Colorado University Athletics
Kennedy Sanders Coming Back to Colorado for 2026-27 Season
April 04, 2026 | Women's Basketball
Redshirt Sophomore Guard Returns After Recovering from Hip Surgery
BOULDER, Colo – The Colorado women's basketball team continues to bolster its backcourt with the return of redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Sanders (Chaska, Minn./Chaska, H.S.) who is poised to be another key component of the 2026-27 squad, head coach JR Payne announced today.
Sanders started 10 of the first 11 games of the season before being sidelined by a hip injury that necessitated season-ending surgery. In the 10 games she played, Sanders was a key contributor despite playing in near constant pain, averaging 9.3 points a game while adding 22 assists and 19 steals. She shot 43.1% from the floor and 32.1% from behind the arc.
"We're thrilled to have Kennedy returning for next season," said Payne. "Kennedy was poised for a breakout year before her injury and was playing great basketball before she was sidelined in December. It was incredible to see how she continued to be a strong leader for her teammates both on and off the court."
"Returning to Colorado means a lot to me, with the culture we are cultivating, returning players and newcomers," said Sanders. "I'm excited to see what we accomplish during this next year and I can't wait to be back playing in Boulder next season!"
In her redshirt freshman season, Sanders was an important sparkplug coming off the bench, playing in 29 games and starting one, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 assists a game. She steadily improved as the season progressed, culminating in an excellent performance in the 2025 Big 12 Tournament when she averaged 9.7 points and 3.0 assists a game to help the Buffs win two games and advance to the quarterfinals where they eventually fell to top seed TCU by seven points. After the season, Sanders was named to the 2025 Big 12 All-Academic Team.
In the past three days, guard Zyanna Walker and center Jade Crook have also announced they are returning to Colorado.
Colorado women's basketball wrapped up the 2025-26 season with its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance all-time, falling 66-57 in the First Round to seven-seed Illinois (Mar. 21). CU finished sixth in the Big 12 conference with an 11-7 record, going 22-12 overall and 14-3 at home. The Buffs have won over 20 games in each of the last five seasons and have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five years.
For more information on the Colorado women's basketball team, please visit cubuffs.com/wbb. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffswbb on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
