Confirming what had been rumored for weeks, Colorado made it official Monday by announcing former Colorado State guard Kelly Jo Mullaney has transferred to the CU women’s basketball team.
The 5-foot-8 Mullaney, a native of Eden Prairie, Minn, led CSU in scoring through 13 games last season as a freshman with 14.5 points per game before she was suspended with three other players following a January prank that involved setting off an explosive chemical devise outside the apartment of teammate Kelly Rae Finley.
Nobody was injured and property was not damaged.
The players were charged with a misdemeanor and had to go through a month-long university judicial process before being reinstated to the team. All four players were invited back, but only Emily Neal and Brittney Stirling returned to the squad.
Mullaney and Raysha Ritter of Grand Junction announced in February that they would leave the program.
Under transfer rules, Mullaney must sit out the 2007-08 season and then will have three years of eligibility at CU. She is the daughter of former CSU and Minnesota Vikings lineman Mark Mullaney.
Fred Paoli, a teammate of Mark Mullaney at CSU, is a Montana-based attorney who serves as spokesman for the Mullaney family.
“Kelly Jo is really happy to have gotten the opportunity from an outstanding school like Colorado,” Paoli said Monday. “She and her family have put (the incident and suspension) behind them.”
“Coach (Kathy) McConnell-Miller and (Mullaney’s) father had an opportunity to talk about it and (Mullaney’s) resolution of it and her desire to be at Colorado. Our admission staff and other departments on campus had to make sure she met certain criteria,” said Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn.
Mullaney scored a team-best 17 points for CSU on Nov. 29 in a 56-51 loss to Colorado in Boulder. She started 12 of 13 games and averaged 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 82.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Mullaney earned all-Minnesota honors at The Breck School and picked CSU over Minnesota. She was regarded as the top recruit among CSU’s newcomers last season.
“She has a Big 12 Conference mentality,” CU coach McConnell-Miller said in the news release announcing Mullaney’s transfer. “And with a year to practice and learn our system, she will undoubtedly make an impact on our team.”
Staff Writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
