Guard rotation key to success for No. 4 Buffs
On any given night, there are a number of players who could step into a starring role for the Colorado women’s basketball team.
While the star might change from game to game, CU head coach JR Payne is confident in what she’s going to get each time out from a veteran rotation of guards that is finding its groove as a group.
“We have said forever the main thing a coach wants is just to know what to expect,” Payne said. “I think those guys are playing really well and feeling like really understanding what they need to do to help us be successful.”
CU (19-3, 9-2 Pac-12) is ranked No. 4 in the country because it has great balance among its perimeter and post players. The Buffs can and have defeated a lot of teams in different ways and they’ll need that balance again when Oregon (1112, 2-8) visits the CU Events Center on Friday (7 p.m., Pac12 Network).
Much of their success, however, has been because of a quintet of guards in the regular rotation. It’s led by starters Jaylyn Sherrod, Frida Formann and Maddie Nolan, but sparked by super subs Kindyll Wetta and Tameiya Sadler.
“I think we work really well together and I think it’s really cool that you can have so many different rotations together — different people playing together and it gives the team so many different looks depending on who’s on the floor,” Nolan said. “I think it’s really hard to guard. It’s fun and it gives everyone a different look.
“Everyone has their own strengths and is finding where they can help the team. I think it’s huge.”
Sherrod is the Buffs’ engine and the face of the program, as she’s currently on late-season watch lists for player of the year awards. She has electric speed, along with the ability to score and distribute the ball and be a menace on defense.
Formann is known for being a 3-point specialist, but she’s much more than that. She has the ability to score from anywhere on the court, has improved her defense and showed off her passing with nine assists in Sunday’s 80-57 win at Washington.
Nolan is also a stellar 3-point shooter who also contributes as a rebounder and defender.
Off the bench, Wetta is known for her pesky defense and quickness, but she’s also one of the team leaders in shooting percentage (.485), proving he can score when needed, and she’s one of the best passers in the Pac-12.
Then there’s Sadler, a quick guard off the bench who can be an offensive sparkplug while doing a little bit of everything else.
“Our guards, we all do different things great,” Sadler said. “I think once we get into our bench and go different guard rotations, it’s just giving us different looks, and it’s always good.”
Payne may not know which guards will be on their game on a given night, but having so many options is a luxury and it’s a good bet there will be several of them playing well together.
As a group, they average 42.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 14.0 assists and 7.3 steals, while shooting a collective 44.2% from the floor. Each of the five has had multiple double-digit scoring games and they’ve each had games where the assist, rebound or steal numbers are high.
“There’s different skill sets, but everyone is capable of showing up on any night, which is really fun, too,” Nolan said.
The roles for Sherrod, Formann and Wetta have been pretty well defined for a couple of seasons. For Sadler and Nolan, it’s been a bit of an adjustment. Sadler began the season as a starter for 10 games, but Nolan moved into that role 12 games ago. Both are settling in and Payne said, “I love how both of them are playing.”
In reality, she loves how the whole group is playing and it’s been a key to CU’S success.
“Sometimes it’s hard because you need certain types of players in certain spots to open things up, but I think their confidence kind of trumps all of it,” Payne said. “There’s no real egos. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.
“That’s awesome to be able to know that you can plug and play people in different ways and everyone’s just going to try to keep winning, whatever that looks like.”