Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Excited to Start of the Season
September 26, 2023 | Women's Basketball
CU opened official practice on Tuesday
BOULDER – The Colorado women's basketball team got the gears rolling toward the start of the 2023-24 season on Tuesday. Head coach JR Payne and Co., hit the floor in the Upper Gym at the CU Events Center, marking the team's first official practice.
Colorado is coming off a banner season in 2022-23, which saw the team record its best Pac-12 finish in program history and a return to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002-03.
"This group has a great shot of going further than we did last year," Payne expressed at the start of the practice. "I say that because not only are we talented and have lots of veterans, but we have a total mindset of just attacking every single day."
CU returns four of its five starters from last year's roster and added two grad transfers and four incoming freshmen. Headlining the returns are graduate students Jaylyn Sherrod andQuay Miller, both returning to the squad for their final year of eligibility.
"I think I was always going to come back," Miller noted. "To know that I had another leader [Sherrod] coming back with me felt like we have each other's back."
The Buffs' 25 wins last season marked the most since the 1995-96 season (26) and the team was positioned in a battle for the top spot in the Pac-12.
"I think that vibe is different [this year] in the sense that we know what we're capable of," Miller continued. "I think that's the only thing that's different. Knowing that we can build off of where we went last season."
Colorado closed last season with a marquee match-up against Iowa and will open the season with the tall task of playing the defending national champions in LSU.
"It makes sure you know that our focus is where it needs to be daily," Payne explained. "There is no time to ease into anything. When you're going to play the national champion on opening night, who returns everyone and added arguably the best transfers in the country to its roster – you don't have any time. You have to be relentless every single day in how you train and how you focus."
Colorado also has Power 5 opponents in Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Kentucky and NC State on its slate before getting into the thick of the Pac-12 Conference.
"This is the hardest preseason schedule we've ever played," Payne stated. "Starting with LSU is a huge challenge right out of the gate. We're excited for that but we have a bunch of Power 5 teams, a couple of Big 12 teams that we'll start playing more often. We like a neutral site. It's great to be able to take your team somewhere like the Paradise Jam. That's going to be a beautiful environment. But to be able to play three great teams in the Paradise Jam is going to be even better. I wish we had more home games, but we're setting ourselves up for a challenging schedule."
Colorado will have an exhibition at home against Adams State on Oct. 28, before returning home for the regular season home opener against Le Moyne on Nov. 8
