Colorado University Athletics
Dunn, Spears Sign With Buffaloes
BOULDER ? Courtney Dunn and Brittany Spears have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball and continue their education at the University of Colorado in 2006-07, CU head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller announced Wednesday, the final day of the NCAA early signing period.
Dunn, a 6-foot-4 center from Berkeley, Calif., led St. Mary’s High School to a 19-11 record as a junior, a second place finish in the Bay Shore League at 10-2 and a spot in the semifinals of the North Coast Section Division IV Tournament. Dunn earned a spot on the CalHiSports.com Division IV All-State team as a junior and was a 2004 Sophomore All-State First Team pick. A member of the East Bay Xplosion AAU program, Dunn is the 21st ranked center in the country by All-Star Girls Report, and the 94th ranked player overall.
“Courtney Dunn has the rare combination of size and athleticism,” McConnell-Miller said. “She uses that to create tremendous match-up problems with her ability to score from beyond the arc as well as with her back to the basket. Standing 6-4, she can drill the three in transition or take it the length of the floor. Courtney has tremendous hands and sees the floor like a guard. She has all the tools you look for in a post player during the evaluation process. Courtney has a high basketball IQ from playing on one of the most well traveled AAU programs on the West Coast (East Bay Xplosion).
Spears, a 6-1 forward from Pasadena, Calif., averaged 24.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game for Pasadena High School as a junior. She led the Pacific League in scoring and blocked shots and ranked third scoring and fifth in blocks in the CIF Southern Section. Spears helped the Bulldogs to an overall record of 22-9 and a second place showing in the Pacific League at 8-2. Pasadena advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division IIAA Tournament. Spears is the 32nd ranked power forward in the country according to All-Star Girls Report.
“Brittany Spears will step onto campus and from day one will be ready to compete athletically against any team in the Big 12,” McConnell-Miller said. “She will challenge every current and future Buff in our speed, strength and conditioning program. This summer competing with OGDL, she has taken her game to another level and as result became highly regarded as one of the most versatile guards on the west coast. The best years of her basketball career are still ahead of her. She is the sleeper in our class of 2006.”
McConnell-Miller’s signing of Dunn and Spears increases Colorado’s class of 2006 to five. Whitney Houston and Candace Rucker, both of Memphis, Tenn., and Aija Putnina, a Regis (Colo.) High School exchange student from Riga, Latvia, signed last week.
“I am so proud of our staff for attracting the quality of student-athletes in this class,” McConnell-Miller said. “We are pleased to announce an incredible group of young women that will make an immediate impact on our program. These five young women with the combination of returning players have the potential to make the jump into the upper echelon of the Big 12. We are aspiring to achieve the level of success that this program is accustomed to. Aija, Courtney, Candace, Whitney and Brittany are all capable of getting us there.”
Colorado will officially open regular season action on Friday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m., against Cal State-Fullerton in the Coors Events Conference Center.