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Friday, November 24
Boulder, Colo.
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University of Colorado

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Mississippi Valley State

janea bunn vs. florida atlantic 2017
Janea Bunn
Photo by: Jivan West

Newcomers Making Immediate Impact In Buffs' Rebounding Game

November 22, 2017 | Women's Basketball

BOULDER – JR Payne and her coaching staff had one thing in mind when they began recruiting after last season: rebounding. The Buffs were outrebounded by two boards per game last season and once the team got into Pac-12 play, that number grew to over six per game.
 
"When we were recruiting the 2017 class, rebounding was a huge focus for us so we knew that we needed big, strong, athletic, versatile players," Payne said. "Those are the players that can rebound."
 
Payne's staff added plenty of size and athleticism to its team on both the perimeter and in the post. Freshmen Annika Jank (6-foot-3, forward/center) and Aubrey Knight (6-foot-1, guard), and junior college transfer Janea Bunn (6-foot-3, forward/center) have had an immediate impact for the Buffs and it has been felt most in rebounding.
 
Those three newcomers have combined for over half of CU's rebounds this far, sparking the team to a +4.0 rebounding margin per game so far. Over the past two games, the Buffs have been a combined +18 on the boards.
 
Jank is CU's top rebounder at 8.3 per game, followed by Bunn (7.5) and Knight (7.3). The next-highest rebounder on the team averages just 3.5.
 
"They've had a huge impact, especially on the glass, with Janea and Annika's inside presence," Payne said. "We're trying to get the ball inside more to have a better-balanced attack offensively. The length that we've added is significant to our defensive presence. Our ability to rebound the ball from the perimeter and inside is significantly better than it's been in a long time."
 
Junior Kennedy Leonard said that rebounding was the team's key to upsetting No. 24 Miami on Saturday at the Coors Events Center. The Buffs won 67-61 and outrebounded the Hurricanes 43-38, even though Miami came into the game averaging more than 12 rebounds per game more than its opponents.
 
"Last year we rebounded, but we didn't rebound like that," Leonard said. "Against Miami, I think we had a different rebounding mentality. We outrebounded Miami, which last year, I don't think we would have done. To come into that game and have rebounding be one of our keys and to actually rebound, I think [the newcomers] add a lot to that."
 
When Jank committed to CU two years ago, she was nowhere near the rebounder she is today. She had the size and athleticism, but it is something she had to work on to improve.
 
"Two summers ago when we were recruiting Annika, we loved her and knew that we wanted her to be a Buff," Payne said. "But as big and athletic as she is, she wasn't rebounding a lot in the summer circuit. After she committed, she asked us what we wanted her to work on during her senior year. We said one word: rebounding. She said, 'ok I can do that,' and she became the all-time leading rebounder at her school and averaged almost a double-double. She really took it to heart to become a better rebounder and clearly, she's very difficult to keep off the glass."
 
A three-time all-state honoree from Edina, Minn., Jank averaged 19 points and nine rebounds as a senior.
 
Bunn, who joined the Buffs last spring after her sophomore season at Midland (Texas) College, also came to CU with a rebounding and defensive mindset from the post. She averaged 11.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots last year, including 13.3 rebounds over her final seven games.
 
Knight has made perhaps the biggest difference on the glass, adding a rebounding element to the perimeter that was previously virtually non-existent. Her 7.3 rebounds per game, though in a small sample size of just four games, is the highest rebounding average for a CU guard since Chucky Jeffery averaged over eight in 2012-13. Jeffery has since gone on to a WNBA and European professional playing career.
 
"I think that we've done a good job of rebounding and finishing down low," Jank said of the first four games this season. "Last year, the coaches said they wanted us [newcomers] to help in the post so I try to make an impact with the rebounding."
 
UP NEXT
CU hosts the Rocky Mountain Hoops Classic this weekend at the Coors Events Center. Friday's action tips off at noon when the Buffs host Mississippi Valley State, followed by Drake and George Mason at 2:30 p.m. The tournament will conclude on Saturday with the consolation game starting at noon, followed by the championship.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Mississippi Valley State enters the weekend 0-2, dropping a pair of road games at UAB and Southern Miss. While the Devilettes have struggled on the glass (-23.5 rebounds per game), they have done well in the turnover battle (+9.5 per game). Kristy Parker is the team's top scorer, averaging 20.0 points. Desiray Mosley (17.0) and LaKendra Bassett (13.5) also average double digits in scoring.
 
George Mason takes a 4-1 record into tonight's game against Illinois State. The Patriots are boosted by two newcomers this season in UConn grad transfer Natalie Butler and freshman Nicole Cardaño-Hillary. Butler is a 6-foot-5 post and averaging 16.2 points and 12.8 rebounds. Cardaño-Hillary, a freshman from Spain, averages a team-best 17.2 points. Sophomore Jacy Bolton is also averaging 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds.
 
Drake is 2-2 entering the weekend with wins at home over Milwaukee and Liberty and road losses at Oregon and Wyoming. Becca Hittner (13.5), Sara Rhine (13.0) and Sammie Bachrodt (12.8) all average double figures in scoring. The Bulldogs are coming off a 28-5 season last year, that included a trip to the NCAA Tournament.