CU’S VONLEH READY FOR BIG PAC-12 TEST
One of league’s most improved players hoping to keep Buffs a contender
For a post player still developing her dominance and her confidence, Aaronette Vonleh could not have scripted a better boost.
In Colorado’s season-opening win over defending champion and preseason No. 1 LSU on Nov. 7, Vonleh scored 24 points, pulled down six rebounds and drained 11 of 15 shots along the way.
Basketball Hall of Famer and former LSU star Shaquille O’neal, who was in attendance, was so impressed that he visited the CU locker room, gave Vonleh a hug and said, “I like her.”
Is there anything better than making an impression on Shaq?
“I’d say that was for sure a big part of it, too, just seeing someone else who’s a really good basketball player recognize me,” Vonleh said. “I mean, like inevitably, I got more confident from that.”
Even without the visit from Shaq, Vonleh matured as a player that night because of what she did in the Buffaloes’ 92-78 victory.
“If we had played a team that wasn’t super tough or super recognized, I’m not sure it would have had the same effect on me,” she said last week, “but playing the No. 1 team in the country, it’s the best bigs in the country and to do what I was able to do, I think that helped me a lot.”
It’s been nearly two months since that night and Vonleh is still rolling for the 8th-ranked Buffs (10-1), who open Pac-12 play against No. 12 Utah (10-2) on Saturday at the CU Events Center (1 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
“I think she thinks that we just tell her this to encourage her but we tell her, ‘Nobody can guard you,’” CU center Quay Miller said. “‘Our practice players can’t guard you. Nobody on this team can guard you. Nobody in our preseason could guard you.’ … I think that she’s starting to understand more and more as she’s playing great.”
A 6-foot-3 center now in her junior year, Vonleh has had linear growth throughout her college career.
A role player who barely saw the court in conference play as a freshman at Arizona in 202122, Vonleh transferred to CU last year and was a great complementary player to Miller. Starting 33 games, she posted 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while hitting 58.5% of her
shots.
This year, Vonleh is posting 15.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and she has connected on 65.1% of her shots.
“For sure this year I see a shift just in the way I attack every game,” she said. “Like, I don’t go into the game as hesitant or unsure (as in the past). I’m just more comfortable. I think it also helps knowing the system better and everything and my teammates. But, yeah, I’d say I’m just more confident and I’m kind of seeing what my teammates have been telling me.”
The strong start, especially against LSU and its star Angel Reese, was significant.
“I’d say probably starting the season off strong,” she said of when she started to believe her teammates. “Coming off of last year, I was still a little bit unsure, but I think when I saw the way I was able to start the season, I just wanted to keep like building off of that.”
So far, she has. The LSU game is still her season high for points, but she’s had big games night in and night out, scoring at least 13 points nine times.
The challenges will only get tougher in the Pac-12, which features some of the best centers and forwards in the country, including Oregon State’s Raegan Beers, UCLA’S Lauren Betts, Stanford’s Cameron Brink, Washington State’s Bella Murekatete and Utah’s Alissa Pili.
“I think (confidence) is even more important now just because there is no easy games left,” Vonleh said. “The Pac-12 is super hard. There’s a lot of good bigs and just teams in general. And that’s what leads us into March, so I really have to lock in on that even more.”