CU freshmen forge impressive debuts
Johnson, Atchinson ready to contribute now and in future
There’s no question the Colorado women’s basketball team will lean on its veterans this season.
The 20th-ranked Buffaloes are loaded with experienced players as they aim to repeat — or exceed — last year’s run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Wednesday night provided a small glimpse into the future, however, as a pair of freshmen had impressive debuts in the Buffs’ 97-38 rout of Le Moyne.
Mikayla Johnson, a 6-foot-1 guard from Anchorage, Alaska, got to Boulder in January but redshirted during the second semester last year. She came off the bench Wednesday to play 13 minutes, scoring six points on 3-of-5 shooting, while picking up three rebounds and two steals.
Jadyn Atchison, a 6-1 guard from Cedar Hill, Texas, played 12 minutes, scoring eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, grabbing five rebounds and getting a steal.
“I thought they both did really, really well,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “Their first real, live minutes, outside of the exhibition game. I thought they showed composure, which sometimes in your first collegiate game is difficult to do.
“They both scored the ball, defended, rebounded. I think they both really contributed.”
How much either of them plays against tougher competition remains to be seen. Neither got off the bench during the Buffs’ opening night upset of No. 1 LSU on Monday. But, the athletic duo looked comfortable among their veteran teammates against Le Moyne.
“For us, it’s just do your job,” Payne said. “We don’t need anybody to be heroic or do anything outside of themselves. We have so many pieces that if everyone just does their job really well, collectively we’re a great team. I appreciated that they came in and just kept it simple and did what they were supposed to do. That’s huge for freshmen.”
CU has three other freshmen who did not play against Le Moyne in guards Kennedy Sanders and Lele Tanuvasa and forward Ruthie Loomis-goltl. It’s unclear if that trio will play this year or if they will redshirt because of CU’S tremendous depth.
This is the first time in several years that CU has used all 15 scholarship spots. The Buffs also have two walk-ons, making this the biggest roster they’ve had in a while.
Another young player who made her presence known Wednesday was sophomore Brianna Mcleod. A solid role player off the bench last year, Mcleod had six points and three rebounds in eight minutes against Le Moyne.
While veterans lead the way, Mcleod, Johnson and Atchison give the Buffs some excitement about the future. Getting a chance to see that young group perform well Wednesday reinforces the belief in CU’S depth for this year, too.
“I think it’s one of our biggest strengths that we have legitimate depth, people that can come in and really contribute,” Payne said. “Not just stem the tide, but can actually really come in and play good minutes and contribute and do their job, keep it simple. That was good for us.” ers in their last year who will play their final home game are: receiver Javon Antonio; running back Kavosiey Smoke; offensive linemen Landon Bebee and Reggie Young; defensive linemen Taijh Alston and Leonard Payne Jr.; linebackers Jordan Domineck, Brendan Gant and Juwan Mitchell; and safety Rodrick Ward.
Walk-ons Evan Kistler (offensive line) and Noah Young (linebacker) are also in their last year of eligibility. timing and see the new sets and make sure he has the timing of the new plays. And Friday he’ll go through everything.”
Shedeur has had to get injections of pain medication the past two games just to get through the end of the game.
And, the wear and tear on his body has shown at times.
“It’s more of a mental thing right now for him,” Coach Prime said. “You saw a couple of his deep balls was short last week because he couldn’t step into the throw and that was his ankle. He couldn’t step into the throws because he’s rarely ever short on deep balls. We’d rather be long on the deep balls and not short, but we also want them to be catchable, because on the 50/50 ball, we feel like a few of our guys are gonna make the catch.”