Paul Klee: Her Alabama roots explain CU Buffs' Jaylyn Sherrod, the heart and soul of Sweet 16 team

Mar. 23—BOULDER — There's a man down in Birmingham by the name of Coach Otis. There's a woman who goes by Coach Carol. They don't work together, but together they help explain Jaylyn Sherrod.

Lord knows the CU Buffs women's basketball star requires an explanation.

Such as: How does a 5-foot-7 (shoes on, hair up) Alabama hurricane lead the Buffaloes to a Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 years? And how does she do that while graduating in three years with a Masters coming? Oh, and why didn't she transfer out of Colorado when times were tough? Last year over 1,100 women's players entered the transfer portal.

"I'd say Coach Otis and Coach Carol were a big part (of) why I'm here," Sherrod told me.

OK, so let's hear them tell it. Please explain, Coach Otis.

"In an age where kids are so mentally weak and coddled and you've got so much entitlement," Otis Leverette says from Alabama, "Jaylyn got it the hard way. She took it clean out the mud."

And Carol Rhoden: "What makes her special is her willingness to dig deep and say, 'I'm good, but I want to be better.' She always wants more. She's been that way since the sixth grade."

The No. 6 Buffs get No. 2 Iowa at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena on Friday for a spot in the Elite Eight. Iowa star Caitlin Clark, a frontrunner for national player of the year, is the headliner.

Sherrod is the disruptor, and the world needs more disruptors at the moment. She's the kind of young woman who, after a 58-point loss to Oregon, told the TV cameras: "They still have to come to Boulder." She's not scared of anything. She's a fighter. She's perfect for JR Payne.

"I love that girl," Payne, the Buffaloes coach, was telling me.

To reach the Sweet 16, CU beat No. 11 Middle Tennessee State then upset No. 3 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Shelley Sheetz, the CU athletics Hall of Famer, compares these Buffs to the 1993 squad that advanced to the Elite Eight: "Our women's program has put Colorado back on the map."

The smallest woman in the playing rotation is the biggest reason to watch ESPN at 5:30 pm Friday.

Coach Otis met Jaylyn when she was 13, Coach Carol when she was 11. Both are former pro athletes from the Birmingham area, where Sherrod grew up and later attended Ramsay High.

Coach Otis is a former NFL player who's trained over 300 athletes — from high school kids to Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston. Not ready to work? Don't sign up for his Modernday Fitness (MDF) training program. Jaylyn fit right in next to his football hopefuls.

"She was raw, man. Raw with a whole lot of killer instinct. Winning meant something to her, even then," Coach Otis said. "When I'm judging talent, I don't look at a type. I look at the intangibles: How much do they want it? She wants it. She wants it bad."

Coach Otis continued: "Let me just say I am so happy you guys are writing a story about Jaylyn. We need more stories like her. Our kids have fallen in love with product over process. What they don't know is that in life there ain't going to be no magic beans at the county fair."

What if Sherrod is the magic bean?

CU's transformation is evident over Sherrod's four seasons — from 5-13 in the Pac-12 during her freshman year to 13-5 in this, her senior year. She has one season of eligibility remaining.

"Behind every top-tier athlete there's an 'it' factor. You can't see, feel or touch it," Coach Otis says. "She's always had that. She changes the DNA of the culture wherever she's at."

Coach Carol Rhoden is a former WNBA player who founded "Created 2 Hoop," a program that works with aspiring athletes from middle school on. Coach Carol and Jaylyn won two titles together when Jaylyn was a fearless middle schooler. Coach Carol asked Jaylyn in sixth grade, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Little Jaylyn didn't hesitate: "Forensic science."

Her career path has diverted. Sherrod's pursuing a Masters in Organizational Leadership.

"I'm going to be totally honest with you: Jaylyn is going to be a phenomenal college coach," Coach Carol says. "She'll have a profound effect on every kid she comes into contact with."

CU enters the Sweet 16 as a five-point underdog to Iowa.

"Look at Iowa's roster compared to our roster," says Payne, referencing a pair of Hawkeyes All-Americans. "We are (the underdog)."

Explaining the Jaylyn Sherrod story also helps explain the CU Buffs' story. Payne and her staff brought Jaylyn's roots along for a ride that's found them in the Sweet 16.

"I've been in this business for 15 years and no one's involved me more than (CU)," Coach Otis says. "They involved me in everything. When she was struggling, they merged her past with her present. They understand it's more about the Jimmys and the Joes than the Xs and Os."