10B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Freshman guard Angel Goodrich's effect hasn't just been seen during games for the Jayhawks this season. Goodrich's clever moves and on-court intuition is being picked up by other players on the Kansas team.
Guards learn from Goodrich
BY ANDREW TAYLOR
ataylor@kansan.com
The women's basketball regular season hasn't even started and freshman point guard Angel Goodrich has already made an effect on the Kansas Jayhawks that goes far beyond her play on the court. Goodrich's skills and on-court intuition have begun to rub off on junior guard Rhea Codio and the rest of her teammates.
"I think it's contagious," coach Bonnie Henrickson said of Goodrich's effect on the team.
While Goodrich turned in a solid seven assist, two point performance in the laj Hawks' 85-48 exhibition victory against the Emporia State Hornets Nov. 8, the point guards behind her on the bench strived to make their presence known as well.
In 14 minutes of backup work to Goodrich, Codio, a junior college transfer, tallied four assists. Codio seemed to borrow many of those assists right out of Goodrich's playbook.
"When I sit by Rhea on the bench, I can just feel her knowing she wants to go out there and do the same thing as Angel," senior guard Danielle McCray said.
About halfway through the first half against Emporia State, as McCray and Codio both sat on the bench, Goodrich led a three on two charge for the Jayhawks. As she drove the ball down the court she confused defenders by first looking right and then back left before making an outstanding, no-look, behind-the-back pass to junior center Krysten Boogaard. Although Boogaard missed the shot. Goodrich received an ovation from the fans. One man sporting a Jayawk sweater and baseball cap even stood up to applaud Goodrich's efforts.
"I thought Angel threw some beautiful passes and I told the post players they got a couple of them that need to take her out to dinner tonight," Henrickson said.
Codio was at the helm of the Jayhawks transition offense in a nearly identical play late in the first half. As the Jayhawks flew down the court, Codio seemed to mimic Goodrich by bouncing a no-look pass behind her back to freshman Annette Davis, who laid it in for two points.
"Sometimes when we're running plays or doing drills, I go in the back just to watch how she does the
drill," Codio said of Goodrich.
In those same practices, however Goodrich also takes note of Codio's skill set as she continues to learn the Kansas offense.
"We push each other in practice." Goodrich said.
The play made by Codio, however, simply exemplifies one intangible aspect that Goodrich provides for the team. Her presence and ability to find open players at any point in the offense causes her teammates to try to step up their game.
"As a group, we're moving to be more aggressive without the ball, trying to get into a passing lane," Henrickson said.
McCray nicely summed up the need for players to be constantly aware when Goodrich was on the court and handling the ball.
"If we're not running and not looking up the court she's going to hit us in the back of the head," McCray said.
Follow Andrew Taylor at twitter.com/andrew_taylor11
Edited by Tim Burgess
NFL
Gonzalez poses naked in PETA anti-fur campaign
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga.
— Here's a change in Atlanta: A Falcons player showing some love for animals.
Providing quite a contrast to Michael Vick's gruesome dogfighting operation, tight end Tony Gonzalez and his wife, October, posed in the nude for an anti-fur advertisement from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Atlanta Falcons' tight end Tony Gonzalez and his wife October pose nude for an animal rights campaign. Gonzalez said animal rights were something he felt strongly about.
The newly released ad, which was photographed over the summer in Los Angeles, shows the couple sitting together on green turf for the group's "We'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign. They're following celebrities who have posed in the buff, including Dennis Rodman, Pamela Anderson and Dominique Swain, while others such as Paul McCartney and Charlize Theron have worn clothes in the campaign.
"It looks good," Gonzalez said Wednesday, glancing at the photo on a reporter's cell phone while standing at his locker. "It's something me and my wife talked about. It's something we feel very strongly about. That's a great cause, especially when you educate yourself and find out what is happening out there in the world."
The long-running PETA campaign has relied on star power in
an attempt to persuade people not to wear furs or other clothing made from animal skins. The group claims that animals are often beaten, strangled, stomped,
electrocuted and even skinned alive.
Gonzalez said he was appalled when he saw pictures and videos provided by the group.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Freshman guard will take redshirt this season
Coach Bonnie Henrickson announced Tuesday that she will redshirt freshman forward Tania Jackson for the 2009-2010 season.
After missing her entire senior season at Lawrence High School because of a knee injury suffered in practice, Jackson has recovered slower than expected
from her surgery.
"This is really the best thing for Tania," Henrickson said in a prepared statement. "Taking a redshirt will allow her to get completely healthy."
Jackson will still be permitted to travel and practice with the team.
"Not only will she be able to improve her own game, but she can also challenge her teammates day in and day out and help grow their game,"
Henrickson said.
In limited action in the preseason, Jackson scored one point and grabbed three rebounds over eight minutes of play.
She will look to come back next year fully healthy and ready to contribute to a team that will be without primary scorers Danielle McCray and Sade Morris.
- Max Rothman
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