BOULDER — In retrospect, it hasn’t been that long since Colorado women’s basketball registered mention on a national scale. It only seems like it’s been forever.
USA Today had the 2003-04 Buffs ranked No. 19 in its final poll. But three seasons of lows can feel like an eternity, and few know this perception vs. reality struggle as intimately as CU senior forward Jackie McFarland. She is a Ceal Barry recruit, the last link to a coach and a time when Colorado women’s basketball was a force. But McFarland has never had a chance to live it up on the court.
That, however, is changing.
The Buffaloes (7-2) have won six consecutive games going into tonight’s game against visiting Dartmouth and are on the verge of breaking into the top 25. Two wins came over ranked opponents, including then-No. 20 Vanderbilt in Nashville.
“After that Vanderbilt game, it almost brings tears to my eyes just knowing the past three years, the struggles; low point after low point after low point, waiting to get here and get back to that Colorado tradition of winning,” McFarland said. “Now it’s finally here. To see that team chemistry going, it’s like everyone is excited and wanting to be here and wanting to play basketball. It’s awesome. It’s what I came here for.”
Kathy McConnell-Miller, hired before the 2005-06 season, has slowly breathed life back into a program that, under Barry, won four conference titles and went to 12 NCAA Tournaments, including six Sweet Sixteens and three Elite Eights.
“I’ve always said that it’s a process,” McConnell-Miller said. “I didn’t expect it to happen overnight, and I don’t think anyone, at least in our basketball circle here, expected it to happen overnight. It’s an ongoing process. We’re happy right now, excited about the progress that’s been made.”
Until now in McFarland’s career at CU, wins have been scarce. There were nine, nine and 13 before this season.
It led to a sitdown between McFarland and McConnell-Miller late last season. McFarland’s name is peppered throughout the CU record book. When she leaves, she’ll own marks that will show her to be one of the best players the Buffs have ever had. But when she approached the coach, only wins were on her mind.
“More than anything, you’re not going to remember those games where you had 27 points,” McFarland said. “The games you remember are like the Vanderbilt game, when you beat a top-25 team on their floor. I haven’t been to the postseason, not even the WNIT, and that’s something that I really, really want to do.
“Not being able to do that has been really frustrating for me, and I’ve been telling (Coach) this whole year, I don’t care what my numbers are as long as we get to the postseason.”
The coach has no problem with that.
“She wants to see the wins and losses improvement,” McConnell-Miller said. “In a very respectful way, that was communicated with both of us. I told her that by addition through the recruiting process that was going to happen, but it also needed to happen through her leadership.”
No one is getting overexcited within the program knowing the majority of the season remains, including a rugged Big 12 conference schedule. Ten teams have 7-2 or better records, five are ranked in both polls, and four others, including CU, are receiving votes.
“That’s no joke,” McConnell-Miller said. “It’s RPI strong, it’s frontline strong, it’s depth strong, it’s quickness strong. It’s, in my opinion, the strongest conference in the country top to bottom.”
An infusion of young talent and a switch from a plodding high-low offense to more free-flowing sets have been a plus for the Buffs. Freshman forward Brittany Spears is one of three young players who rank among the top four on the team in scoring and rebounding.
“Everybody’s feeling pretty good, but they know we have to work harder, don’t be happy with the wins,” Spears said. “Don’t act like you can’t lose. Just work hard everyday in practice.”
The team is aware of the history it seeks to relive, McConnell-Miller said.
“It’s all over the media guide, it’s in the locker room,” she said. “They know the program that they’ve come to. They know the rich tradition, the championships, the NCAA Tournaments, and it’s not talked about a whole lot, but there’s the underlying message that the potential for this program to year in and year out be ranked is there. And it’s up to them to continue that. They know it.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
