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Where Are They Now: 1994-95 Buffs Have Carved Success In Life's Next Chapter
February 13, 2020 | Women's Basketball, Neill Woelk
The 1994-95 Colorado women's basketball team will be honored at a weekend reunion this week in Boulder as the Buffs host a pair of games at the CU Events Center: Friday vs. Cal (7 p.m.) and Sunday vs. Stanford (noon). The reunion weekend will include the presentation of the Jane Wahl Legacy Award to Erin Carson at the Cal game; a Saturday tour of the Events Center and a CU practice and an evening reception with the current coaching staff; and a pregame brunch Sunday before the Stanford game. Fans may purchase a special reunion game deal for Sunday's game that includes two reserve tickets for $19.95. Visit CUBuffs.com/promo and use code 1995.
BOULDER — Twenty-five years later, the bond is still strong, the memories still vivid.
Of course the members of the 1994-95 Colorado women's basketball team have moved on. They are spread out literally around the world. They have family, careers, occupations and passions as varied as their backgrounds. They have taken the lessons and education they earned at CU and applied them to the ensuing chapters of their lives.
But the memories are still there. The long hours in the gym, the hard work, the dedication and discipline — and the success. The success of a very special season that to this day still fills the Colorado women's basketball record book, a season whose memory bank still overflows with deposits from a quarter century ago.
— 30-3.Â
— No. 2 in the nation.
— A Big Eight regular season title.
— A Big Eight tournament title.
— A 25-game win streak.
— A berth in the NCAA Elite Eight.
Those are memories of a lifetime, successes that put down the foundation for the next chapters of their lives. Here, in their words, is a glimpse of those memories that still burn brightly:
G La Shena Graham
Current Position: Senior analyst for City of Kansas City Live in Kansas City, Mo.
Family: Shaun Hayes is my husband. I have one son, a daughter, and two stepsons
Favorite CU memories: Meeting the U.S. Women 1996 Olympic team and traveling to Hawaii with the team. Participating in the NCAA tournament and reaching the Elite Eight.
How CU influenced your life: The accounting knowledge I gained at CU has allowed me to pursue a career in the public and governmental accounting sectors. I learned valuable skills while playing basketball that I can use throughout life, such as teamwork and the value of hard work.Â
F Erin Scholz
Current position: I live in Fresno, Calif. I coached collegiate basketball for nine years before entering into full-time ministry. For the last five years, I've been coaching people in their relationship with God and loving it!
Family: Currently, the family I have under my roof includes my awesome mom, Jill;, my three dogs, Macie, Porter and Lily; and my cat, Zeebs.
Favorite CU memories: My favorite memory from my time at CU is all the people I got to experience on a daily basis as teammates, coaches and athletic administration. If you're going to work your tail off and be exhausted much of the time, might as well be around great people while you're doing it!
How CU influenced your life: The athletic opportunity I had at CU instilled discipline and perseverance, which are essential to anyone's life beyond graduating from college. There were several years that these qualities seemed to wane; however, when I got my mind right, discipline and perseverance were there waiting to be called upon within the muscle memory of my basketball training at CU. My athletic career has also opened doors and afforded me influence in speaking into the lives of people in general. Right or wrong, there is often an automatic intrigue and respect that comes with competing at a high-level institution; I appreciate it and use it for the benefit of others anytime I can.
Life is full and demanding, but I keep distant tabs on CU football wins and losses, as well as women's basketball.
G Decelle Thomas
Current position: Merchandise Planning Manager at Neiman Marcus at Neiman's in Frisco, Texas.
Family: Life partner Fred Smith and a host of friends and family!
Favorite CU memories: One of my favorite memories of the 1994-95 season was our attempt to teach Isabelle Fijalowski English slang! It was hilarious and I loved every minute of it.
How CU influenced your life: My educational and athletic opportunities at CU have made a huge impact on my life in general. I've met and maintained long-lasting friendships that have been very beneficial in my life. I've made and fostered connections that have allowed me to grow and live life to the fullest.Â
F Alexandra (Slokar) Darrah
Current position: I am a sales professional with over 20 years of experience in distribution/partner channel, sales, marketing, business development and customer relationship management. My current assignment is one of a Client Executive for one of the largest technology distributors, Tech Data. I have held this position for the last six years out of 18 spent with the company.
 Family: I met my wonderful husband Andrew at work and have been happily married for the last 10.5 years. We have two tall and kind children, Nikola (9) and Ana (7). They both ski, play basketball and are great fun to be around.
 Favorite CU memories: My entire career as a member of the CU Women's Basketball team has created so many wonderful memories that could be put in a book. The sweat, the laughter, camaraderie and growth we all experienced together is something very unique. Being a part of the team and having lived through the experience is altogether one unbelievably powerful memory and a part of who I am today.  Â
 How CU influenced your life: After graduating with my two undergraduate degrees, I continued on to complete the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at our Denver campus. Attending classes downtown made me fall in love with the city; thus I have since moved and enjoy Denver as my home base. The mindset and making of a student athlete has had nothing but the most positive impact on my life after graduation. The persistence and work ethic are always appreciated by others, and knowing how to be a team player impacts every aspect of my life. I remain in leadership roles professionally and truly believe that being a student athlete has played a major role in my life's success.
 Current interaction with CU: I am very excited to have become a member of the Alumni C Club Board this year. My goal is to create a positive impact and contribute to the success of the C Club.Â
G Alexis (Felts) Snyder
Current position: Operations Analyst at USC Keck Medical Center for the last seven years.
Family: Married to husband, Dustin, with sons Langston (3 years) and Darby (9 months); and stepdaughter Clara (18).
Favorite CU memories: One of my favorite memories actually came on one of my first days at CU. The team got together to play pick up before the season. I was a confident (to say the least), eager freshman. I got the ball and drove as hard as I could to the hoop. Next thing I know my ball is swatted to the other end of the court and I am flat on my back with 6-foot-4 Isabella Fijakowski standing over me, pointing at me and saying, "Little girls stay out of the key!" I also remember WINNING a lot that season and that was really fun!!
How CU influenced your life: Playing basketball and going to school at Colorado has had a lasting, positive impact on my life. I learned teamwork, discipline, structure, commitment, follow-through, how to get along well with others, work ethic, and to never give up. I look back and am so grateful for the early morning workouts, the running at 6 a.m. in the rain, the tough love, the fierce competition day in and day out. These things taught me how to be tough. I went through a very dark time in my life and these are the things that I leaned on to get me through. The education I received at CU has served me well and I am proud to put my degree in Communications on my resume and even prouder to write that I received a basketball scholarship.
Do you still keep up with the fortunes of CU Athletics? YES! We are all connected on social media and I keep tabs on everyone. We are sisters forever and I love every one of them very much.
G Shelley Sheetz
Current position: I am currently an assistant women's basketball coach at Loyola University-Maryland. I have been in this position for three years, and I am in my 18th year overall coaching Division I women's basketball.Â
Favorite CU memories: Thinking about 1994-95 brings a huge smile. I am not sure I can pick one favorite memory as there were so many. Everyone sees the 30-3 record and all that we accomplished, our ranking, team and individual awards, but what most people didn't see or know was how hard we worked. Our practices were harder than the games — in fact we had a countdown to game day because we knew we were very talented at all positions and we were deep. We were the most prepared, played harder, were the more disciplined team and it didn't matter who we were playing or where the game was being played. We were all, "Thank God it's game day!"
There are so many countless memories during my time at CU that I cannot just pick one or even a few.  I took my time during my recruitment process and I knew the first time I saw campus and met everyone that this just wasn't going to be a four-year commitment but a 40-plus-year commitment. I truly bleed black and gold and loved my time at a Buff! From all our coaches and teammates, it was truly a special four years. I know when we all get together this weekend there will be a ton of laughs and stories and that's what I am really looking forward to, along with seeing all the fans that supported us during our run. Good times for sure!
How CU influenced your life: My goal upon graduating from CU was always to play professional basketball and then get into coaching at the Division I level. I was able to see how it was done at the highest level each and every day of my four years at CU. Playing professional basketball, during my career in the off season/summer training, I saw all the pro football guys come back and train. I was able to pick their brains, train with them and see first-hand what it takes to be a pro. As for coaching and seeing how it was done, I didn't need to look very far, as I saw it every day of my four years at CU in Coach Barry and the staff. The professionalism and how they all carried themselves on and off the court, how Coach Barry ran her program with integrity and sticking to her morals and values of how it should be done and done the right way, how the staff recruited, how each assistant coach had their responsibilities and the overall attention to details. I was also blessed to have other mentors within the athletic department. I can't say enough about SID Dave Plati and football coach Brian Cabral. Coach Cabral's support and mentorship during my playing days continues to today. Â
Do you still keep up with the fortunes of CU Athletics? I absolutely love following all the Buff teams. I bleed Black & Gold and wish all the teams well. I haven't been able to get back as much as I would like to, however I do get back to Colorado twice a year as my siblings still live in Longmont, Thornton and Cherry Creek areas.  Â
 C Isabelle Fijalkowski
Current position: I'm the manager of a training center in the region of Auvergne Rhone Alpes. The sports center is in Vichy, in central France, about 400 km from Paris. With my coaching staff we support young basketball players from 13 to 15 years old. This organization is part of the BB French Fédération Performance project. I worked for the French Fédération for 17 years. I am also in charge of a development program for basketball players of large size. I was the assistant coach of young national teams U18 U20 and U25 for four years, competing for European Championships and international games.
Family: I have two children: Vincent, age 15; and Alicia, age 13. They both play basketball. I coach my daughter's team (JA Vichy) and it's a lot of fun to share these special moments!
Favorite CU memories: Playing for an American university was a dream come true. It was tough but I loved it. My season at CU helped me to become mentally tough and achieve my goals with club teams in France, in the WNBA, in Italy and with the French national team (European champion, Olympian in Sydney 2000). Winning and sweeping the conference was the best basketball memory — and the worst was being eliminated one step away from the Final Four
How CU influenced your life: It showed me also that you can be a woman and a great inspiring coach like Ceal Barry and coach (Karen) Morrison. All the staff were women — the exact opposite in France, even today. They shared their passion, their competitiveness, their confidence and the right attitude to become a champion. I still follow CU basketball through Facebook and my former CU teammates too!
F Val (Johnson) Wetta
Current position: Three years ago my family moved from Colorado Springs to Castle Rock so that our daughters could attend Valor Christian High School. Over the past 20 years I have spent most of my time in education. I have taught physical education, computers and currently I am an Educational Assistant in an Affective Needs program at a middle school in Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Family:Â I have been married to Robb Wetta for almost 23 years. We are blessed with two amazing daughters: Kindyll (16 and a junior in high school) and Ali (15 and a freshman in high school).
Favorite CU memories: My memories are of the hours sitting in the training room with the ultrasound machine and ice cups and hanging out with Jen Terry, Michelle Hasheider, Kelly Lotito and Holly and Mary (student trainers).Â
How CU influenced your life: Unfortunately, my basketball career at CU was very short and it was simply not meant to be. I am thankful for the two years that I was at CU and for the great coaches and players that I was surrounded with. My experience at CU was my first lesson in life that things don't always work out the way we want them to and that God sometimes has other plans.
Staying connected:Â We have been keeping up with CU women's basketball and are very excited as our daughter Kindyll is verbally committed to play for CU. Coach Payne, Coach Towns, Coach Shan and Coach Alex are some of the most genuine people we have met and we couldn't ask for a better program for Kindyll to be a part of.
C Jen (Terry) Powers
Current position: I am a science writer and author, and live in Lakewood, Colo.
Family: I'm married to Rich Powers and I have two kids: Marley (9) and Sam (7).
Favorite CU memories: I have a very distinct memory of singing "Land of Canaan" by the Indigo Girls in Raegan Scott's car as my classmates and I rode back to Kittredge from the training table. At the top of our lungs!Â
How CU influenced your life: Both the education I received and the honor of being on the CU Women's team helped me get every job I've ever had.
CU connection: I try to bring my family to one or two WBB games a year, and my husband has season tickets to football games.
G Amy Palmer
Current position: I have been an assistant principal at Barbe High School in Lake Charles, La., for the past three years. I have been in education for the past 20 years as a high school science teacher and I reside in Lake Charles.Â
Favorite CU memories: My favorite memory of a game during the 1994-95 season was playing at Kansas. We were down by three points with seconds left to play. I got fouled and I looked straight at Coach Barry and we knew, "Make the first - miss the second" regarding free throws. So I made the first free throw and deliberately missed the second free throw in hopes a teammate could get the rebound and score. That is exactly what happened DC and Isabelle got the rebound and scored, which tied the game. The tie sent the game to overtime, which we won! It was a great victory and one I'll never forget!
As far as team memory, there were so many with Freddie's Gates, "Touch the Wall," "Widths-16 in 1 minute," situps and pushups at the end of practice for mental toughness and running suicides for turnovers. Had we not endured all of that together, we would have never had the strong bonds of teammates and family we still share today. I know I can always turn to my teammates and yell "WHAT TIME IS IT?" - and each of them would yell back "GAME TIME!"
How CU influenced your life: The impact of attending CU and playing basketball was immeasurable. Coach Barry taught each of us connection, commitment, caring and being competitors on the court and in life. Learning to stand on your own, but having a support system behind you, such as your teammates, proved to be a true lesson for all of us. The hard work, discipline and pursuit of excellence is still noted in my working environment today in managing people. As an administrator I want to be caring and supportive, and the high school students know I am "relentless" when it comes to holding them accountable. I often walk among the students at work and inside my head I am thinking of my time at CU and Coach Barry — and saying "relentless" as a motivator for myself to not ease up and to continue to be firm, fair and loving to our students. My time at CU amongst my teammates and coaches has molded me into teaching others how to become successful. Paying it forward.
Current CU connection: I still keep up with CU WBB via ESPN sports app, Facebook and the CU Alumni emails.Â
F Tinker (Jacobs) Duclo
Current position: Vice President and Campus Dean, Colorado Mountain College. I have been with CMC, in varying capacities, for 11 years and in my current position for one year. We live in New Castle, Colo.Â
Family: Husband, Jay; daughters Summer, Sage and Tatum; and four chickens.
Favorite CU memories: Motown Thursday. Potters, Häagen-Dazs, Big W's, San Francisco, spontaneous snowball fights on Folsom Field, the countless songs that create the soundtrack of the time, midnight screams, poker games in Williams Village, Profs. Chiszar and King. Â
Watching the sunrise from the weight room — tired, sore and sweaty, but together — Buffs Are One. And then, hot breakfast.
How CU influenced your life: To this day, if any of my teammates called me in the dead of the night, I'd pick up the phone — and they would be there for me, too,
F Raegan (Scott) Pebley
Current position: Sixth season as head coach of the TCU women's program. Prior to TCU, head coach at Fresno State and Utah State.
Family: Husband Keith, son Joseph and daughter Harper.
G Lauri Weathers
Current position: Staff sergeant in U.S. Army, active duty, stationed in Fort Campbell, Ky. Two deployments (Kuwait, 2014-15) and Ukraine (2019). Also, a Buff for Life!
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The Game: The Buffs look to snap a four-game losing streak in their return home against California on Friday. The Buffs won the first matchup against the Golden Bears, 62-50, Berkeley. A win against Cal on Friday would mark CU's first sweep of California in the series history.
Rematch: Sophomore Emma Clarke scored 14 points and helped fuel a strong third quarter in Colorado's 62-50 come from behind win over California in the team's first meeting. The win snapped a three-game skid.Â
Colorado trailed by four after the first quarter and worked its way back to a tie at halftime. The Buffs scored 32 points in the second half on the way to the 12-point win.Â
Clarke led all scorers on the day and added five rebounds. Freshman Jaylyn Sherrod posted nine points to go with her seven rebounds and five assists. CU's bench put up 25 points, getting nine apiece from Aubrey Knight and Charlotte Whittaker. Â
Last Time Out: CU fell down by 15 points at Washington and fought back to a two-point deficit, but could not complete the comeback. Mya Hollingshed led CU with 13 points and seven rebounds.Â
