Colorado School of Mines basketball players enjoy dancing.
Usually it’s to songs like Sean Paul’s “Temperature,” as seniors Jenna Shandy and Quincey Baum described.
But this week, they’ll be doing a different kind of dancing.
Guarded by Regis players, Mines guard Kellon Johnson (1) dribbles toward the basket during the Feb. 24 game at Colorado School of Mines. The Orediggers won the game 99-72.
Both Mines basketball teams have secured spots in the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournaments.
The No. 6-seeded Mines men’s team was set to play at No. 3-seeded CSU Pueblo March 3; and the No. 8-seeded Mines women’s team, at No. 1-seeded Colorado Mesa the same night.
If either or both teams advance, they’ll play a second-round game March 6 at the highest remaining seed’s home venue. Championship games will be March 7.
The Mines women’s basketball team closed out its regular season Feb. 26 with a loss at MSU Denver, racking up a 15-16 overall record and 10-10 RMAC record for 2025-26.
Later that night, the Mines men’s team won a nailbiter against MSU Denver, wrapping up its regular season with with a 16-15 overall record and 12-8 RMAC record.
A ‘special’ Senior Night
On Feb. 24, the Mines basketball teams celebrated their respective Senior Nights Feb. 24 against Regis.
While the men’s team had a lone honoree — fifth-year senior Caleb Clark — the women’s team recognized both Shandy and Baum.
Colorado School of Mines senior guard Caleb Clark, center, and his family members celebrate Senior Night before the Feb. 24 game against Regis.
Grady Boudreaux/Mines Athletics
Baum is a sixth-year senior who had both a redshirt year and an extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s currently working on her second master’s degree in environment resource & energy policy, and is set to graduate in May.
After graduation, Baum said she’s moving to Utah to work for Procter & Gamble, explaining how she’s worked there over the last few summers.
“It’s surreal,” Baum said of her time at Mines coming to an end. “You never think it’s going to happen until it actually comes.”
She thanked her family members, friends and fellow Orediggers who came out to the Feb. 24 Senior Night game, saying they “made it feel special.”
Shandy is a fifth-year senior working on her master’s degree in engineering & technology management. After she graduates in May, she’s planning to move overseas to pursue a professional basketball career.
“I want to keep playing somewhere,” she said, “but it’s up in the air right now.”
Shandy holds several program records, including the single-game scoring record with 40 points and the most field goals made in a season. During the 2024-25 season, she recorded five separate games with 30 or more points.
At center, Colorado School of Mines senior guard Jenna Shandy receives applause from her family members, friends and supporters during the team’s Feb. 24 Senior Night ceremony.
Both Shandy and Baum said they were open to coaching in the future, describing how much they’ve loved playing basketball and studying at Mines. Their favorite memories included the bus rides to their road games, and playing various card games, especially Spoons.
Baum also remarked how her six years at Mines has spanned both championship-caliber teams and rebuilding teams.
“It’s been unique for both Jenna and I … getting to see both sides of that coin,” she continued.
But Baum and Shandy felt that the fact they both decided to play all their eligible years at Mines speaks to the program’s quality, with Baum saying, “Girls want to stay here. And that’s a reflection on the program, the school and people here.”
Shandy said the university is “a very challenging but also a very supportive environment,” and she thanked everyone who’s supported her through that journey.
“After being here so long, we’ve built a community here where we feel loved and supported,” Shandy said. “But it finally feels like it’s hit — that it’s coming to an end.”