WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2005
If you need to rebuild, Snvderize
BASKETBALL PREVIEW
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Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder scheduled easy nonconference games to ensure his team had a chance at a bow. He can take satisfaction in the fact that his name has become a verb. Case in point: Bonnie Henrickson has Snyderized this year's women's basketball schedule.
With a Big 12-high 21 home games, the Jayhawks have given themselves a chance at success and perhaps their first postseason victory of the decade.
This sort of scheduling should not be criticized but rather ap-
plaued. With six newcomers on the team it would be foolish to spend December getting beat up by nationally-ranked teams, only to have to turn around and do it again in Big 12 play.
Instead, Henrickson will give her young players an opportunity to win playing time and establish themselves in the lineup, meaning the veterans will not have to carry as much of the load during conference play.
Of course, with such scheduling expectations are sure to follow, something Henrickson is not afraid to tackle head-on.
Michael Phillips
MPHILLIPS@KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 9C
"Realistically, a shot at postseason is within our grasp," she said. "I think it's something we shouldn't be afraid to talk about."
And the team has no reason not to talk about it. The Jayhawks' first opponent that finished last season with a winning
record won't come to town until December 18. That will be the mighty Florida International.
Senior forward Crystal Kemp says her goal is to try to finish in the top half of the Big 12, which if accomplished would all but guarantee the Jayhawks a spot in the tournament.
Last year, Texas A&M finished the season ninth in the conference with a 16-15 overall record. The team was invited to the Women's NIT.
On paper, it seems like the only things that could bring the Jayhawks down are things that
can't be planned for on paper.
While having 12 players represents a huge improvement compared to last year, it still falls short of the 15 that teams are allowed to have. Injuries to key players would be tremendously damaging to the team and its goals.
If everything holds up as planned, Henrickson will have her team believing it can win every contest this season. She is one of the best coaches in the country, as evidenced by the strides last year's team made during the season.
team was able to hang with Baylor for 30 minutes. It will be exciting to see what Henrickson can do with more and better athletes.
By the end of last year, the
Yes, it is probably unfair to put postseason expectations on a second-year coach, but in this situation it is certainly not unreasonable.
Besides, sports fans in Kansas are used to success, no matter whether it comes Snyderized.
- Phillips is a Wichita junior in journalism. He is a Kansan Web editor.
Women's team looks to excel at home games
MICHAEL PHILIPS
mphillips@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
One of the signs of fatigue in basketball is when a player tugs on her shorts.
Erica Hallman's shorts must have grown at least two sizes last year.
The senior averaged 35.4 minutes per game playing point guard, one of the most demanding positions on the court. Throw on that she's not a natural point guard, and it was a long season.
Hallman's experience was not the exception but rather the rule on a team that could barely scrimmage itself in practice.
Despite the fatigue, first-year coach Bonnie Henrickson still led the team to a 12-16 record, which it will look to build on this year.
With a conference-high 21 home games, the Jayhawks will have an opportunity to train their six newcomers in a friendly environment and against mostly non-threatening teams.
and this year includes the defending national champion. Baylor.
The team cannot waste any time, though, because in January it begins Big 12 conference play. The Big 12 has become one of the toughest leagues in the nation,
"In 18 months, we've really moved forward and are building momentum," she said. "There's a lot more work to be done. We haven't arrived yet."
The most critical position for the Jayhawks this year will be point guard, where two new-comers, freshman Ivana Catic and junior Shaquina Mosley, will lead the team.
Mosley joins the team after winning the National Junior College/Community College Player of the Year last year at Central Arizona College.
"She can get to things." Henrickson said. "You can gamble a little bit more with her, and she can still force a tough shot."
Henrickson borrowed a football term, closing speed, to describe how Mosley can catch up to an offensive player who is on a fast break.
Those skills will help as Henrickson tries to find a replacement for the defensive presence of departed senior Aquanita Burras, who was the team's strongest defender last year.
The team's youth places the burden on three seniors to help steer the ship.
Forward Crystal Kemp, guard Erica Hallman, and guard Kaylee Brown will all play their final seasons this year, and will have to provide consistency.
"They realize we need them to have great senior years," Henrickson said.
The reward for the seniors'
patience will be more time on the bench, which was hard for them to come by last year.
"We didn't have enough people last year," Brown said. "Now we have people who can sub in for us and give us breaks but keep the flow."
Hallman will move from point guard to her natural position on the wing. She was able to work on the position during the summer playing in a league in her home state of Kentucky. This year Henrickson hopes to use Hallman and the rest of the defenders as playmakers.
"Quality teams get you out of your offense, and at some point you have to make a play." she said. "We didn't have that last year."
Henrickson understands that after just two years on the job, the rebuilding project is not done, but she is pleased with the strides made in the offseason.
"There are days that we look at these young kids and want them to be better," she said. "But then you look at the returners and realize how much better they were than a year ago."
Just what will happen when six newcomers will take on the Big 12, nobody knows for sure. But for now, fatigue is one thing that Henrickson won't have to worry about.
Edited by Patrick Ross
Jared Soares/Kansan
KU players Crystal Kemp, left, and Sharita Smith, right, share a laugh while looking at this season's mugshots during Media Day. The KU Women's basketball team has the most home games in the Big 12 Conference this year.
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