When the Arizona women’s basketball team faced Colorado in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas on March 3, Aaronette Vonleh was preparing to be traded, but never thought she would would one day be a Buffalo.
“I wasn’t sure it would be Colorado specifically, but they definitely caught my eye in this game,” she said.
CU’s 45-43 upset the then-No. 14 Wildcats wasn’t the main factor in his decision, but it certainly didn’t hurt. Seven months later, Vonleh is gearing up for his first season with the Buffs.
“(Arizona) just wasn’t the right fit for me,” said Vonleh, a 6-foot-3 sophomore center. “I couldn’t see myself being there for four years, so I knew I should probably take a chance and see if I could find the right person for the next three years. Fortunately, I have chosen a place where I think I can succeed for the rest of my career.
Vonleh played sparingly for the Wildcats last year, averaging 4.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in 17 games. She had two points in three minutes against the Buffs in the Pac-12 tournament.
With the Buffs, she has the potential to be a different creator in the paint.
“Aaronette Vonleh is going to be a hugely impactful player for us,” said CU head coach JR Payne.
Payne and the UC staff recruited Vonleh from West Linn High School in Oregon, which helped rekindle a relationship when Vonleh entered the transfer portal in the spring.
So far, Vonleh is happy with her decision.
“I like it a lot,” she said. “I’m from Oregon, so it reminds me of home – the community, the team, everything has been great so far.”
Although Arizona isn’t a perfect fit for her, she enjoys her time with the Wildcats, as she was able to use that season to acclimate to college basketball and college life.
“I think the first year is kind of about getting that experience, seeing the differences, what I need to work more on and do differently,” she said. “This year I focused on applying those things and also being able to help incoming freshmen since I just went through the same thing.”
Including her season at Arizona, which reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Vonleh is used to being around high-profile basketball.
A four-star freshman out of high school, Vonleh is the sister of Boston Celtics Noah Vonleh, who was the 9th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
“He’s just another support system I can go to,” said Vonleh, who is eight years younger than his brother. “He always tells me things that I don’t necessarily want to hear but need to hear. It’s just nice to have someone I know who will tell me the raw truth.
“He also has experience (college basketball). Even though it was on the male side, they are both quite similar. Training with him has definitely helped me a lot over the years, watching his game and trying to be like him.
While CU expects Vonleh to contribute points and rebounds, his experiences and leadership could be invaluable to an ever-growing Buffs program. The Buffs reached the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2013 and have only been there twice in the past 18 years.
“There are definitely pros and cons to going to a program that already exists (Arizona) and then going to one that’s growing,” Vonleh said. “I think I prefer this situation. Everyone obviously wants to get to the tournament, but we also have big goals outside of that, just to become a better program overall and stay there for the long haul and not just once. We want to keep going back every year, so building this is fun.