This weekend couldn’t be much busier for the Colorado women’s basketball team. Family members are in town. Turkey leftovers must be eaten. Dividing one’s attention between the 20th Coors Classic and all that holiday spirit can be a challenge.
CU coach Kathy McConnell-Miller has a lot on her plate, with a husband and three children younger than 7 to keep happy. But she believes the two-day Coors Classic couldn’t come at a better time for her team. The Buffaloes (2-2) come off a 19-point loss at Wyoming. And the CU coaching staff still is evaluating player rotations and combinations – a task complicated by a youthful roster that includes five newcomers and four others with one season of experience.
The Coors Classic features two doubleheaders at the Coors Events Center in Boulder. Colorado plays in the two 7:30 p.m. games, today against Nevada (3-0) and Saturday against Charlotte (3-1). Wyoming (3-1) plays in both 5 p.m. openers: against Charlotte (today) and Nevada (Saturday).
“We have so many players who have played very little at this level,” McConnell-Miller said.
That inexperience has translated into inconsistent play, sloppy ballhandling and careless passes. The Buffs committed 24 turnovers against Wyoming and have 85 this season (21.3 average).
“It’s players not yet understanding that you need to value the ball,” said McConnell-Miller, a former point guard at Virginia. “The mentality of some of the younger players is they’ll take a chance here, but we’ll get it back. But you can’t.”
Nevada is short (with 6-foot-1 senior Jessica Preslar the only starter over 5-11) but quick. Charlotte has a big-time scorer in 5-9 forward Sabrina Gregory (17.5) and also 6-5 center Danielle Burgin.
“We’ll learn more about ourselves from these two games,” McConnell-Miller said.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
