Colorado women’s basketball, coached by JR Payne, competes in the Big 12, and this has been the program’s biggest week in years — a Hall of Fame induction and a program legend signing her next pro contract, four days apart.
A Hall of Famer, and a Rare Distinction for the Program
On June 27, 2026, former Buff Isabelle Fijalkowski was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, joining a class that includes Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne. It’s her second hall of fame — she was already a FIBA Hall of Famer as of 2020. Fijalkowski played just one season at Colorado — 1994-95 — but it might be the best season in program history: a 30-3 record, a perfect 14-0 sweep of the Big Eight, a conference tournament title, and an Elite Eight run, with Fijalkowski averaging 16.1 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. She went on to a EuroLeague-winning pro career in France and was part of the WNBA’s inaugural 1997 draft class with the Cleveland Rockers.
Her induction gives Colorado three individuals with program ties in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame — joining former head coach Ceal Barry (inducted 2018, 427 career wins and four conference titles at CU) and longtime USA Basketball executive Carol Callan (inducted 2021, now CU’s radio analyst). That’s a distinction very few programs can claim.
A Program Legend Turns Pro Again
Two days later, on June 29, Jaylyn Sherrod — one of the most decorated guards in Colorado history — signed a developmental contract with the Atlanta Dream. Sherrod went undrafted out of Colorado in 2024 but made the New York Liberty’s roster and won a WNBA championship as a rookie. At CU, she ranks second in program history in games played (140) and assists (645), and fifth in steals, while leading the Buffs to back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2022-23 and 2023-24 — the program’s best NCAA Tournament run in 20 years. She also graduated with three degrees from CU.
2026-27 Roster: Built Through the Portal
JR Payne’s roster leans heavily on transfer experience this season, with eight returning or incoming players who transferred in from other programs — including Claire O’Connor (Gonzaga), Maeve McErlane (DePaul), Brooke Walker (Utah), and Anete Adler, a 6-foot-5 center from Estonia who arrives by way of Boston University and Rhode Island. Australian center Jade Crook, out of the Basketball Australia Center of Excellence, adds another international dimension to the frontcourt.
