Colorado University Athletics
Colorado Women’s Basketball Appears at Winter Sports Media Day
October 13, 2025 | Women's Basketball
BOULDER – Colorado Athletics held its annual Winter Sport Media Day on Oct. 13, featuring appearances from Women's Basketball head coach JR Payne and select players.
The following are some select quotes from Payne and the Buffs' women's basketball athletes:
JR Payne Opening Statement:
"Basketball season is coming very quickly for us basketball coaches. We always start to feel the pressure as we see people saying, '30 days out from your first game.' The rest of us start sweating like we need more practice time – which it always feels like we need more practice time. But in all honesty, we're really, really excited about our team this year. For the second year in a row, we have 10 new players, which in some ways is a huge challenge and difficult to navigate and things like that. But in other ways, it's a huge blessing – we are really, really loving our team. So far this year, we have, as I said, 10 new players and three returners. We have five freshmen and five transfers. […] But we've been here basically since the end of June. Most of our players were here for the summer, doing summer school, taking a couple [of] classes, and a lot of offensive and defensive work happening between July, August and September. And now that we're officially into real practice mode, we've had some great practices. We're excited about our schedule. We feel like we were able to put together a really challenging schedule with a lot of postseason teams from last year, and of course, the Big 12 is going to be better than ever. We're excited to get going. I think we have our first closed scrimmage this weekend, and then next weekend we'll [have another] closed scrimmage, and then we have an exhibition game. It's all coming very, very quickly, but we're also very, very excited for the upcoming season."
Payne on 10th year at CU and the coaching process:
"I always feel like I'm learning for sure. I think the changing landscape of college athletics has forced us to change a lot. One thing with the portal and the NIL and just all of those things, it's forcing a lot of changes. One thing I'm actually really proud of our staff is that we remain very, very much the same people we've always been. You know, our foundation is built on relationship culture, toughness, persevering, like all of those foundational pieces when we got here 10 years ago are the exact same thing that we're doing today in practice. And that's something that I love about our staff, is that we still prioritize the right things, even in the changing landscape. But yeah, I mean lots of big differences. I mean, just having 10 new players two years in a row. The practice on Oct. 13 is not exactly the same as it was two years ago on Oct. 13, when we had, I don't know, 14 of our 15 players were returners, and so those are the types of things that really challenge us and stretch us to really be present each day. Like, I can't just say, 'well, let's just do what we did last year on this day.' It's like, where are we? What are we doing? What do we need to improve? How are we going to improve it? And our staff is really like, every day we're asking those questions, and I think that's helping us grow in spots."
Payne on new players team fit:
"We definitely wanted to bolster our backcourt with some athleticism and some defensive prowess. I don't know that I could say we went into the portal season saying we must sign three all-conference defensive players. We knew we needed athleticism and wanted some players that could create off the bounce and could play different positions on the floor. And the fact that AD [Anaëlle Dutat, Sr.], Zy [Zyanna Walker, Jr.] and Des [Desiree Wooten, Jr.] are all-conference defensive players just turned out to be sort of a blessing that we didn't necessarily know we needed. But with that being said, I think we have a chance to be really good defensively."
Jade Masogayo on making All-Big 12 Preseason Team
"I am going to give that to my teammates and my coaches. They really invoke a lot of confidence in me, especially last year, being a transfer to a major school, so they just really believe in me."
Masogayo on being consistent and an efficient scorer:
"Honestly, I'm not thinking as much as I used to. I didn't have a lot of confidence my first two years of college. That's why I kind of really struggled a little bit. But now I'm just kind of playing more free, I'm trying not to think too much, not to do too much, and just get out of my head."
Masogayo on the type of team they have this season:
"We're gonna have a lot of fun this year. I would say we're very competitive. Our culture ranks. Just a lot
of competitiveness and a lot of energy."
Kennedy Sanders on her voice and leadership role:
"I'm kind of different. I don't like to scream and do all that stuff, so just making sure that I'm being a leader in my own way […] I'm not the loudest on the floor, but just being able to pick and choose. When I can correct my teammates [to] help them but also pour in confidence to them as well. Obviously, [the transfers were] on a completely different team, most of them so different. So, just learning how to do that."
Sanders on characteristics of the team:
"We have a really good group. Obviously, everyone's new, but I think we have a lot of versatility. All of our wings can do just everything – shoot, drive. So, I'm really excited that we just have a lot of versatility, kind of positionless basketball, which should be cool."
Sanders on welcoming JoJo Nworie back:
"Honestly, it's been great. She didn't meet any of the new players [before], but her coming in has honestly been very smooth. She knows what she's doing. She's brought a lot of energy, and we only have a couple posts, so it's been nice to have her back."
--
Colorado welcomes 10 newcomers to the squad for the 2025-26 season, including five transfers in Zyanna Walker (Kansas State), Desiree Wooten (North Texas), Claire O'Connor (Gonzaga), Maeve McErlance (DePaul) and Anaëlle Dutat (Rhode Island). The five freshmen include guard Erianna Gooden (Northside H.S.), center Jade Crook (Basketball Australia Center of Excellence/Lake Ginninderra College), guard Isa Hämäläinen (European School of Luxembourg 1), forward Logyn Greer (Friends' Central School) and forward Sophie Zadel (Alamo Heights H.S).
Senior forward Jade Masogayo (Fort Worth, Texas/Fossil Ridge HS) was named to the 10-player 2025 Preseason All-Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Team, the Conference announced last week. As a team, the Buffs were slotted to finish ninth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. This marks Colorado's second season back in the Big 12 after rejoining the Conference in 2024.
The Buffs released their full schedule last month, beginning the 2025-26 season with an exhibition game against the Colorado School of Mines on Oct. 29 before launching into four home games in November. The Buffs tip off the regular season on Nov. 6 against New Mexico. CU then welcomes its first of three Big Sky Conference opponents on Nov. 16 when Portland State visits Boulder. Two days later, the Buffs square off against Boise State (Nov. 18), before wrapping up the month with a long-awaited meeting against Montana State on Nov. 30. CU's schedule features a nationally recognized opponent in Louisville (Nov. 12) and a three-game (UT-Arlington, VCU, Texas A&M) trip to the islands at the Hawaii North Shore Showcase (Nov. 22-25).
Fans can view the full schedule below and online HERE. Season tickets for the 2025-26 Colorado women's basketball season are on sale now, with single-game tickets to be announced at a later date. Click HERE to get your season tickets and five-game mini plans today!
Head Coach JR Payne is entering her 10th season at the helm of Colorado Women's Basketball. During her ninth season, CU returned to the Big 12, finishing the season 21-13 and 9-9 against conference opponents. The Buffs recorded two big ranked wins on the 2024-25 season, earning a victory over then-No. 14 West Virginia, 65-60, during Colorado's conference home opener (Dec. 21); and seeing a hefty win over then-No. 10 Kansas State, 63-53, later in conference play (Jan. 25). Payne and the Buffs made it to the Big 12 quarterfinal, defeating Houston 66-58 on Mar. 5 and Arizona 61-58 on Mar. 6 to make it there. Colorado also hosted the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) as a No. 1 seed and recorded a win against Southeastern Louisiana (73-41) on Mar. 20 before falling in the second round to Gonzaga (64-55) on Mar. 23 to complete postseason. After the conclusion of the regular season, graduate guard Frida Formann and junior forward Jade Masogayo both received All-Big 12 Honorable Mentions for their performances on the court.
For more information on the Colorado women's basketball team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @CUBuffsWBB.
The following are some select quotes from Payne and the Buffs' women's basketball athletes:
JR Payne Opening Statement:
"Basketball season is coming very quickly for us basketball coaches. We always start to feel the pressure as we see people saying, '30 days out from your first game.' The rest of us start sweating like we need more practice time – which it always feels like we need more practice time. But in all honesty, we're really, really excited about our team this year. For the second year in a row, we have 10 new players, which in some ways is a huge challenge and difficult to navigate and things like that. But in other ways, it's a huge blessing – we are really, really loving our team. So far this year, we have, as I said, 10 new players and three returners. We have five freshmen and five transfers. […] But we've been here basically since the end of June. Most of our players were here for the summer, doing summer school, taking a couple [of] classes, and a lot of offensive and defensive work happening between July, August and September. And now that we're officially into real practice mode, we've had some great practices. We're excited about our schedule. We feel like we were able to put together a really challenging schedule with a lot of postseason teams from last year, and of course, the Big 12 is going to be better than ever. We're excited to get going. I think we have our first closed scrimmage this weekend, and then next weekend we'll [have another] closed scrimmage, and then we have an exhibition game. It's all coming very, very quickly, but we're also very, very excited for the upcoming season."
Payne on 10th year at CU and the coaching process:
"I always feel like I'm learning for sure. I think the changing landscape of college athletics has forced us to change a lot. One thing with the portal and the NIL and just all of those things, it's forcing a lot of changes. One thing I'm actually really proud of our staff is that we remain very, very much the same people we've always been. You know, our foundation is built on relationship culture, toughness, persevering, like all of those foundational pieces when we got here 10 years ago are the exact same thing that we're doing today in practice. And that's something that I love about our staff, is that we still prioritize the right things, even in the changing landscape. But yeah, I mean lots of big differences. I mean, just having 10 new players two years in a row. The practice on Oct. 13 is not exactly the same as it was two years ago on Oct. 13, when we had, I don't know, 14 of our 15 players were returners, and so those are the types of things that really challenge us and stretch us to really be present each day. Like, I can't just say, 'well, let's just do what we did last year on this day.' It's like, where are we? What are we doing? What do we need to improve? How are we going to improve it? And our staff is really like, every day we're asking those questions, and I think that's helping us grow in spots."
Payne on new players team fit:
"We definitely wanted to bolster our backcourt with some athleticism and some defensive prowess. I don't know that I could say we went into the portal season saying we must sign three all-conference defensive players. We knew we needed athleticism and wanted some players that could create off the bounce and could play different positions on the floor. And the fact that AD [Anaëlle Dutat, Sr.], Zy [Zyanna Walker, Jr.] and Des [Desiree Wooten, Jr.] are all-conference defensive players just turned out to be sort of a blessing that we didn't necessarily know we needed. But with that being said, I think we have a chance to be really good defensively."
Jade Masogayo on making All-Big 12 Preseason Team
"I am going to give that to my teammates and my coaches. They really invoke a lot of confidence in me, especially last year, being a transfer to a major school, so they just really believe in me."
Masogayo on being consistent and an efficient scorer:
"Honestly, I'm not thinking as much as I used to. I didn't have a lot of confidence my first two years of college. That's why I kind of really struggled a little bit. But now I'm just kind of playing more free, I'm trying not to think too much, not to do too much, and just get out of my head."
Masogayo on the type of team they have this season:
"We're gonna have a lot of fun this year. I would say we're very competitive. Our culture ranks. Just a lot
of competitiveness and a lot of energy."
Kennedy Sanders on her voice and leadership role:
"I'm kind of different. I don't like to scream and do all that stuff, so just making sure that I'm being a leader in my own way […] I'm not the loudest on the floor, but just being able to pick and choose. When I can correct my teammates [to] help them but also pour in confidence to them as well. Obviously, [the transfers were] on a completely different team, most of them so different. So, just learning how to do that."
Sanders on characteristics of the team:
"We have a really good group. Obviously, everyone's new, but I think we have a lot of versatility. All of our wings can do just everything – shoot, drive. So, I'm really excited that we just have a lot of versatility, kind of positionless basketball, which should be cool."
Sanders on welcoming JoJo Nworie back:
"Honestly, it's been great. She didn't meet any of the new players [before], but her coming in has honestly been very smooth. She knows what she's doing. She's brought a lot of energy, and we only have a couple posts, so it's been nice to have her back."
--
Colorado welcomes 10 newcomers to the squad for the 2025-26 season, including five transfers in Zyanna Walker (Kansas State), Desiree Wooten (North Texas), Claire O'Connor (Gonzaga), Maeve McErlance (DePaul) and Anaëlle Dutat (Rhode Island). The five freshmen include guard Erianna Gooden (Northside H.S.), center Jade Crook (Basketball Australia Center of Excellence/Lake Ginninderra College), guard Isa Hämäläinen (European School of Luxembourg 1), forward Logyn Greer (Friends' Central School) and forward Sophie Zadel (Alamo Heights H.S).
Senior forward Jade Masogayo (Fort Worth, Texas/Fossil Ridge HS) was named to the 10-player 2025 Preseason All-Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Team, the Conference announced last week. As a team, the Buffs were slotted to finish ninth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. This marks Colorado's second season back in the Big 12 after rejoining the Conference in 2024.
The Buffs released their full schedule last month, beginning the 2025-26 season with an exhibition game against the Colorado School of Mines on Oct. 29 before launching into four home games in November. The Buffs tip off the regular season on Nov. 6 against New Mexico. CU then welcomes its first of three Big Sky Conference opponents on Nov. 16 when Portland State visits Boulder. Two days later, the Buffs square off against Boise State (Nov. 18), before wrapping up the month with a long-awaited meeting against Montana State on Nov. 30. CU's schedule features a nationally recognized opponent in Louisville (Nov. 12) and a three-game (UT-Arlington, VCU, Texas A&M) trip to the islands at the Hawaii North Shore Showcase (Nov. 22-25).
Fans can view the full schedule below and online HERE. Season tickets for the 2025-26 Colorado women's basketball season are on sale now, with single-game tickets to be announced at a later date. Click HERE to get your season tickets and five-game mini plans today!
Head Coach JR Payne is entering her 10th season at the helm of Colorado Women's Basketball. During her ninth season, CU returned to the Big 12, finishing the season 21-13 and 9-9 against conference opponents. The Buffs recorded two big ranked wins on the 2024-25 season, earning a victory over then-No. 14 West Virginia, 65-60, during Colorado's conference home opener (Dec. 21); and seeing a hefty win over then-No. 10 Kansas State, 63-53, later in conference play (Jan. 25). Payne and the Buffs made it to the Big 12 quarterfinal, defeating Houston 66-58 on Mar. 5 and Arizona 61-58 on Mar. 6 to make it there. Colorado also hosted the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) as a No. 1 seed and recorded a win against Southeastern Louisiana (73-41) on Mar. 20 before falling in the second round to Gonzaga (64-55) on Mar. 23 to complete postseason. After the conclusion of the regular season, graduate guard Frida Formann and junior forward Jade Masogayo both received All-Big 12 Honorable Mentions for their performances on the court.
For more information on the Colorado women's basketball team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @CUBuffsWBB.
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/ Women's BasketballDesiree Wooten at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13
Erianna Gooden at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
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Jade Masogayo at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13
JoJo Nworie at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13