It’s no secret that the girls basketball scene in Colorado is among one of the best in the nation. It’s not up for debate, it’s indisputable.
The full scope of Colorado’s talent was on display at the CU Events Center on Friday night when the No. 22 Colorado Buffaloes hosted the defending national champion No. 2 Stanford Cardinal. In the building were the last three Colorado Gatorade Players of the Year, the winners of the last three 5A Player of the Year award, and six former Colorado prep standouts, with careers few will forget.
“Colorado has a great tradition of excellent women’s basketball,” said Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer who became the nation’s winningest coach last season. “I’ve seen it grow, but it’s always been strong.”
The talent that calls Colorado home may be as strong right now as it has ever been. Forty-six Division I players, who represent 34 schools and 20 conferences, spent their high school days battling it out in gyms across the state. At least another 13 players from Colorado, currently high school seniors, will join DI squads next season.
Ahead of tomorrow’s @CUBuffsWBB/@StanfordWBB game in Boulder, a game that will feature 6 Coloradans, I did some research to see just how many players from Colorado are playing D1 Women’s College Basketball (@MarchMadnessWBB)
A full list of all 46 players in below ?? pic.twitter.com/fxRMmVkSHC
— Benjamin Parris (@BenParris04) January 14, 2022
Colorado alumni are not only playing at the next level, but they have become household names and role models for youth players in our state who hope to follow in their footsteps. Grace Hansen and Leah DuBois, who attend Dry Creek Elementary in Centennial, attended Friday’s game with their parents, rooting for Stanford. They came to watch Jana Van Gytenbeek, who became a friend to the two elementary schoolers during her time at Cherry Creek. “Jana is my role model because I’m small like her, she’s just awesome to me,” said Leah. “We’ve liked her our whole lives,” added Grace.
Forty-six is no modest number; it’s quite significant. Colorado head coach JR Payne said, “It’s a beautiful thing for young Colorado kids to see these strong, beautiful, confident, athletic women.” It’s games like the CU/Stanford matchup that shows younger girls in our state that playing basketball at the highest level is something attainable. Being in the position to show the next generation that it’s possible is not something that today’s collegiate Coloradans take lightly.”
“It’s always an honor to find yourself in a position where you are the people that you used to look up to,” said Stanford junior Fran Belibi. “It makes us take a step back and remember that everything that we do is bigger than basketball.”
It’s no accident that Jana Van Gytenbeek, Fran Belibi. and Ashten Prechtel find themselves in this position. While they excel on the court, enough for Coach VanDerveer to say, “We would not have won the National Championship without the contributions from Colorado,” what VanDerveer finds even more important is how they impact others off the court and act as role models for players younger than them.
The number of young admirers, friends, and family that attended Friday’s matchup in Boulder in support of Stanford was so many that “it didn’t even feel like an away game,” said Ashten Prechtel, who scored 10-points on Friday. Stanford’s fan base in Colorado has only gotten larger over the past few years, which has turned the Stanford/Colorado matchup into an intense rivalry. Six of the last seven matchups between the two teams have been decided by single digits and two of the last four games took overtime to find a winner. While the Colorado girls now on Stanford’s roster get to play where they call home once a season, Van Gytenbeek says they, “want to prove Stanford is the best.”
While it’s obvious that Stanford can offer a unique educational opportunity that most institutions across the country cannot, Coach Payne argues that we are not far from more and more girls choosing to stay in-state for college. “It’s games like this and a team like this that’s doing what we’re doing.” The Buffaloes were the final Division I team, men’s or women’s, to have an undefeated record before falling to the Cardinal on Friday, which is an outstanding achievement. “We are one of the better teams in the country, and people are starting to know that.”
The Buffaloes hung in with the defending national champions for four quarters and showed that starting 13-0, before Friday’s loss, was no accident. Between 13-1 Colorado and 11-3 Colorado State, people are really starting to notice that not only does Colorado do a phenomenal job developing talent, between high school and club basketball, but it’s a place where talent can stay and win.
Between the five Division I women’s basketball programs in Colorado (Colorado, Colorado State, Northern Colorado, Air Force, and Denver), there are 13 players who have decided to stay home for their collegiate careers. That number is only expected to increase in future years. Don’t be surprised when teams from Colorado start making NCAA Tournament runs, with rosters full of talent born right here in the Centennial State.
Whether players will ultimately stay in-state or go elsewhere, the amount of attention Colorado is getting on the national stage is something for all of those who support the women’s game in our state to have pride in. “I hope it’s forty-six and counting,” said Fran Belibi. Forty-six and counting.