Growing up, Colorado's Meagan Malcolm-Peck would regularly attend Buffs women's basketball games with her family, and she still has a vivid memory of one player in particular who always hustled - knee pads and all.

That person? Current Colorado head coach Linda Lappe, who played at Colorado from 1998-2003 and helped the Buffaloes to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

"We'd have season tickets and watch all the games," Malcolm-Peck said. "I just remember she would dive on the floor and have all this energy."

Lappe's recent playing experience has been a positive for Malcolm-Peck and her teammates, who can look at their head coach as someone who leads by example.

"She has been through it, she played here," Malcolm-Peck said. "When she says 'you can do this', she means it."