Desiree Wooten is the ‘dawg’ that keeps Buffaloes stampeding
- Xavier Michnewicz
- 16 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Two seasons ago, an unranked Buffaloes squad upset then No. 1-ranked LSU Tigers in their season opener.
In that upset, the Buffaloes were led by 5-foot-7 guard Jaylyn Sherrod. Her high motor and tenacious mentality kick-started Colorado’s last March Madness run.
Fast forward to this season, Colorado took down the nation’s leading scorer, Audi Crooks, and the No. 19 Iowa State Cyclones to capture its first ranked win of the year.
In that victory, the Buffaloes were led by none other than an underdog.
North Texas transfer guard Desiree Wooten racked up 24 points in the dub — her best game since joining Colorado and at the Power Four level. But for the 5-foot-8 guard, the career night still wasn’t enough to toot her own horn.
“It’s really meaningful, and I’m proud today, but back to work tomorrow,” Wooten said of her performance against Iowa State. “There’s a lot of holes in my game. I can still grow. Everyone’s seen the full potential that I have.”
Her journey to high-level hoops wasn’t without challenges. Wooten once held offers from programs such as Ohio State, but back-to-back ACL injuries during her high school career redirected her path to Mean Green pastures.
“I was able to develop myself and my mindset off the court and [which] … transferred to on the court, so I think it helped a lot,” Wooten said of her injuries.
That off-court development paid off in her sophomore year with North Texas, when Wooten earned All-Defensive and second-team All-AAC honors and finished second on the team in scoring. All of which was enough to catch the eye of head coach JR Payne and the Buffaloes.
Halfway through Wooten’s first season with Colorado, she leads the team in scoring with 12 points per game. Off the bench, the Texan guard has been the motor of the Buffaloes’ offense, with drives and pull-up 3-pointers that ignite the CU Events Center.
“She knows that we need her to be aggressive at pretty much all times, ” head coach JR Payne said. “She’s the one player that can give us that scoring punch off the bench.”
Since her performance in Colorado’s upset versus Iowa State, Wooten hasn’t slowed down. Including the 24-point night, she is averaging 16 points on 41.4% shooting from the field over the five-game stretch.
But even after joining Colorado, she has dealt with adversity. Wooten was the Buffaloes’ starting guard through seven games, but was benched following a four-point performance in their loss against Texas A&M. Since joining the bench unit, she has only scored single digits in three games.
“I just do what I need to,” Wooten said. “I just play my game. Wherever that role puts me, whether that’s on the bench or start[ing] … I just do me.
Even off the bench, she has had to guard some of the Big 12’s best players. Wooten has endured matchups against three of the conference’s top five leading scorers. She credited her time at North Texas as preparation for the Big 12’s tougher matchups
“I didn’t come from a soft conference; the American was a hard conference,” Wooten said. “All those teams were gritty teams … They played hard, so [it was] a fight every game. It's kind of the same here.”
As Colorado sits in the “Next Four Out” category of ESPN’s March Madness Bracketology, making the dance will take upset wins and big performances. Although Wooten leads the team in scoring, coach Payne knows what will be the key for a March push.
“We’re just striving for consistency,” coach Payne said Monday. “[And] being able to do the things that she can do consistently.”
The Buffaloes look forward to a homestand against No. 20 West Virginia and No. 14 TCU after capturing their first two conference road wins in Kansas. While the road to March is a long one in the Big 12, a 5-foot-8 underdog can lead them through it.
“I’ve always been a dog. I’ve always had a dog mentality,” Wooten said. “I don’t know how to be soft … I think having that mentality always with me has helped me push through [adversity].”
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