How the power of friendship got the Buffs dancing in March
- Lila Nuttle
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Colorado Buffaloes started the season with just three returning players. Yet they ended it in March Madness after missing out the previous year. So how did a team with 10 new players make it back to college basketball’s biggest stage?
Simply put, the power of friendship.
“We really built really good relationships with each other off the court,” guard Zyanna Walker said after Colorado’s season ended on Saturday. “And so it became like a friendship, like a family.”
Walker, a redshirt junior transfer, is no stranger to postseason success. She has been in the Sweet 16 twice before with both Louisville and Kansas State. The Buffs fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this year, but Walker said that Colorado is her favorite team she’s been on.
“Everybody’s a family,” Walker said. “Coaches and players together as one, and it’s just never been that for any of the programs I’ve played for.”
At the beginning of the season, the only previous Buffaloes were Kennedy Sanders, Jade Masogayo and JoJo Nworie. Tabitha Betson, an anticipated returner, left the program to spend time at home in Australia. She came back in December, but the Buffs still had to contend with an essentially brand-new team.
Five new freshmen and five additions from the transfer portal rounded out the squad. In a sport where team chemistry is essential, this makeup didn’t exactly bode well. Yet despite what the roster said, Colorado had a relatively short adjustment period.
After its fourth game of the season, a win against Boise State, Colorado head coach JR Payne said the balance was better than any of her Sweet 16 teams.
“We don’t feel like there’s 10 new players on the team,” Payne said. “We feel like we’re just family, and it’s always been this way.”
Sanders, then a starting guard, echoed that sentiment.
“It’s just refreshing being on a court with people that you enjoy spending time around, and I think that’s definitely what our team is this year,” she said. “We all enjoy each other’s presence, we celebrate each other, so it’s just easy to play together.”
That friendship blossomed even more during the Buffs’ trip to Hawaii for the Hawaii North Shore Showcase in November. It was more than a business trip; it was time to bond outside of the gym. They focused on the showcase, but they also did the touristy things, visiting Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center.
“It was just so fun, and we really got close on that trip,” Walker said.
Colorado’s friendship became integral to its leadership. Masogayo, who entered the season in a veteran role, helped Payne rebuild the team by building community. When Betson came back to the program in December, her friendship with Masogayo was a big part of her decision.
The senior forward leaned into her new role to guide her younger teammates.
“I’m not a natural leader,” she said. “I’m not as vocal, but I try and lead by example.”
Throughout the season, that bond only strengthened.
“We’re always just goofing around, always having the best time,” Masogayo said. “Making little songs and raps … I feel like any moment that I’m with these guys is a great moment. This whole year has been one great memory.”
As the Buffs got closer off the court, they became more cohesive on it. After a rocky start, they found their footing, getting big wins against top conference teams and closing out close games.
“I’ve never been on a team like this, where actually everyone really enjoys each other,” Dutat said. “[And that] translated to the court, and we brought that chemistry and connection together.”
The Buffs are not the most talented team in the Big 12. They don’t have a single superstar to carry them or high levels of offensive production. What they do have is a balanced roster, where they can trust one another and lift each other. Colorado is a defensive-minded team, and the trust its built is crucial to having an aggressive defense.
It’s how the Buffs took down three top-25 teams this season, knocking off Iowa State, TCU and Baylor. It’s how they secured their spot in March Madness as a No. 10 seed. Not from having the best players, but from enjoying each other and the process.
“This group, every day, showing up with a joyful spirit,” Payne said. “They were genuinely happy to be at practice. And I was genuinely happy to see each and every one of them.”
When their postseason dance fell short in the first round to Illinois, the tears weren't just for a missed tournament opportunity. They were for the memories of the season and of friendship, both on and off the court, like inside jokes and singing on buses (for 45 minutes straight).
“This is the best basketball I’ve ever played,” Masogayo said. “But not even basketball-wise, just this group of people. That’s why it hurts so bad, because I just wish I had another year with this group.”
While the games will fade into box scores, the spirit of friendship that powered Colorado’s odds-defying season remains. No matter the result, the players agree: their relationships with each other made this season their best.
“I wish I had at least one more game with them, one more practice, get together,” Dutat said.
“We can still practice tomorrow,” Payne responded, patting her shoulder.
Dutat and Masogayo won’t be returning to practice next season, but the culture they helped instill will be with the Buffs as they look to the future. If Payne can keep her core group together throughout the transfer portal, the once-inexperienced roster will enter next season primed to make another run, smiling through it all.