or made this transition, just knowing they're at home and they've got my back and they're always there when I need them. That made it a lot easier, just knowing the support is there."
She joked that her younger brother, who is 9, has already moved into her room.
These next four years should be similar to her year away from home in 2017, but across the world instead of across the country. So far, it has been a smooth transition. Clarke mentioned the coaches, upperclassmen Alexis Robinson and Quinessa Caylao-Do, and her fellow freshman have all been huge in helping her feel at home.
The other four freshmen are like sisters to her.
"We're all pretty close and we always hang out together," Clarke said. "We make sure everyone's okay, doing our schoolwork together, coming to get extra shots. We go out sometimes to The Hill, or we just go on drives up in the mountains and the views up there are really nice."
Her biggest challenge so far has been going back to school. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia's academic year ends in November ahead of their summer, so Clarke has been out of school for over half a year. But her professors and academic advisors have been helpful in her transition back to the classroom.
I'm willing to be very patient with here. She will be successful if given the right support.
Finau Brings A Winning Reputation To Boulder
https://cubuffs.com/news/2018/8/1/w...u-brings-a-winning-reputation-to-boulder.aspx
BOULDER – Some athletes get a reputation of just being a "winner." Lesila Finau (pronounced lah-SEE-lah fin-OU) is one of those, having led both her high school teams and AAU teams to some incredible success throughout her career.
An all-state basketball player and four-year letterwinner, Finau led Dublin (Calif.) High School to a section championship and 28-4 record as a freshman, and after going through three head coaches, a 25-6 record as a senior. With the Cal Stars AAU team, her squad went 51-1.
"She has confidence, and a big part of being successful is knowing what it takes to be successful," CU head coach JR Payne said. "We just met with one of our sophomores this week about, 'you can have lofty goals, and that's fantastic, but in order to attain those goals, the work starts now. The decisions and choices and work that you put in today will directly impact the goals that you have in March.' I think someone like Sila, who has been really successful, understands that."
You would never notice the confidence during a brief encounter Finau off the floor. With a calm, quiet demeanor, she can be unassuming off the basketball floor. But when she steps on the hardwood, the intensity rises.
"I put my game face on when I play and nothing fazes me," Finau said. "If I get fouled, I keep a straight face and if I give the foul, I keep a straight face."
Finau averaged 20.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 4.8 steals as a senior, doing a little bit (or a lot) of everything for Dublin.
"She's a great shooter," Payne said. "She's long at the point guard position and she might only be 5-10, but her wingspan [72 inches] is really long so she can do some things defensively with her length. She's really good in transition, and for us, a team that wants to play up-tempo and really likes to get the ball in our point guard's hands on most possessions, we need a point guard that can go in transition and do things like that, which I think is her strength."
Payne also noted that while a lot of players can play fast and have great speed and quickness on the floor, Finau remains under control when she's playing fast and makes good decisions in transition. Her playing style fits in well with what the Buffs want to do as a team that plays over a mile above sea level—run and play fast.
Finau is close with her family and is one of four children in the group. Her older brother, Mataio, is the one who got her started playing basketball in elementary school. Mataio was born the same year as Lesila, but they are not twins and are a year apart in school.
"I am very close with my family," Finau said. "We are all homebodies. I have a brother who is the same age as me, a little sister who will be a senior in high school, and a baby sister who is 2. I am the mom of the siblings for sure.
"I started playing basketball in elementary school. My brother played so I followed his lead. I never started playing on an organized team until sixth grade, when I played on my [Catholic Youth Organization] team, my middle school team, and AAU. That is when it all started."
She originally signed with Minnesota in November during the early signing period, but the Gophers went through a coaching change following the season and she asked to be released from her commitment. She had no hard feelings towards the new coaching staff in Minnesota, but just didn't feel as comfortable as with the coaches who recruited her.
"I learned that the new coach wasn't going to be there in the summer because she plays in the WNBA," Finau said. "I really like her. She is very cool and is a great player and I have no doubt she will be a great coach. I just felt really comfortable with the previous coach."
After signing with the Buffs, she feels confident she made the right decision and loves everything about the program at CU.
"I love the coaches, the players, and all of the people involved," Finau said. "Everyone is very comforting and welcoming. It is also in a beautiful place with the mountains. Some of us on the team spend a lot of time enjoying the view from Folsom. Colorado is different from where I'm from [in Northern California]. It will be fun to enjoy the snow."
This season, she is hoping to contribute on the floor immediately, but also learn under senior point guard Kennedy Leonard, who is a two-time All-Pac-12 performer. Finau, Leonard and sophomore Peyton Carter are the only true point guards on CU's roster, so Finau's addition was important to add depth for this season and hopefully solidify the position after Leonard's graduation.
"I think for her, when she was looking at schools, the opportunity to play with Kennedy for a year was appealing," Payne said. "She's competitive, she wants to be great. She really felt like it was a really neat opportunity to play with a fantastic senior point guard that can always pass down some knowledge."
As for Finau's impact in the program beyond contributing to the point guard position, she just wants to bring that winning mentality. When asked what her goals are this season at CU, she had a very simple answer.
"Win. I want to win and go to the NCAA Tournament."
https://cubuffs.com/news/2018/8/1/w...u-brings-a-winning-reputation-to-boulder.aspx
BOULDER – Some athletes get a reputation of just being a "winner." Lesila Finau (pronounced lah-SEE-lah fin-OU) is one of those, having led both her high school teams and AAU teams to some incredible success throughout her career.
An all-state basketball player and four-year letterwinner, Finau led Dublin (Calif.) High School to a section championship and 28-4 record as a freshman, and after going through three head coaches, a 25-6 record as a senior. With the Cal Stars AAU team, her squad went 51-1.
"She has confidence, and a big part of being successful is knowing what it takes to be successful," CU head coach JR Payne said. "We just met with one of our sophomores this week about, 'you can have lofty goals, and that's fantastic, but in order to attain those goals, the work starts now. The decisions and choices and work that you put in today will directly impact the goals that you have in March.' I think someone like Sila, who has been really successful, understands that."
You would never notice the confidence during a brief encounter Finau off the floor. With a calm, quiet demeanor, she can be unassuming off the basketball floor. But when she steps on the hardwood, the intensity rises.
"I put my game face on when I play and nothing fazes me," Finau said. "If I get fouled, I keep a straight face and if I give the foul, I keep a straight face."
Finau averaged 20.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 4.8 steals as a senior, doing a little bit (or a lot) of everything for Dublin.
"She's a great shooter," Payne said. "She's long at the point guard position and she might only be 5-10, but her wingspan [72 inches] is really long so she can do some things defensively with her length. She's really good in transition, and for us, a team that wants to play up-tempo and really likes to get the ball in our point guard's hands on most possessions, we need a point guard that can go in transition and do things like that, which I think is her strength."
Payne also noted that while a lot of players can play fast and have great speed and quickness on the floor, Finau remains under control when she's playing fast and makes good decisions in transition. Her playing style fits in well with what the Buffs want to do as a team that plays over a mile above sea level—run and play fast.
Finau is close with her family and is one of four children in the group. Her older brother, Mataio, is the one who got her started playing basketball in elementary school. Mataio was born the same year as Lesila, but they are not twins and are a year apart in school.
"I am very close with my family," Finau said. "We are all homebodies. I have a brother who is the same age as me, a little sister who will be a senior in high school, and a baby sister who is 2. I am the mom of the siblings for sure.
"I started playing basketball in elementary school. My brother played so I followed his lead. I never started playing on an organized team until sixth grade, when I played on my [Catholic Youth Organization] team, my middle school team, and AAU. That is when it all started."
She originally signed with Minnesota in November during the early signing period, but the Gophers went through a coaching change following the season and she asked to be released from her commitment. She had no hard feelings towards the new coaching staff in Minnesota, but just didn't feel as comfortable as with the coaches who recruited her.
"I learned that the new coach wasn't going to be there in the summer because she plays in the WNBA," Finau said. "I really like her. She is very cool and is a great player and I have no doubt she will be a great coach. I just felt really comfortable with the previous coach."
After signing with the Buffs, she feels confident she made the right decision and loves everything about the program at CU.
"I love the coaches, the players, and all of the people involved," Finau said. "Everyone is very comforting and welcoming. It is also in a beautiful place with the mountains. Some of us on the team spend a lot of time enjoying the view from Folsom. Colorado is different from where I'm from [in Northern California]. It will be fun to enjoy the snow."
This season, she is hoping to contribute on the floor immediately, but also learn under senior point guard Kennedy Leonard, who is a two-time All-Pac-12 performer. Finau, Leonard and sophomore Peyton Carter are the only true point guards on CU's roster, so Finau's addition was important to add depth for this season and hopefully solidify the position after Leonard's graduation.
"I think for her, when she was looking at schools, the opportunity to play with Kennedy for a year was appealing," Payne said. "She's competitive, she wants to be great. She really felt like it was a really neat opportunity to play with a fantastic senior point guard that can always pass down some knowledge."
As for Finau's impact in the program beyond contributing to the point guard position, she just wants to bring that winning mentality. When asked what her goals are this season at CU, she had a very simple answer.
"Win. I want to win and go to the NCAA Tournament."
https://cubuffs.com/news/2018/8/7/w...tices-before-three-game-stretch-in-italy.aspx
CU Prepping For Europe Trip With Practices Before Three-Game Stretch In Italy
CU Prepping For Europe Trip With Practices Before Three-Game Stretch In Italy