Following a practice this past week at the CU Events Center, Anaelle Dutat had just a quick moment to talk to a visitor.
“I have class in about 20 minutes,” she said.
Such is the life for Dutat this summer, a newcomer to the Colorado women’s basketball team who hasn’t had much time for anything beyond school and hoops. It’s well worth it for the opportunity she has with the Buffaloes, however.
“I’m taking 20 credits in the summer to be eligible in the fall,” said Dutat, a senior transfer from Rhode Island. “I’m at full classes. It’s busy, but it’s manageable.”
The last of five transfer additions for CU this offseason, Dutat signed in May and brings an intriguing skillset to the rebuilt Buffaloes. At 6-feet tall, she played in the paint a lot at Rhode Island, but will be an athletic wing for the Buffs.
“AD is, like, our prototypical wing,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “She’s long, she’s super bouncy, she’s really athletic, she has a phenomenal motor. And she just has the mental toughness and wherewithal to just persevere. No matter what, she just gets the job done. So she’ll be someone that we can rely on, on both sides of the floor.”
And in the classroom.
Dutat, who was born in Rang-du-Fliers, France, is a biomedical engineering major. After an exceptional junior season at Rhode Island, she entered the transfer portal and was recruited by several schools, but chose CU in part because it offered her the best educational opportunity.
“I went on a visit (to CU) and I really liked it, and also they make it work with my classes and stuff,” she said. “I came to the U.S. to be able to do basketball and some good studies, because in France, it’s really hard. Like, usually you go pro and you don’t have that much time for studies and stuff so that’s the main part of why I came to the U.S.
“That’s why it was really important for me to finish it, get a degree at the end, and get an education.”
Dutat enjoyed her time at Rhode Island, she said, but “after spending three years out there, I wanted something different, playing at a higher level.”
While the educational component of CU was important to Dutat, so is the opportunity to challenge herself in the Big 12 Conference.
Last year, Dutat led Rhode Island with 7.9 rebounds per game, while also averaging 7.9 points, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals and earning all-defensive team honors in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
At CU, she’ll have the opportunity to play outside the paint more and expand her game.
“Honestly, I’m really, really excited about it,” said Dutat, one of just two seniors on the team, along with Jade Masogayo. “I played mainly as a post player at Rhode Island; I played a little bit of everything, but mostly a post player. (At CU), it’s really different, but really, I think it’s a new challenge. I think I’m up for it, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Offensively, Dutat can drive to the hoop and she’s working on her shot to become a threat from 3-point range, but the core of her game is defense and rebounding – two aspects Payne stresses heavily.
“Honestly, that’s, like, just what I do, so it’s not really like a task or anything,” Dutat said. “Honestly, like, defense and rebounding is, I’d say, my base.”
CU doesn’t have much depth or experience in the paint, especially with the recent departure of sophomore Tabitha Betson, but Dutat’s rebounding ability figures to be a huge asset.
“I guarantee there will be a game, or many games this year, where she comes up with just an absolute clutch defensive rebound or offensive put-back or defensive stop,” Payne said. “She just seems like that kid.”