Kennedy Sanders enjoys playing basketball with her Colorado teammates so much that she was willing to put up with some pain to be with them on the court.
That pain became too much, however.
A redshirt sophomore point guard for the Buffaloes, Sanders has elected to have season-ending hip surgery and begin the process of being ready for the 2026-27 season.
Sanders played her last game of the season on Dec. 14 against Miami (Ohio) and is scheduled to have surgery on Monday to fix a torn labrum and hip impingement. She then faces about six months of recovery. If granted a medical redshirt, Sanders could still have three years of eligibility remaining.
“Obviously just trying to focus on the now and getting better and healing and all that,” she said, “but I’m lucky that I have years (of basketball) after this.”
Originally injured during conditioning in August, Sanders battled through preseason camp. She started the season and was going to have surgery earlier in December, but felt she could manage the pain. Ultimately, however, it became too much.
“I was in a lot of pain when the season first started,” she said. “(In early December), I was feeling good, kind of in a good flow, and then it just got worse than it had ever been.”
Sanders, who redshirted in 2023-24 and played a key role off the bench last year, was a first-year starter this season and playing the best basketball of her career. She’s averaging 9.3 points and 2.2 assists, while hitting 43.1% of her shots for the Buffs (9-4, 0-1 Big 12).
“I love this team,” said Sanders, the longest-tenured player on the team. “I wanted to be able to play with them. … (Trying to play), it was mostly just I wanted to play with this team, for these coaches. I love them.”
At one point, Sanders was worried she wouldn’t be able to play at all this season. She wound up being able to, but head coach JR Payne and her staff rested her when possible. She played just a combined 17 minutes in back-to-back 30-point wins in mid-November, and sat out a game in Hawaii against VCU to avoid playing on back-to-back days.
Sanders was also limited in practices. When she was on the court, Sanders played well, but said she felt slow.
“That’s also the hard thing because I know that I’m not going full speed and stuff like that,” she said. “It hasn’t been too bad. Obviously, pain is pain, so you kind of get some adrenaline for those games, which is good.”
Adrenaline didn’t help her at other times, though. Sanders said she’s in pain “all the time,” and struggles getting a full night of sleep because of it. Missing the rest of the season isn’t ideal, but getting rid of the pain makes it worth it.
Colorado Buffaloes Kennedy Sanders, left, puts up a shot past College of Charleston Cougars Grace Ezebilo, right, at the CU Events Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)“I’m definitely just excited to not be in pain,” she said. “I literally was thinking about it the other day. I was like, ‘I can’t remember the last time I’ve not been in pain.’ It’s been so long. I’m just used to it.”
Sanders said her parents, coaches and teammates have all been supportive of her, and she’s looking forward to transitioning to a leadership role from the bench.
“I’m just excited to move into a new role and just be there for my teammates,” she said. “I’ve been here for three years now, so there’s definitely some insight I can give. … It’ll be different, but I definitely want to be around the girls.”
Payne said it’s a “huge loss” to not have Sanders on the court the rest of the season.
“For the basketball play, but also for just sort of the calm that she brings to all of us,” Payne said. “On the court, she’s been a huge asset to her younger teammates. They all love her and respect her, not just because she’s a good player, but because of the person that she is.
“I hate that she is going to have to go through this, but she is strong in her faith. She knows that there’s a reason and she’s going to just continue to work and come back better than ever.”
Without Sanders, the Buffs will use a variety of players at the point. The last two games, Maeve McErlane has started at point guard, which isn’t her natural position, but she’s a veteran ball handler.
Zyanna Walker and Desiree Wooten are experienced point guards. Walker leads the Buffs in assists (3.1 per game), while Wooten is second in scoring (10.8) and provides a spark off the bench. Walker (1.3-to-1) and Wooten (1.6-to-1) have the best assist-to-turnover ratios on the team.
Freshman Erianna Gooden is also a point guard, but is still developing her game. She’s played in every game, averaging 11.3 minutes and 2.5 points.
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