Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball is less than a month away from its season opener. They will open up on Nov. 4 against the University of Wyoming on the road in Laramie. The Buffs received many new transfers this offseason, including players like Emilia JoJo Nworie.
Nworie, a 6-foot-5 former Texas Tech center/forward, committed to coach Payne and the Buffs in May. Although her last season with the Red Raiders quickly ended with an ACL tear, she hopes to bounce back from the injury and create an impact for the Buffs, who hope to reach the Big 12 Championship.
Nworie hasn't played a game since the 2021-22 season with College of Southern Idaho. During this season, she appeared in 32 games, making 19 starts. Nworie averaged 12.6 ppg and 8.6 rebounds during her time with the Golden Eagles. She also was an JUCO All-American during her time at the community college. After choosing to transfer over to the Red Raiders at Texas Tech following the campaign, she unfortunately missed out on two seasons due to a blood clot, which caused her to miss the 2022-23 season, and a torn ACL to miss the 2023-24 season.
During her time at Southern Idaho, she was offered by Coach Payne but never thought of the opportunity as obtainable. But after entering the transfer portal in May, everything changed.
"CU Boulder stood out to me the most, as it gave me a sense of family type of community and where I could fit into the team,” Nworie mentioned. “The coaches saw my potential on the team."
A sense of community is essential to Nworie, but also being able to play with coach Payne "has been a blessing," she said.
Nworie will also be the tallest player on the Buffs squad since the 2017-18 season at a height of 6-foot-5.
Coming back healthy is Nworie's top priority, as she wants to be a good asset for the Buffs, even if she is not on the court. Nworie went through a notorious rehabilitation process, not being able to be with the team and going through rigorous physical therapy. Additionally, there were some struggles that Nworie went through in terms of dealing with depression due to not being able to play the game.
“Not being able to be with my teammates during my recovery made me feel alone during these times,” she said.
The journey of recovery first starts with mentally preparing yourself for what can come up. Nworie's journey started after her first ailment in the 2022-23 season with the Raiders, and being unable to return the following season made her feel she couldn't return the same.
Being able to play for the Buffs has been a blessing in disguise, as it brings Nworie a sense of what it means to be a part of a team. The forward hopes to progress in her injury recovery, but, at the same time, help improve the team to accomplish the primary goal of winning games.
Nworie hopes to return for Colorado's season opener against Wyoming on Nov. 4.
Cover photo by Remi Krupinski/Sko Buffs Sports
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