“Best defender in America” is how Colorado women’s basketball head coach JR Payne described then-junior guard Kindyll Wetta following an outstanding performance in a Jan. 21 win last season over USC.
While that claim could be construed as a bit bombastic, it embodies how the teacher in Payne sees her pupils: gleaming with hope in the face of adversity. Fresh off of an offseason in which adversity mounted, the Buffaloes returned to practice at the CU Events Center on Monday.
A graduating class that included pillars of back-to-back March Madness runs to the Sweet 16 in Jaylyn Sherrod and Quay Miller, then a wave of transfers made up of both foundational pieces for the squad’s success and potential-filled underclassmen put the Buffs in unforeseen territory. Ten newcomers (six transfers, four freshmen) were gradually added to the fray, but Wetta is one of the few who stuck around.
“I definitely do know that I have a bigger responsibility now,” the senior said Tuesday. “And I’m completely comfortable with that, because that’s who I was growing up. I just kinda had to adjust to what they wanted me to play here at CU.”
Wetta’s “best defender in America” case has amounted to a Pac-12 All-Defensive team selection as a freshman in 2022 along with an honorable mention in 2023-24. She averaged career highs in points (5.9), assists (3.9) and rebounds (3.4) during her junior campaign, but her impact goes well beyond basic statistics.
The 5-foot-9 soon-to-be starting point guard has had a career long overlooked, but figures such as defensive box plus-minus (eighth in the Pac-12 over the past three seasons, including a top 20 finish nationally in ‘23-‘24), assist percentage (second-best in the conference last year), and steal percentage (top five in each of her three seasons) lie below the surface.
In the twilight of her time playing the sport, Wetta may be set up to surprise many in her transition from a bench role to a spot dominated by the enigma of Sherrod.
“I’ve been very content with my career here at CU,” Wetta reflected. “I have no intention whatsoever of playing basketball after this, just mak(ing) it a great last year.”
While the now WNBA-worn shoes of Sherrod will be no easy task to fill, Wetta has well-earned a vote of confidence to help guide Colorado through a period where personnel is in flux. A native of Castle Rock, Colorado, the senior will also have the unique opportunity to serve as a source of in-state wisdom for a group rich with international upbringings.
“She knows that with ten personalities, not every single one of them is the same and not every single one of them line up with how we do things,” Payne noted of the leadership role Wetta has taken this past offseason. “She has been very smart about her approach with individual players and with the group collectively, which I think is a huge asset to our program.”
Wetta returned alongside guard Frida Formann and forward Sara-Rose Smith and now seemingly appreciates the challenge of being the on-court glue in fitting the Buffs’ many new pieces together. As novel journeys and challenges in the Big 12 loom, the term “rebuild” is something that this iteration of CU, though teeming with uncertainty, does not believe in.
“I guess reloading would be the word if I had to pick a word,” stated Payne of her mindset heading into the season, set to open Nov. 4 on the road against Wyoming. “We believe that we can be as good or better than we’ve ever been."
Cover photo by Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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