6-foot-3 center, Lisa Van Goor was a South Dakota legend by the time she graduated from Yankton High School. She led the Gazelles to three straight state titles, was a two-time all-state performer and a Parade All-American as a senior.
But where would she play in college? She had many suitors – over four dozen colleges were in pursuit. She was first signed to play at the University of Colorado by coach Rene Portland, who left for Penn State in late May 1980. Along came CU’s next coach, Sox Walseth, a South Dakotan himself, who drove to Yankton in mid-July to convince her to keep her commitment to the then – Lady Buffs.
She did not disappoint as a freshman, averaging 18.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in being named to Kodak’s All-Freshman Team. In earning all-conference honors as a freshman and sophomore, Van Goor led CU to back-to-back 28-wins and two Intermountain Conference titles.
The opponents got tougher her junior year, when the Big Eight Conference first recognized the sport. CU finished fourth (7-5) behind three ranked teams – 21-8 overall but undefeated at home.
Walseth retired after the ’82-83 season, and was replaced by Ceal Barry (both of whom are Colorado Sports Hall of Famers). At first, it was more of the same; with Van Goor leading the way, the Lady Buffs won their first four games under Barry, including a 95-73 rout of No. 16 Arizona State. Then disaster hit: she suffered a stress fracture in her foot. She missed the remainder of the season, and after qualifying for a medical redshirt, missed the first 15 games in ’84-85.
She exited as CU’s all-time leader in scoring (2,076 points), rebounds (1,127) and blocked shots (281); the scoring mark held though 2011, but the others still stand. And her 18.0 points per game still reign supreme (she owned the top average all five of her seasons). In 115 career games, she scored in double figures 108 times, with 59 double-doubles, led the team in scoring 70 games and in rebounds 64 times. CU was 83-32 with her in the lineup, and won its first 49 home games with her on the court.
During her time in Boulder, she was a three-time, first-team All-District and All-Conference performer, a two-time finalist for the Wade Trophy (national player of the year) and eventually made the Big Eight All-Decade Team. She played on three national teams as well, including the USA National Team after her freshman year.
After CU, she played professionally overseas for seven years in Spain (where she was a five-time All-Star), Italy and France, and once returning to the U.S., has been active with the school’s Alumni C Club and Buffs4Life (a non-profit that raises funds for former CU athletes and coaches in need).
She was inducted with four others into CU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in it’s second class in 1999 – following the inaugural class that had just one member: Byron “Whizzer” White. Thus, not only the first female member of CU’s HOF, but at the time deemed one of the school’s top six most accomplished athletes.
And now, some 40 years after her final game as a Lady Buff, she is finally recognized as one of the state of Colorado’s all-time greats.
By Dave Plati, University of Colorado: Historian/SID-Emeritus
