Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: Andy Schlichting
Brooks: Payne’s Buffs Take To CEC Court Loudly, Energetically
October 03, 2016 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
First-Year Women’s Coach Stresses Fundamentals, Camaraderie
BOULDER – The JR Payne era in Colorado women's basketball officially began Monday in the Coors Events Center with practice number one. By anyone's standards – with Payne's being the highest – it was loud, enthusiastic and demanding.
"There was great energy, enthusiasm and intensity," she said at the conclusion of the Buffaloes' nearly three-hour workout. "Today was awesome. It seems like we've been waiting for this day for a long time – which we have.
"As our team is together more you'll see more intensity, more enthusiasm, more urgency. Everything we do we'll continue to get louder, more vocal and energetic."
Hired late last March, Payne inherits a CU team that finished 7-23 overall and 2-18 in the Pac-12 Conference last season. The Buffs won only two of their last 20 games.
But the page has been turned on an unfulfilling 2015-16 season, with Payne and her staff focusing on more camaraderie and initiating an off-season conditioning program that she says has paid huge dividends.
Over the last six months, she said, returning squad members and four newcomers have experienced "the biggest gains in the weight room that any of them have made."
CU's four new faces could be counted on for quick contributions. Two of the four were on campus last season. Monica Burich sat out her freshman season after a knee injury and Ariana Freeman sat out an NCAA-mandated transfer year.
Burich is a versatile 6-2 forward who was a three-sport standout in high school while Freeman, a 5-9 transfer from Louisville, was born in Boulder.
The incoming freshmen are Eleanor Jones, a 6-2 forward from Salisbury, England, and 5-8 guard Quinessa Cayloa-do, from Tacoma, Wash.
Because of their size, Burich and Jones might offer the most immediate help for a CU inside game that lost leading scorer/rebounder Jamee Swan (13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds) to graduation. Payne agreed that her first CU team will need inside improvement, but her goal is versatility at all positions.
"We're going to work to be as versatile as we can this year, so we might have certain lineups that are smaller rather than bigger (or vice versa)," she said. "But those two kids will play important roles."
But both Burich and Jones have hard work ahead – Burich with returning to her pre-knee injury conditioning and skill level, Jones with sharpening her skills in a sport that is relatively new to her.
Because of last fall's preseason ACL injury, Burich said, "You have to retrain your brain . . . now it's like I can do everything but the pace. I feel like I'm doing things a little slower, not as reactive as I used to be. That comes from (not) playing, making reads, being in the right position."
Burich and her coach believe all of that will come in time.
"I didn't see her at all last year, so all we're seeing now is the growth she's made in the last six months – which has been tremendous," Payne said. "She's back on the court, getting stronger and really starting to feel more comfortable is the biggest key for her. Once she feels comfortable and confident with her knee and her body then she's going to really take off."
On Monday, Burich, of Roseville, Minn., was merely happy to be on the court and once again be a practice participant. When finally able to begin rehabilitation last fall, she immersed herself in that but still couldn't help feeling the isolation that comes with being injured.
"There's a lot to do if you can't play, but I came here to play basketball," she said. "It's what I'm good at, and it's good to get back in my element. I have a lot to work on. My knee is doing well, but I'm still getting back into the flow of things."
Jones, meanwhile, is learning the flow of all things. She didn't begin playing basketball until 41/2 years ago in Scotland, then moved to England to pursue the sport and her studies. A growth spurt in her early teen years pushed her to near her current height and made hoops a sport she believed she should consider.
Now, she said, it feels "almost" like a natural pursuit. "There's still so much to learn but I'm getting there."
She's already one of the team's most athletic players and is prototypical of players that Payne hopes to recruit.
"Eleanor is long," Payne said. "She's probably listed at 6-3 but her wingspan is really long and she jumps so well. She plays a lot bigger than she is and she's extremely athletic . . . she's our prototypical player – long, versatile and athletic. She can check all three of those boxes pretty easily."
As for Jones' shooting ability . . . there's an unorthodox story here. When she introduced herself to basketball in 2012 she shot right handed. A little more than three months ago she suffered a right elbow injury and began shooting with her left hand.
"Crazy," said Payne. "I've never see that before. She actually shoots the ball pretty well considering she's switched hands. I think she feels a lot more comfortable and confident with that arm. She's done great so far."
In Monday's practice she showed a fluid jump shot that obviously will improve with more work.
Jones started playing for Scotland's Ayr Storm before being called up to the National Under 16 team. In the 2013 European Championships she was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 9.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2 blocks a game.
Born in England, Jones returned to her home country to attend Charnwood College and eventually competed for England in the Under 18 European Championships in 2014 and again this past summer.
Transitioning to the U.S. for college, she said, "has been a pretty big adjustment period, coming from such a small club to a university that's so big and involved in sport. I enjoy it, but it was tough at first."
Maybe even tougher than switching shooting hands.
"I'm ambidextrous and my mom is left-handed," she said. "And I do go a lot more to my left than right. The transition was tough at first but I'm really getting there."
Payne's first practice featured work on fundamentals – a practice plan that probably won't deviate too much for several weeks.
"We definitely need to work on them and it's going to be a priority to us," she said. "One phrase we use is, 'It's just pass and catch, guys' – meaning we've got to be able to pass the ball and catch to be able to move forward and do anything. It's not really anything intricate from a basketball standpoint but fundamentals will be the foundation of everything for us."
Payne's Buffs open on Friday, Nov. 11 at Northern Colorado (7 p.m.). Their home opener comes two days later – Sunday, Nov. 13 – against Air Force (2 p.m.).
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
"There was great energy, enthusiasm and intensity," she said at the conclusion of the Buffaloes' nearly three-hour workout. "Today was awesome. It seems like we've been waiting for this day for a long time – which we have.
"As our team is together more you'll see more intensity, more enthusiasm, more urgency. Everything we do we'll continue to get louder, more vocal and energetic."
Hired late last March, Payne inherits a CU team that finished 7-23 overall and 2-18 in the Pac-12 Conference last season. The Buffs won only two of their last 20 games.
But the page has been turned on an unfulfilling 2015-16 season, with Payne and her staff focusing on more camaraderie and initiating an off-season conditioning program that she says has paid huge dividends.
Over the last six months, she said, returning squad members and four newcomers have experienced "the biggest gains in the weight room that any of them have made."
CU's four new faces could be counted on for quick contributions. Two of the four were on campus last season. Monica Burich sat out her freshman season after a knee injury and Ariana Freeman sat out an NCAA-mandated transfer year.
Burich is a versatile 6-2 forward who was a three-sport standout in high school while Freeman, a 5-9 transfer from Louisville, was born in Boulder.
The incoming freshmen are Eleanor Jones, a 6-2 forward from Salisbury, England, and 5-8 guard Quinessa Cayloa-do, from Tacoma, Wash.
Because of their size, Burich and Jones might offer the most immediate help for a CU inside game that lost leading scorer/rebounder Jamee Swan (13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds) to graduation. Payne agreed that her first CU team will need inside improvement, but her goal is versatility at all positions.
"We're going to work to be as versatile as we can this year, so we might have certain lineups that are smaller rather than bigger (or vice versa)," she said. "But those two kids will play important roles."
But both Burich and Jones have hard work ahead – Burich with returning to her pre-knee injury conditioning and skill level, Jones with sharpening her skills in a sport that is relatively new to her.
Because of last fall's preseason ACL injury, Burich said, "You have to retrain your brain . . . now it's like I can do everything but the pace. I feel like I'm doing things a little slower, not as reactive as I used to be. That comes from (not) playing, making reads, being in the right position."
Burich and her coach believe all of that will come in time.
"I didn't see her at all last year, so all we're seeing now is the growth she's made in the last six months – which has been tremendous," Payne said. "She's back on the court, getting stronger and really starting to feel more comfortable is the biggest key for her. Once she feels comfortable and confident with her knee and her body then she's going to really take off."
On Monday, Burich, of Roseville, Minn., was merely happy to be on the court and once again be a practice participant. When finally able to begin rehabilitation last fall, she immersed herself in that but still couldn't help feeling the isolation that comes with being injured.
"There's a lot to do if you can't play, but I came here to play basketball," she said. "It's what I'm good at, and it's good to get back in my element. I have a lot to work on. My knee is doing well, but I'm still getting back into the flow of things."
Jones, meanwhile, is learning the flow of all things. She didn't begin playing basketball until 41/2 years ago in Scotland, then moved to England to pursue the sport and her studies. A growth spurt in her early teen years pushed her to near her current height and made hoops a sport she believed she should consider.
Now, she said, it feels "almost" like a natural pursuit. "There's still so much to learn but I'm getting there."
She's already one of the team's most athletic players and is prototypical of players that Payne hopes to recruit.
"Eleanor is long," Payne said. "She's probably listed at 6-3 but her wingspan is really long and she jumps so well. She plays a lot bigger than she is and she's extremely athletic . . . she's our prototypical player – long, versatile and athletic. She can check all three of those boxes pretty easily."
As for Jones' shooting ability . . . there's an unorthodox story here. When she introduced herself to basketball in 2012 she shot right handed. A little more than three months ago she suffered a right elbow injury and began shooting with her left hand.
"Crazy," said Payne. "I've never see that before. She actually shoots the ball pretty well considering she's switched hands. I think she feels a lot more comfortable and confident with that arm. She's done great so far."
In Monday's practice she showed a fluid jump shot that obviously will improve with more work.
Jones started playing for Scotland's Ayr Storm before being called up to the National Under 16 team. In the 2013 European Championships she was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 9.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2 blocks a game.
Born in England, Jones returned to her home country to attend Charnwood College and eventually competed for England in the Under 18 European Championships in 2014 and again this past summer.
Transitioning to the U.S. for college, she said, "has been a pretty big adjustment period, coming from such a small club to a university that's so big and involved in sport. I enjoy it, but it was tough at first."
Maybe even tougher than switching shooting hands.
"I'm ambidextrous and my mom is left-handed," she said. "And I do go a lot more to my left than right. The transition was tough at first but I'm really getting there."
Payne's first practice featured work on fundamentals – a practice plan that probably won't deviate too much for several weeks.
"We definitely need to work on them and it's going to be a priority to us," she said. "One phrase we use is, 'It's just pass and catch, guys' – meaning we've got to be able to pass the ball and catch to be able to move forward and do anything. It's not really anything intricate from a basketball standpoint but fundamentals will be the foundation of everything for us."
Payne's Buffs open on Friday, Nov. 11 at Northern Colorado (7 p.m.). Their home opener comes two days later – Sunday, Nov. 13 – against Air Force (2 p.m.).
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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