OKLAHOMA CITY — Calling this season the “most challenging” of her coaching career, Colorado’s Kathy McConnell-Miller said today during Big 12 basketball media day activities the Buffaloes will put players in unconventional spots on the floor.
“We’ve got some basketball players that can play pretty much any position on the court,” McConnell-Miller said. “They’re very talented players, but not in the typical, prototype positions.
“We’re so guard-oriented; they do things completely out of the box. They’re so unpredictable; even I can’t predict what they’ll do. We’re going to have combinations on the floor that you couldn’t possibly expect.”
Colorado, 19-15 last season and a semifinalist in the Women’s NIT, must replace departed post players Jackie McFarland and Aija Putnina, and starting point guard Whitney Houston, who was lost for the season when she tore an ACL this fall during individual workouts.
McConnell-Miller said her lineup could include as many as four guards along with 6-foot-4 senior center Kara Richards.
The Buffaloes were picked 11th in the preseason Big 12 coaches poll, but McConnell-Miller believes the Buffs can put five players on the court who can score. That includes two newcomers in the backcourt, freshman Alyssa Fressle, the 2007-2008 Colorado prep player of the year at Highlands Ranch High School, and Kelly Jo Mullaney, a transfer from Colorado State.
Fressle, Mullaney, junior Bianca Smith and sophomore Brittany Spears figure to be starters, along with Richards.
“We’re really trying to find the niche of these players, what their strengths are, what they do well,” McConnell-Miller said.
“They can shoot, but they have no idea what Big 12 basketball is all about.”
Asked about problematic matchups with teams that have forwards, McConnell-Miller said: “We’ll see. But our philosophy is teams will have to adjust to us.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
