The good news? JR Payne cooked in the transfer portal this off-season, as the Buffs welcomed several high-level transfers into the program. The bad news? JR Payne needed to cook, because there are only 2 returning players that saw material minutes last year.
Thankfully, however, one of the returning players is post Jade Masogayo. Masogayo was named to the preseason All Big 12 team and she should be the best player on the court most nights.
JR Payne and her lead assistant/husband Toriano Towns always preach defense. Three of the players that transferred into the program were named 1st Team All-Defense in their respective leagues last season. That includes Kansas State transfer Zyanna Walker, North Texas transfer Desiree Wooten, and Rhode Island transfer Anaelle Dutat. All three players will start for the Buffs and will make bringing the ball up the court against the Buffs a chore. Colorado’s defense should very much be hell on wheels.
Additionally, JR Payne added some outside shooting in Gonzaga transfer Claire O’Connor and DePaul transfer Maeve McErlane. Both should help fill the large void created by the graduation of CU’s all-time leading 3-point shooter, Frida Formann.
The word out of pre-season practices is that the team will be very balanced. Rhode Island transfer Anaelle Dutat is a phenomenal athlete and much better than most insiders expected. She is a stat stuffer and could average double digits in both points and rebounds this season. Impressive freshmen include Australian native Jade Crook and Arkansas prep hooper Erianna Gooden. Both will play meaningful minutes this season.
It’s a fair expectation that the Buffs in 2025-26 return to the NCAA tournament after missing out on the tournament last year. In fact, we’re calling it now – Colorado will be dancing in March.
Minute Projections
| Position | Projected Minutes (Primary/Secondary) |
| C | Jade Masogayo (18), Jade Crook (12), JoJo Nworie (10) |
| PF | Anaelle Dutat (28), Jade Masogayo (12) |
| SF | Claire O’Connor (26), Erianna Gooden (14) |
| SG | Zyanna Walker (30), Maeve McErlane (10) |
| PG | Desiree Wooten (24), Kennedy Sanders (16) |
Total Projected Minutes:
Jade Masogayo 30 minutes
Zyanna Walker 30 minutes
Anaelle Dutat 28 minutes
Claire O’Connor 28 minutes
Kennedy Sanders 16 minutes
Jade Crook 12 minutes
Erianna Gooden 14 minutes
Maeve McErlane 10 minutes
JoJo Nworie 10 minutes
This constitutes a 9-player rotation, with JoJo Nworie and Maeve McErlane getting more minutes when matchups/needs dictate (Nworie is 6’5″ and offers a big inside presence whereas McErlane is a shooter). 3 of the freshmen – Isa Hämäläinen, Logyn Greer and Sophie Zadel aren’t listed, but it’s possible one or more of them work their way into the lineup.
Let’s dive further into each player on the roster and what to expect from them this season:
Returning Players and Projected Stats
-Jade Masogayo: The best player on the team. Masogayo was Big 12 All-Conference honorable mention last season, when she led Colorado with 12.5 pounds, 5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Those numbers increased during Big 12 play, where she averaged over 13 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Masogayo transferred to CU last year from Missouri State, where she was named 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Masogayo has surprising quickness for someone 6’3” and routinely gets fastbreak buckets because of her ability to run the court. Masogayo will anchor the paint for the Buffs and should challenge for first team All-Big 12 honors.
Projected Stats: 15 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg.
-Kennedy Sanders: Sanders averaged 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists per game for the Buffs as the backup to starting point guard Kindyll Wetta. Quiet by nature, CU needs Sanders to become a team leader given her position and seniority in the program (Sanders is a redshirt sophomore). She shot 39% from the field and about 30% from 3. CU needs her 3-point shooting to improve. Her biggest strength is her playmaking ability, and she can get into the paint and dish to open cutters and shooters.
Projected Stats: 6 ppg, 2 rpg, 3 apg
-JoJo Nworie. The 6’5” Nworie is one of the best athletes in the Big 12 when healthy. However, she has already missed 2.5 seasons in her college career due to knee injuries. She was a junior college All American at Southern Idaho and then transferred to Texas Tech, where she missed 2 seasons due to injury. Last year at CU, she averaged 2.5 points and 1 rebound per game while playing limited minutes as she was nursing back to health. The hope is that Nworie, once healthy, becomes a real difference maker inside for Colorado.
Projected stats: 3 ppg, 3 rpg.
Incoming Transfers and Projected Stats
-Claire O’Connor: O’Connor is a knock down shooter that averaged 7.7 points per game for the Bulldogs, who knocked CU out of the NIT tournament this past season. O’Connor shot 41% from 3-point range and started 29 or 31 games for Gonzaga last year. O’Connor has two years of eligibility at Colorado. O’Connor is immediately going to walk onto the court at the CU Event Center and be CU’s best shooter.
Projected stats: 9 ppg, 3 rpg 2 apg.
-Zyanna Walker: Walker is a ferocious defender (the only underclassman named to the Big 12 All-Defense team) and averaged 8.2 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 3.4 assists per game for Kansas State. She started every game of the season for Kansas State, which finished 28-8 and 4th in the Big 12. Kansas State made it to the Sweet 16 this past season, and Walker was a huge part of the team. Walker has 2 years of eligibility at Colorado.
Projected stats: 11 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg.
-Desiree Wooten: Wooten is, a 5’8″ guard from North Texas, was a 2nd team All-AAC player and a 1st Team All-AAC defensive team selection for the Mean Green. She averaged 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 33 starts last season for UNT. North Texas had a strong season last year, finishing 25-9 and 2nd in the AAC, ahead of teams like South Florida, Tulsa, Tulane, Rice, Memphis and Temple. Wooten has 2 years of eligibility at Colorado. Wooten was 2nd on the team in scoring last year and recorded a team-high 58 steals (!) last year. She totaled 18 double-doubles last season.
Projected stats: 9 ppg, 3 rpg, 5 apg
-Anaelle Dutat: Dutat, a native of Cesson, France, will have one year of eligibility at CU. The 6-0 forward averaged 8.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 33 starts last season for the Rams. Dutat had four double-doubles last season, including a string of three straight to close the regular season. She snagged a career-high 17 rebounds against Saint John’s and moved into 10th all-time at RIU with 679 career boards. She’s the kind of player who will give you 8 points, 10 rebounds, and a floor burn per game. Her 36-minute rebounding rate? Filthy. She’s basically Dennis Rodman with a French accent.
Projected stats: 9 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 apg
-Maeve McErland: McErlane started 25 and played 31 games for the Blue Demons as a sophomore in 2023-24 (she missed last season due to injury). She averaged 4.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game. McErlane recorded a career-high 26 points against Alabama State and twice handed out a career-high nine assists. The 5-10 guard scored in double-figures on four occasions and handed out five or more assists in five games. As a freshman, McErlane appeared in 13 games, made one start, and was a Big East All-Academic Team selection. She’s totaled 157 points in 44 career contests and should provide depth and leadership for Colorado.
Projected stats: 2 ppg, 1 apg.
Incoming Freshmen and Projected Stats
-Erianna Gooden: Gooden has really impressed in pre-season practice and she is going to play a lot this season. Gooden arrives at Colorado as a 6’ guard out of Northside High School (Fort Smith, Arkansas). She was named 2025 Arkansas Player of the Year and earned State MVP honors, while helping her high school to multiple state finals appearances. A four-time All-State selection, she is known for her versatility. Gooden shot over 40% from 3 her senior year of high school, and brings a lot of shooting, scoring, and playmaking.
Projected stats: 6 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg.
-Jade Crook: Jade Crook has a great last name for a player from a former penal colony. In any event, Crook is going to play a lot this season. She is a 6’4” center from Albury, Australia, who played at the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence and competed for Australia in multiple youth national competitions. She has earned four gold medals at FIBA regional events. 247Sports lists her as the #89 player in this year’s recruiting class, citing her length and interior presence on both ends.
Projected stats: 4 ppg, 4 rpg.
-Isa Hämäläinen: Isa Hämäläinen is a 6’1” guard from Luxembourg. During her club years she played for Amicale Steinsel and was a key contributor to Luxembourg’s U18 team; she helped secure a silver medal in the 2023 U18 European Championship (Luxembourg’s first) and was named to the All-Star Five. She is a great catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter and has a lot of length. Because Isa’s prep school didn’t finish the school year until July, she wasn’t able to be in Boulder for most of the summer which may impact her ability to play meaningful minutes this season.
Projected stats: limited minutes.
-Logyn Greer: Logyn Greer comes in as a 6’4” forward from Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Greer was ranked as the #80 player in her class by ESPN. Over her high school career, she scored over 1,000 points, was a McDonald’s All-American nominee, and earned multiple All-State and league First Team honors. She isn’t just a banger – Greer has the ability to stretch the perimeter with her shooting.
Projected stats: limited minutes.
-Sophie Zadel: Sophie Zadel is a 6’4” forward from San Antonio, Texas. Interestingly, Zadel is a state champion-level high jumper (she broke her high school’s high jump record) and she’ll bring athleticism to the frontcourt. She played club ball for Players First Basketball in San Antonio. Zadel projects as a shot blocking threat and rebounder who can develop offensively.
Projected stats: limited minutes.
If you want to kill some more time in the BuffsBlog Blog-o-sphere, how about reading this article on the men’s hoops team?
Rather read about the football team after the victory against Iowa State? OK, check this one out:
Wow – thanks for this. What a great read to get fully prepped on the season. This is fantastic – better than anything I’ve read before about CU women’s basketball. Thanks for the hard work and the great post!