4B = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL9, 2003
'Hawks begin comeback
Usually, there's not much to say about an 11-18 record.
At most colleges, a mark of 17- 44 over a two-year span would result in the hiring of a new coach to instill some long-needed enthusiasm.
SPORTS COMMENTARY
That's not the case for the Kansas women's basketball team.
Ryan Greene
rereeene@kansan.com
Over the course of a tumultuous season, the young Jayhawks formed a cohesive unit to finish the season strong. The team was made up of seven newcomers, forcing freshmen into a premature starting roles and younger returning players into positions of power on the floor.
Optimism was abundant early in the season, when Kansas started out 5-0. The early winning streak was capped by an 83-45 slashing of Texas Southern — a game in which all 12 players to suit up scored.
All was good at the time, as the Jayhawks even received a few votes in the Top-25 polls. After the hot start came a 3-3 finish to the nonconference season and then another tough conference stretch.
The Big 12 Conference was especially tough this year, sending five teams to the NCAA tournament and two more to the WNIT.
a home game against No. 4 Kansas State. The Wildcats blew the roof off Allen Fieldhouse with an 88-49 victory. After the K-State debacle, the Jayhawks lost their next two games against Iowa State and Oklahoma State by a total of six points.
After two more conference defeats, the Jayhawks headed on the road to Texas A&M with a 9-9 overall record, and an 0-5 mark in conference play. In College Station, Texas, the young Jayhawk squad played with nothing to lose, and a 65-57 victory snapped the program's 23-game Big 12 losing streak.
The conference schedule was something to be feared. It was because of the talent the Jayhawks would face and because most members of the team had not been tested against conference opponents. The Jayhawks relied on junior guard Leila Menguç and sophomore guard Blair Waltz for leadership and to tell the team's newcomers what to expect.
The conference season could not have had a tougher start, with
The Jayhawks kept the momentum going four days later with another conference victory; a 67-64 thriller against Nebraska. The Nebraska victory was a shining example that the team's newcomers were beginning to play like seasoned veterans, especially after sophomore guard Aquanita Burras' late free throws sealed the victory.
Following the second consecutive victory, the Jayhawks fell victim to a brutal schedule. Seven of the team's final nine conference games would come against teams bound for the postseason. The only victory from there on out came in the rematch with Nebraska, but in that stretch came two losses to Missouri and another beating from Kansas State.
Heading to the Big 12 tournament, Kansas seemed demoralized. A 25-point loss in the regular season finale to Iowa State led to a rematch with the Cyclones in the tournament's first round. Instead of laying down for Iowa State, Kansas came out in Dallas and made its best collaborative effort as a team this season. The Jayhawks stunned the Cyclones, 63-60. Freshman forward Crystal Kemp had 21 points and 11 rebounds in the effort, and no matter what happened in the second round against top-seeded Texas, the Jayhawks had their emotional high to take into the offseason.
The next day, Kansas' season was ended by the Longhorns, with an 87-56 loss. The loss hurt in more ways than one. Not only did the Jayhawks get dominated by a Final Four-bound Texas team but Mengtüç went down late in the game with a torn ACL.
The season ended with a rough afternoon in Dallas, but as the saying goes, every cloud has its silver lining.
These days around the women's basketball office in Allen Fieldhouse, there is nothing but optimism heading into the summer.
Kansan file photo
The team is hoping to be completely healthy for next season. Menguc, along with freshman guard Erica Hallman have had successful knee surgeries in order to return to top form next year.
Freshman forward Tamara Ransburg makes a move to the basket against Missouri on Feb. 15, a game that Kansas lost 61-55. The women's basketball team faced a tough conference schedule and finished with an 11-18 overall record, a vast improvement over the 2001-2002 season.
Coach Marian Washington has a top-notch recruiting class coming in, with versatile forward Lauren Ervin from Inglewood, Calif., and point guard Sharita Smith from Dallas.
More than anything, the team's first-year players from last season will all be considered veterans now
and expected to step up as leaders.
Washington now heads into her 31st season as coach, also the final year of her contract, with
optimism. In 2001-2002, her team was bad. In 2002-2003, her team was better. Hopefully, in 2003-2004, her team can once
again be considered dangerous.
Greene is a Vernon Hills, IL., junior in journalism.
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