By Craig Harper
Camera Sports Writer

Caroline Koechlin has decided not to return for a second season with the Colorado women's basketball team, leaving coach Ceal Barry one scholarship short and unsure who her third guard will be next season.

Koechlin, who averaged 5.2 points and 16.8 minutes providing relief for starting guards Mandy Nightingale and Jenny Roulier during CU's run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, will return to her native France after the spring semester.

"I'm a little disappointed, but it's not a shock because she told us before she came she probably would only stay for one year," Barry said Tuesday. "She liked it so much she thought maybe she could go for a second year. But I think her mom was kind of interested in having her come back."

The 5-6 Koechlin, who was a junior in eligibility for the 2000-01 season after coming to CU from Montpellier, France, played a valuable role for the Buffs.

"She was really, really key," Barry said. "When she came in, it became more of an up-tempo game and we were able to put more pressure on guards, particularly (Baylor's) Sheila Lambert. She was an important person, and not just anybody can replace her."

The leading candidates are sophomore-to-be Kate Fagan, who played some last season; redshirt freshman Syreeta Stafford, who did not play this year after tearing an ACL about a year ago; and fall signee Veronica Johns-Richardson.

"It forces us to develop Syreeta and Veronica at the point guard; it'd be nice to have (Koechlin) here," Barry said. "There's also the option of playing Kate, whose been here two years, and Roulier could play some point.

"But we're really going to want to develop Syreeta and Veronica."

Barry is not sure if she'll fill Koechlin's scholarship for a team that loses just one senior, forward Kami Carmann. The Buffs definitely won't sign a player today, the first day of the spring signing period. Last fall Barry signed two players, the 5-10 Johns-Richardson from Fullerton, Calif., and 6-3 Cecily Jones of Katy, Texas.

"We're not really in on anybody right now," Barry said. "It would have to kind of drop in our lap. If somebody drops in our lap who's better than what we have, we'll take a look at them."

Barry did say she and her staff are "looking at a JC forward and a couple of players overseas that we've heard about. But I'm not really pushing it."

Speaking of overseas, Barry and her staff will coach the Big 12 team that travels to Austria and Germany for about a half-dozen games. CU's Ricardo Patton coached the men's team last summer.

Barry said she'll be allowed to take two of her players to the team, which will include a player from every other Big 12 team except Texas Tech and Oklahoma, which are going to Europe on their own this summer.

"Three of our players are going to the USA Basketball trials this summer, so we'll have to work around that and who the other 11 we're going to take are," Barry said, adding she'll limit her CU selections to sophomores or juniors who weren't team members when the Buffs toured Europe two years ago.

Those players could include Linda Lappe and Sabrina Scott, depending on how they are recovering from post-season surgeries.

Barry said both are doing well.

Scott, who had back surgery, "is up and walking around, and is going to start doing exercises soon."

Lappe's ankle surgery was more serious than Scott's, and there is a chance she might not be able to return for the 2001-02 season. Barry said Lappe has been on crutches for the past two weeks since the operation and will be on them six more weeks. "She gets the stitches out this week, then she'll be able to do a few things where she can break a sweat."

Contact Craig Harper at harperc@thedailycamera.com