Colorado University Athletics
Friday, December 29
Boulder, Colo.
7:00 PM
Colorado
vs
Arizona State
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
CU Providing A Home For Bunn Both On And Off The Court
December 26, 2017 | Women's Basketball
Bunn among CU's leaders heading into Pac-12 play on Friday at home against ASU
BOULDER — In some ways, Janea Bunn feels as if she's living part of her life in reverse.
Today, the junior on the Colorado women's basketball team is enjoying the life of a college student and the stability that comes with it. She knows when and where her next meal will be. She knows she will have clean clothes to wear to school, and she can go home each day knowing the electricity and heat in her home will not have been shut off while she was gone.
Most importantly, she knows where her home will be — not just for the next few weeks, but for the foreseeable future.
These are things that most college students — most people, for that matter — take for granted.
But Bunn, who grew up in Springfield, Mass., doesn't take life for granted. Life has seldom been easy for her. Stability was not a big part of the picture for someone who spent some of her childhood in foster care, some in cramped homes with her mother and four siblings — and some literally homeless.
"I had to grow up very, very quickly," Bunn said matter-of-factly in a recent interview. "I wasn't able to enjoy the things that most kids are able to enjoy. I was worried about things like, 'How is our electric bill going to be paid? How are we going to eat tonight? Are we going to have clean laundry for school tomorrow?' Those are things you worry about when you are grown up and get out into the 'real world,' not when you are a kid."
But that experience, Bunn said, has helped her become far more appreciative of her situation today. As a scholarship student-athlete at CU, she can now concentrate on classwork, basketball and a social life — while fully appreciating the opportunity that has presented itself.
"I just think that what I've been through has helped me grow up and move past some things," she said. "I realize that people are important. People make the difference. I can look past material things and see the bigger picture and realize what kind of opportunity I have."
The 6-foot-3 Bunn, an ebullient, outgoing young woman who is quick with a smile, is making the most of her opportunity. After two years playing at the junior college level, including a sophomore season at Midland (Texas), when she earned NJCAA honorable mention All-America honors, she has started 10 of 11 games for the 9-2 Buffs. She is currently second on the team in rebounds (6.8 rpg), fourth in scoring (8.9 ppg) and leads the team in blocks, averaging two per game.
"I can do this basketball thing," she said with a grin. "No doubt, I've already noticed a difference in the level of competition (compared to junior college). The athleticism overall is a step up. But I can play basketball. I know what that's about when I get out on the court."
But there have been plenty of other adjustments that have taken her more time — not the least of which has been getting used to the size of a campus that is home to roughly 30,000 students.
"It was pretty rough in the beginning," she admitted. "I feel like I'm starting to be more comfortable, but it hasn't been easy. The school is so huge … I was worried I wouldn't remember how to get everywhere I was supposed to be. Coming from a small campus, it was a big adjustment."
There were other adjustments as well, beginning with learning to trust her new coaches, new teammates and new surroundings.
That word — "trust" — is a big part of Bunn's life.
"It's extremely important — more than the basketball itself," Bunn said. "I need the people connection. It's something I just really need. For me, trust is a big thing — and if I don't trust you, it's going to be almost impossible for me to produce for you on the floor. But if we have that trust and we have that connection, it makes me want to go that extra mile for you."
It is why, when Bunn first arrived, CU head coach JR Payne spent much of her time establishing a relationship with Bunn. Basketball, Payne believed, could come later.
"The entire summer was solely spent on just spending time together," Payne told the Daily Camera last fall. "We hardly did much basketball, to be honest with you. We did a little bit, just to ease into the transition. We spent tons of time together, just talking and hanging out and just trying to build trust."
When Bunn was being recruited out of Midland, it was Payne who ended up being the difference-maker. Bunn was confident she could go play — and play well — at any of the Division I programs that were recruiting her. That list included the likes of TCU, UMass ("They really wanted me to come back home," Bunn said), Hofstra, Arkansas and Fresno State.
But Bunn saw something special in Boulder — not just on the court, but in the atmosphere and environment that Payne and her staff were building.
"I felt like the people here were genuine — and then there's Coach J," Bunn said. "She's kind of like your mom or your grandma. You don't want to make your mom or your grandma sad. I just couldn't imagine telling Coach J I wasn't going to come here."
Now, Bunn is slowly but surely adapting to being part of the Buffs family — again, something that has been an adjustment.
"I don't have a lot of family and I didn't have a lot of support," she said. "I'm doing this whole thing on my own. Throughout my life, I've learned how to survive. I'm pretty good at reading people, good at telling if someone is good for me to be around or not good for me to be around. I can play basketball at this level. I'm not worried about that. I just have to be comfortable and I need people I can believe in and people I can trust. As comfortable as I can be … the people part, that's my challenge."
Another adjustment? The mere fact that there is help available in a variety of areas if needed. For someone who learned to become virtually self-sufficient at a young age, someone who seldom asked for help because help was seldom available, learning to depend upon and trust the resources available to her now has not been easy.
Again, a matter of trust.
"There's a lot of academic help, help for this, help for that — there's somebody for everything and I'm not used to having that," she said. "It was honestly a little overwhelming in the beginning … a lot of meetings, things like that."
Still, she is learning to take advantage of every opportunity possible. She is studying sociology with an eye on "helping people" when she graduates. That could involve teaching, coaching, social work — myriad possibilities.
"I'm not sure about exactly what I want to do, but I want to help people," she said. "I've thought about being a teacher or coach or someone working in the community. In some way, maybe reach into my community and let them know — I did it, you can do it, too. I want to be a positive voice for the community. To me, that would be a great way to help."
Bunn also wants to help her family, something that currently is not easy.
"Knowing they are back home struggling, it's difficult," she said. "I'm not worried about me — I'm worried about my family. I'm OK here, but I worry about them. I help them now as much as I possibly can, but I wish they had the opportunities I have. I wish they had the athletic abilities I have. I'm going to help them as much as I can, but I know the first thing is I have to help myself."
And that means making the most of her life as a student-athlete at a Division I university. Go to class, play basketball and make new friends — a routine she is still learning, but one she has already learned to value.
"I learned all the things as a kid that most people don't deal with until they get out of college," Bunn said. "I've learned not to take things for granted. Now that I have all these things right at my feet … now I get to be a college student and I'm so thankful for the opportunity. It's definitely the only way I could go to a school like this. I have to work my butt off in the classroom and work my butt off on the court … but it's all worth it, and I know that.
"That is a pretty good feeling."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
UP NEXT FOR CU
The Buffs open Pac-12 play this weekend with two home games. CU hosts Arizona State at 7 p.m. on Friday and Arizona at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Friday's game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
ASU enters Friday's game 9-3 this season, having won five of its past six games. The three teams the Sun Devils have lost to are all currently ranked in the AP top 25 (No. 5 Mississippi State, No. 19 Green Bay and No. 13 Florida State). Since a loss to FSU on Dec. 10, ASU has had a pair of blowout wins (77-30 over Idaho and 89-43 over Arkansas).
As is typically the case with ASU women's basketball, it all starts with defense for the Sun Devils as they allow just 52.9 points per game and have held six opponents under 50 points this season. They also outrebound their opponents by 7.6 boards per game and have a 6.3 turnover margin per game.
Kianna Ibis, a 6-1 junior, leads ASU at 12.1 points per game, followed by 6-1 sophomore Jamie Ruden (10.5) and junior guard Sabrina Haines (10.2). Sophomore Reili Richardson leads the team in assists at 5.3 per game, while 6-3 junior Charnea Johnson-Chapman averages a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game to go with an 8.7 scoring average. Courtney Ekmark (9.3) and Robbi Ryan (9.2) also have scored near double figures throughout non-conference play.
Arizona enters the weekend at just 4-7 overall this season, but enters Pac-12 play coming off a 76-74 double-overtime win over Southern Utah. Despite the record, Arizona has outscored its opponents this season and averages 68.4 points per night, while winning the turnover battle ( 1.9) and rebounding margin ( 0.7). Where the Wildcats have struggled this season is defensively, allowing opponents to shoot 42.3 percent from the floor and make 7.1 3-point field goals per game.
JaLea Bennett has been Arizona's leader throughout non-conference play, averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor. She had 20 points in the win over Southern Utah. Marlee Kyles is second in scoring at 10.6 points per game, coming off the bench in all 11 games. Sam Thomas is the team's leading rebounder (9.0) and also averages 9.6 points. Lucia Alonso averages 9.3 points and a team-best 3.9 assists. Destiny Graham (9.6) and Kat Wright (8.8) have also been consistent scorers this season.
U of A is a young squad this season as Bennett and Wright are the only two seniors on the roster.
PROMOTIONS
Friday's game against ASU is Family Fun night with activities planned for people of all ages. There will be a bounce house and games in Chip's Corral from 5:30 p.m. until tipoff. Popcorn will cost just $1 at the game. At halftime, CU's nationally-prominent cheer team will perform its nationals routine.
On Sunday against Arizona, CU's marketing staff will help celebrate the top moments of the 2017 calendar year. The first 500 fans will receive a poster of a great moment in 2017 CU athletics. CU's dance team will perform its nationals jazz routine at halftime.
Today, the junior on the Colorado women's basketball team is enjoying the life of a college student and the stability that comes with it. She knows when and where her next meal will be. She knows she will have clean clothes to wear to school, and she can go home each day knowing the electricity and heat in her home will not have been shut off while she was gone.
Most importantly, she knows where her home will be — not just for the next few weeks, but for the foreseeable future.
These are things that most college students — most people, for that matter — take for granted.
But Bunn, who grew up in Springfield, Mass., doesn't take life for granted. Life has seldom been easy for her. Stability was not a big part of the picture for someone who spent some of her childhood in foster care, some in cramped homes with her mother and four siblings — and some literally homeless.
"I had to grow up very, very quickly," Bunn said matter-of-factly in a recent interview. "I wasn't able to enjoy the things that most kids are able to enjoy. I was worried about things like, 'How is our electric bill going to be paid? How are we going to eat tonight? Are we going to have clean laundry for school tomorrow?' Those are things you worry about when you are grown up and get out into the 'real world,' not when you are a kid."
But that experience, Bunn said, has helped her become far more appreciative of her situation today. As a scholarship student-athlete at CU, she can now concentrate on classwork, basketball and a social life — while fully appreciating the opportunity that has presented itself.
"I just think that what I've been through has helped me grow up and move past some things," she said. "I realize that people are important. People make the difference. I can look past material things and see the bigger picture and realize what kind of opportunity I have."
The 6-foot-3 Bunn, an ebullient, outgoing young woman who is quick with a smile, is making the most of her opportunity. After two years playing at the junior college level, including a sophomore season at Midland (Texas), when she earned NJCAA honorable mention All-America honors, she has started 10 of 11 games for the 9-2 Buffs. She is currently second on the team in rebounds (6.8 rpg), fourth in scoring (8.9 ppg) and leads the team in blocks, averaging two per game.
"I can do this basketball thing," she said with a grin. "No doubt, I've already noticed a difference in the level of competition (compared to junior college). The athleticism overall is a step up. But I can play basketball. I know what that's about when I get out on the court."
But there have been plenty of other adjustments that have taken her more time — not the least of which has been getting used to the size of a campus that is home to roughly 30,000 students.
"It was pretty rough in the beginning," she admitted. "I feel like I'm starting to be more comfortable, but it hasn't been easy. The school is so huge … I was worried I wouldn't remember how to get everywhere I was supposed to be. Coming from a small campus, it was a big adjustment."
There were other adjustments as well, beginning with learning to trust her new coaches, new teammates and new surroundings.
That word — "trust" — is a big part of Bunn's life.
"It's extremely important — more than the basketball itself," Bunn said. "I need the people connection. It's something I just really need. For me, trust is a big thing — and if I don't trust you, it's going to be almost impossible for me to produce for you on the floor. But if we have that trust and we have that connection, it makes me want to go that extra mile for you."
It is why, when Bunn first arrived, CU head coach JR Payne spent much of her time establishing a relationship with Bunn. Basketball, Payne believed, could come later.
"The entire summer was solely spent on just spending time together," Payne told the Daily Camera last fall. "We hardly did much basketball, to be honest with you. We did a little bit, just to ease into the transition. We spent tons of time together, just talking and hanging out and just trying to build trust."
When Bunn was being recruited out of Midland, it was Payne who ended up being the difference-maker. Bunn was confident she could go play — and play well — at any of the Division I programs that were recruiting her. That list included the likes of TCU, UMass ("They really wanted me to come back home," Bunn said), Hofstra, Arkansas and Fresno State.
But Bunn saw something special in Boulder — not just on the court, but in the atmosphere and environment that Payne and her staff were building.
"I felt like the people here were genuine — and then there's Coach J," Bunn said. "She's kind of like your mom or your grandma. You don't want to make your mom or your grandma sad. I just couldn't imagine telling Coach J I wasn't going to come here."
Now, Bunn is slowly but surely adapting to being part of the Buffs family — again, something that has been an adjustment.
"I don't have a lot of family and I didn't have a lot of support," she said. "I'm doing this whole thing on my own. Throughout my life, I've learned how to survive. I'm pretty good at reading people, good at telling if someone is good for me to be around or not good for me to be around. I can play basketball at this level. I'm not worried about that. I just have to be comfortable and I need people I can believe in and people I can trust. As comfortable as I can be … the people part, that's my challenge."
Another adjustment? The mere fact that there is help available in a variety of areas if needed. For someone who learned to become virtually self-sufficient at a young age, someone who seldom asked for help because help was seldom available, learning to depend upon and trust the resources available to her now has not been easy.
Again, a matter of trust.
"There's a lot of academic help, help for this, help for that — there's somebody for everything and I'm not used to having that," she said. "It was honestly a little overwhelming in the beginning … a lot of meetings, things like that."
Still, she is learning to take advantage of every opportunity possible. She is studying sociology with an eye on "helping people" when she graduates. That could involve teaching, coaching, social work — myriad possibilities.
"I'm not sure about exactly what I want to do, but I want to help people," she said. "I've thought about being a teacher or coach or someone working in the community. In some way, maybe reach into my community and let them know — I did it, you can do it, too. I want to be a positive voice for the community. To me, that would be a great way to help."
Bunn also wants to help her family, something that currently is not easy.
"Knowing they are back home struggling, it's difficult," she said. "I'm not worried about me — I'm worried about my family. I'm OK here, but I worry about them. I help them now as much as I possibly can, but I wish they had the opportunities I have. I wish they had the athletic abilities I have. I'm going to help them as much as I can, but I know the first thing is I have to help myself."
And that means making the most of her life as a student-athlete at a Division I university. Go to class, play basketball and make new friends — a routine she is still learning, but one she has already learned to value.
"I learned all the things as a kid that most people don't deal with until they get out of college," Bunn said. "I've learned not to take things for granted. Now that I have all these things right at my feet … now I get to be a college student and I'm so thankful for the opportunity. It's definitely the only way I could go to a school like this. I have to work my butt off in the classroom and work my butt off on the court … but it's all worth it, and I know that.
"That is a pretty good feeling."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
UP NEXT FOR CU
The Buffs open Pac-12 play this weekend with two home games. CU hosts Arizona State at 7 p.m. on Friday and Arizona at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Friday's game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
ASU enters Friday's game 9-3 this season, having won five of its past six games. The three teams the Sun Devils have lost to are all currently ranked in the AP top 25 (No. 5 Mississippi State, No. 19 Green Bay and No. 13 Florida State). Since a loss to FSU on Dec. 10, ASU has had a pair of blowout wins (77-30 over Idaho and 89-43 over Arkansas).
As is typically the case with ASU women's basketball, it all starts with defense for the Sun Devils as they allow just 52.9 points per game and have held six opponents under 50 points this season. They also outrebound their opponents by 7.6 boards per game and have a 6.3 turnover margin per game.
Kianna Ibis, a 6-1 junior, leads ASU at 12.1 points per game, followed by 6-1 sophomore Jamie Ruden (10.5) and junior guard Sabrina Haines (10.2). Sophomore Reili Richardson leads the team in assists at 5.3 per game, while 6-3 junior Charnea Johnson-Chapman averages a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game to go with an 8.7 scoring average. Courtney Ekmark (9.3) and Robbi Ryan (9.2) also have scored near double figures throughout non-conference play.
Arizona enters the weekend at just 4-7 overall this season, but enters Pac-12 play coming off a 76-74 double-overtime win over Southern Utah. Despite the record, Arizona has outscored its opponents this season and averages 68.4 points per night, while winning the turnover battle ( 1.9) and rebounding margin ( 0.7). Where the Wildcats have struggled this season is defensively, allowing opponents to shoot 42.3 percent from the floor and make 7.1 3-point field goals per game.
JaLea Bennett has been Arizona's leader throughout non-conference play, averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor. She had 20 points in the win over Southern Utah. Marlee Kyles is second in scoring at 10.6 points per game, coming off the bench in all 11 games. Sam Thomas is the team's leading rebounder (9.0) and also averages 9.6 points. Lucia Alonso averages 9.3 points and a team-best 3.9 assists. Destiny Graham (9.6) and Kat Wright (8.8) have also been consistent scorers this season.
U of A is a young squad this season as Bennett and Wright are the only two seniors on the roster.
PROMOTIONS
Friday's game against ASU is Family Fun night with activities planned for people of all ages. There will be a bounce house and games in Chip's Corral from 5:30 p.m. until tipoff. Popcorn will cost just $1 at the game. At halftime, CU's nationally-prominent cheer team will perform its nationals routine.
On Sunday against Arizona, CU's marketing staff will help celebrate the top moments of the 2017 calendar year. The first 500 fans will receive a poster of a great moment in 2017 CU athletics. CU's dance team will perform its nationals jazz routine at halftime.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballDesiree Wooten at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13
Erianna Gooden at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13
Jade Masogayo at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13
JoJo Nworie at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13