Following an early summer break and an opportunity to see family, Aaronette Vonleh recently returned to Boulder and settled into the offseason routine.
“It’s only day three in the summer and I just feel like I’m already established,” the Colorado women’s basketball forward said last week. “I kind of have a home here.”
One year after transferring to CU from Arizona, Vonleh feels comfortable and confident in her surroundings and there’s no question she’s a major factor in the Buffaloes’ future success.
A 6-foot-3 center, Vonleh played sparingly during her freshman season at Arizona, but was an immediate difference maker for the Buffs. Last season, she started 33 games and was second on the team in scoring (12.2 points per game) and rebounding (4.5 per game), helping the Buffs go 25-9 and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years.
Pac-12 coaches voted Vonleh as the co-most improved player in the conference last season – sharing the award with former Arizona teammate Shaina Pellington.
“Going from a year of not playing at all to coming and having a major role on another team that’s really good, I think I handled it pretty well,” said Vonleh, who earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention. “I feel like I was pretty tough on myself from the get-go just because I wanted to be up to the standard that everybody else was at, but I think I did a good job of just giving myself grace, too, and knowing it’s really my first year. I think I did a pretty good job.”
Vonleh scored in double figures just once in her first five games as a Buff, but then hit that mark in 24 of the last 29 games. She posted 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in non-conference play and increased those numbers to 13.0 points and 4.9 rebounds in Pac-12 play and the postseason.
“I think I just got more consistent as the year went on,” she said. “There wasn’t really any big bumps in the road. I just improved all around and kept it going.”
Still a young player as she enters her third year in college, Vonleh is focusing on more improvement this offseason.
Vonleh ranked 18th nationally in field goal percentage (58.5%), proving to be a reliable scorer near the basket. But, she wasn’t happy with her rebounding.
“With my size, that’s not really acceptable,” she said of her 4.5 average. “I have an advantage and I need to be able to use it.”
Coaches got on her throughout last season to crash the boards and she had some big games, including a season-high 10 against Stanford. There were five games in which she had eight or more rebounds. She wants that to become more normal than the exception, though.
“It definitely is just gonna come with, like, when we play open gym this summer because it really is like a game setting thing you have to work on,” she said. “And, then just really trying to change my mindset to crash every single time a shot goes up.”
As she continues to develop, Vonleh is confident she will improve. And, it certainly helps that fellow center Quay Miller elected to return for a fifth and final season. A first-team All-Pac-12 selection and CU’s top scorer and rebounder, Miller is also a calming force and leader for Vonleh and the rest of the team.
“Ever since I got here she’s been really helpful,” Vonleh said. “She’s just another good post I get to go against every day in practice and she has a ton of knowledge.”
Vonleh is confident she will learn more from Miller and continue to improve as she prepares for her second season at CU.
“I just want to be so good right now, but I know part of the process is growing slowly over time,” she said. “I feel like right now, second year in college, I think I’m in a pretty good spot. I just have to keep growing from here.
“I’m really excited just because I feel like I will have a lot more confidence going into this year after having such a good year last year.”
