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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON REVIEW Making the grade: Kansas players had a memorable year
KATHLEEN GIER
kgier@kansan.com
RYAN MCCARTHY
rmyccarthy.com
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A young player who showed improvement when Davis stepped out, Williams provided important minutes during the home stretch for the Jayhawks. Although she was not a consistent contributor, Williams occasionally provided important offensive rebounds and minutes when Sutherland, Davis and Gardner got into foul trouble. Look for Williams to progress throughout this off-season and be a key contributor off the bench in her sophomore campaign.
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Despite a season-ending left knee dislocation and ACL tear, Davis turned in 23 respectable games with a team-high 16.9 points per game. Davis had surgery on her ACL on Tuesday and is expected to be back for next season. Although injured, Davis continued to support her team by guiding the freshman forwards and providing insight in a de facto coaching role. Davis was named to the All-Big 12 first team and finished third in the NCAA in field goal percentage with 59.8 percent.
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Knight started every game this season and showed great promise as a freshman. She averaged 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. She also had the lowest number of turnovers among the consistent starters. As the season progressed, she was asked to make greater effort, and she did. In conference play, she averaged 6.1 points per game, which isn't a great improvement, but she took 18 more shots and developed a knack for hitting impact three-pointers and continually improved on her number of aggressive plays.
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One of the most athletic players in all of women's basketball, Sutherland wowed people with her bounce and rebounding ability, but her calming presence on and off the court kept the Jayhawks loose and relaxed, especially during their Sweet 16 run. Sutherland was a monster on the glass finishing third in the Big 12 with 9.1 rebounds during the conference season. She finished the season as the premier rebounder on the team with 303 total boards. Although Sutherland got into four trouble occasionally, she provided a much-needed boost especially after Davis went out with her injury.
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Engelman lost her starting position this year after 21 games. She sat out one of the exhibition games and the Delaware game in the second round of the tournament. Engelman is a captain and started every game last season, so the time on the bench was surprising. Early in the season, Henrickson said Engelman's shooting form had changed in the off-season. She averaged 7.8 points per game in 26.1 minutes, but had 86 turnovers this season. If she makes some changes to her offense and gets back on Henrickson's good side, she will be able to contribute more next season.
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Put in the difficult position of replacing Garolyn Davis, Gardner was asked by the coaching staff to get better each game and not try to be the star forward. In her 10 starts, Gardner did that and more, putting together a nice home stretch that included two double-doubles against Nebraska and Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament. Gardner will only continue to improve and has the body frame and basic post moves to eventually become a force in the conference. The main thing she needs to work on for next year is staying out of foul trouble.
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Harper started 12 games as a substitute for Monica Engelman. She was one of the team's best perimeter defenders. In the Delaware game, she was singled out in the diamond-and-one defense and bothered Elena Delle Donne despite her significant size disadvantage. Harper was a spark on offense and made aggressive plays, finishing with 32 steals and averaging three points per game.
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Henrickson made this team resilient. After losing two transfers and Davis to injury, she was able to rally the team and keep them focused. In her eighth year with Kansas, the Jayhawks reached their first NCAA Tournament since 2000. There were many ups and downs this season, but she proved herself and likely cemented her job with the late tournament run. She was able to engineer an impressive season, despite challenges and has good recruits coming in next year.
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Battling burn knees for much of the season, Jackson continued to push through the pain and be the emotional leader for the team. Jackson's mentality as a spark plug during the season helped Kansas, especially when asked to guard taurt player players. She showed her emotions on the bench, too. Jackson lost her voice from shouting most games and always led the team in the pregame fire up the team. If Jackson can stay healthy, she'll be another key player for Kansas next year.
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Goodrich was named AP All-American Honorable Mention on Monday. She started every game this season and averaged 37.5 minutes a game. She led the young Jayhawks through almost every possession while increasing her own production on both ends of the floor. She averaged 14 points a game and led the nation with 7.4 assists per game. She was also one of the premier defenders, with 82 steals and 30 charges taken. She finished the season with four-straight 20-point games. Goodrich provided the consistency the Jayhawks needed to stay focused and continue to win after losing Carolyn Davis. Goodrich is still a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which honors the country's best point guard.
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Boyd only played in 18 games, despite entering the program as the highest-ranked recruit in coach Henrickson's eight years. She averaged three points and 10 minutes per game and had 18 turnovers in the season. She has a strong shot and can make impact plays, but does not tally enough minutes to really make a difference. If she buys into Henrickson's plan, she could become one of the best guards to go through the program.
Edited by Ian Cummings