University of Colorado Athletics
Swan, Buffs Ready To Step Up In Pac-12
October 13, 2015 | Women's Basketball
BOULDER — Last season, five Pac-12 women's basketball teams earned berths in the NCAA Tournament — but the Colorado Buffaloes weren't among that cohort.
When the conference opens its season Wednesday with media day in San Francisco, the featured Buff on stage will be Jamee Swan, senior leader of a squad changed by the offseason and ready to change the result. This year, the Buffs believe they are a different team, mentally and physically.
“We don't let each other fail, whereas in years past it's been very self-centered,” she said. “But now, if I'm having a great day and a teammate is having a bad day, I can step away from my good day and say, 'Hey, what do you need? We don't want you to fail,' and that's really cool. That's what I'm most excited about this year.”
When it comes to her game, Swan believes the internal roller coaster of the past three years has finally leveled out.
“This year, for me, what Buff Nation should know is that they can expect me to be more consistent.” Swan said. “It's something I'm really focused on. It's been a key factor for me since sophomore year and this year I finally have it down.”
Signs of a seasoned veteran began appearing last season, and were cemented in the Colorado record books after Swan finished her junior year ranking 14th all-time in double-doubles with 10, sixth in blocks with 126, and 17th in rebounds. She topped the roster in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots for the 2014-2015 season, and earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors.
The success traces back to her freshman year, when she led her team in field-goal accuracy. The freshman Buffs of 2015 might just have that type of talent. But, Swan says every player on head coach Linda Lappe's roster has improved.
“I think for our freshmen, the thing for them will be same as me: consistency,” Swan said. “I think if they can get their consistency to a decent freshman level, they can maybe become a sixth man off the bench or even a starter.”
But Swan's versatile play at post and perimeter positions alone isn't going to put the Buffs at the top of the Pac-12, and neither will outstanding freshman talent. To Lappe, the answer lies in defensive prowess and playing basketball the “Colorado way.”
“My freshman year we were holding teams under 40 points, and that was the last time we've done that,” Swan said. “My sophomore year we held them to under 60, and last year to under 70, and it wasn't consistent defense-wise. This year, our defense is going to finish in the top three of the Pac-12 for sure. I can already tell by how people act at practice, how people's mentalities change when we go into defensive drills. We're going to be a defensive team.”
Assuming defense is solid, the final preseason question lies in replacing the three starters Colorado lost last year in Lexy Kresl, Jen Reese and Jasmine Sborov. Swan describes this 2015-2015 squad as being built of natural born leaders, and although an official starting lineup for the Nov. 7 season opener against USC-Aiken is not set, she says there are multiple combinations that work for the Buffs.
“We just are kind of mixing and matching teams,” she said. “The coaches do a really good job of facilitating 5-on-5, splitting out the teams, making them very even and making sure that everybody can coexist on the court.”
Watch the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Media Day on Wednesday on the Pac-12 Networks or online at Pac-12.com. The media special will begin at 1 p.m. MST, and Coach Linda Lappe and senior Jamee Swan are set to interview at 1:34 p.m.
