Sitting at the podium at Vanderbilt University on the night of March 21, moments after the season came to a close, Zyanna Walker was emotional as she talked about her first year at Colorado.
“This is my favorite team I’ve played for by far,” Walker said that night.
It didn’t take Walker long to decide she wanted to run it back and play another season with the CU women’s basketball team.
A significant contributor to CU’s return to the NCAA Tournament this past season, Walker is eager to help the Buffs be even better next season.
“I just thought it was a great year,” the 5-foot-11 senior guard said. “Our goal was to go to the NCAA Tournament. I mean, we sat down in the summer (and talked about it) and we did that. And, just amazing coaches. I wouldn’t want to play for any other staff.”
Walker, who is from Wichita, Kansas, began her collegiate career at Louisville in 2022-23, followed by two seasons at Kansas State. Her role increased each season and she was a full-time starter for K-State’s Sweet 16 team in 2025.
Playing at CU this past season, however, Walker felt free. She averaged career highs for minutes (29.2 per game), points (11.3), rebounds (4.2) and steals (2.1).
“This year I felt like I could play without having, like, a leash on my neck, in a sense,” she said. “Our coaches build confidence and instill confidence into you, let you play your game. They don’t try to force you into a certain box or a certain way they want you to play. … I could just play free here.”
With Anaelle Dutat and Jade Masogayo graduating and Desiree Wooten transferring, Walker will be CU’s most productive returner next season. And, as a fifth-year senior, she gives the Buffs an experienced veteran presence.
“It was a really big deal for lots of reasons,” CU head coach JR Payne said of Walker’s decision to remain in Boulder. “Zy’s a really good basketball player, but she’s also a really good teammate and she’s fiercely competitive.
“I think she’s really ready to take the next step in her basketball development as a player, as a leader, as a sort of mentor to younger kids. She’s just a really great person to have on the team, beyond how good she is basketball-wise.”
As a player, Walker had her best season, but believes there is another level she can reach.
“I’ve got goals of playing pro, so I want to be more consistent from (3-point range), I want to be able to finish around the basket better, finish in different ways,” she said. “And I want to make sure I’m in the best shape of my life just so I can play as many minutes as I can, pick up full court and still have energy to score the basket on the other end and still be able to play super hard. I definitely want to up my conditioning for sure.”
Following CU’s loss to Illinois in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 21, Walker said she took about a week off to rest, but she’s been back in the lab since.
“Working on some things I want to tune up for next year,” said Walker, who officially announced her decision to return on April 2.
It won’t be the same team dynamic, as seven of the 14 players from this past season are moving on. But seven are back, and Walker’s been excited about the new additions. In particular, she grew up in Wichita with Utah transfer Brooke Walker and hosted Kansas State transfer Aniya’ Foy on Foy’s visit to the KSU campus a couple years ago.
Zyanna Walker is confident the Buffs will still be a tight group, even with changes.
“We not only recruit talent, but we make sure we try to recruit good people, good human beings,” she said. “So I feel like the people we got coming in are very gritty but also are just good people.”
One of the leaders will be Zyanna Walker, who expects to be more comfortable in Boulder and within the Buffs’ system. And, she’s comfortable with where she’s decided to wrap up her college career.
“I’m super excited (for next year),” she said. “Itap been a long college journey but I’m happy where I ended up at.”
