Over the years, the Colorado women’s basketball team has found benefits to foreign tours in the summer.

The NCAA allows teams to take an overseas trip once every four years and last August the Buffaloes felt they built good team chemistry during a 10-day, three-game trip to Spain.

CU head coach JR Payne also likes the benefit of her team staying in Boulder this summer.

“It is great that we don’t have a foreign tour this summer; great in that we can focus really on individual development,” Payne said. “Last summer, we couldn’t do that. People like (then-freshman) Bri McLeod, who I think has a world of potential, got very little individual skill development because so much of what we were doing was team — inputting offense and defense schemes, getting ready to play. I’m excited for that development (this summer).”

Coming off the first Sweet 16 run in 20 years for the program, the Buffs are still a few weeks away from the start of their summer workouts, but there will be a different approach to the six-week program.

CU will have seven newcomers, including five freshmen. While eight veterans return as the core of the team, Payne believes individual improvement is a top priority.

“We’re really going to be focused on individual development,” she said. “We made an individual game plan for every player.”Veterans will return to Boulder in about a week and prepare to work summer youth camps. Freshmen will arrive in late June and offseason workouts kick off July 3. Per NCAA rules, the staff is limited to only eight hours per week with the players, with four of those for weights and conditioning. That leaves only four hours of basketball per week. Payne said three of those four hours will be spent on individual development.

In addition, there will be times when coaches will be on the road recruiting and the staff will encourage some open gym time “with a little bit of structure,” to be led by the players.

This is a big summer for the Buffs as they hope to continue the success they’ve enjoyed the past two years.

During the 2021-22 season, CU ended a nine-year NCAA Tournament drought. The Buffs were even better this past season, finishing third in the Pac-12, winning an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2003 and reaching the Sweet 16. The Buffs are 47-18 the past two seasons.

With the bulk of last year’s rotation returning — led by first-team All-Pac-12 performers Quay Miller and Jaylyn Sherrod — there will be expectations for CU to be as good, if not better, in 2023-24.

“I think it’ll be a new challenge for our team,” Payne said. “We’ve never had expectations levied on us before, so I think that’s an exciting, new challenge. On the flip side, I think we do a really good job of keeping our focus exactly where it needs to be.”

Other teams in the Pac-12 have reloaded, as well, and Payne said she expects the conference to be a gauntlet once again.

“I think it could be the best it’s ever been, top to bottom,” she said.

Notable

CU has one open scholarship and Payne expects to fill that spot with a veteran transfer. … The Buffs are still finalizing their schedule, but they will host Oklahoma State on opening weekend and also have road trips to Air Force, New Mexico State and SMU on the slate. … Payne received a new five-year contract in late March and BuffZone recently obtained the details of her contract. She will earn $730,000 in annual salary, a significant raise over the $417,500 she earned annually on her last deal. As with the previous deal, Payne also has several incentives in her contract if the Buffs win at least 19 regular season games and advance to and in the NCAA Tournament. CU also doubled the amount of liquidated damages Payne would owe if she terminates the deal before it expires. She would owe $600,000 if she terminates the deal before April 30, 2024; $500,000 before April 30, 2025; $300,000 before April 30, 2027; and $100,000 before April 30, 2028.