6B SPORTS
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009
Jayhawks plan to run circles around the opposition
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
Sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland pulls up for a jump-shot during the second half of the Pittsburg State game on Sunday. Sutherland had a double-double for the game, scoring a team-high 20 points to go with her 10 rebounds.
With this year's speedy athletes, the KU women's basketball team's primary offensive gameplan is centered around running.
"Everybody's got to run," coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
"A running game," senior guard Sade Morris said.
Right off a rebound, many Kansas possessions will essentially function as a mad dash to the hoop on the other side. First one to get there wins.
But will these transition posses-sions conclude with easy layups or contested jump-shots? What's it going to be? Well, that depends on who gets there first. Morris thinks it will be Kansas.
"It's just gonna make it easier for us to get in a rhythm offensively," Morris said.
A seam-splitting transition game can disrupt both sides of the opposition's play. Defensively, opponents will have to match the blazing tempo of Kansas' sprinting bigs and
not forget about the patient shooters waiting close by. Players will have to adjust from a near sprint to a stout defensive position in an instant. But while defenses are making this switch, Kansas will, be
cruising right past, driving to the hoop for a high percentage shot.
Henrickson said defensive transition is the most difficult thing to teach, and Kansas will attack this commonly found weakness.
"It's just gonna make it easier for us to get in a rhythm offensively."
"It when the defense is most vulnerable" Henrickson said. "Why
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not try to take advantage?"
On the offensive side of the ball, opponents will undoubtedly get some break-away baskets of their own. However, teams not used to running a fast-paced offense will struggle to adjust. Like in football, regularly huddled offenses thrown into a no-huddle scramble will adapt at a sluggish pace. Teams can only optimize their play with what they are already use to. So as long as Kansas keeps up the speed, they will be ready to defend.
"You have to worry about getting back so they won't beat you down the court and get an easy bucket," freshman guard Angel Goodrich said.
And once the defense makes a stop, it's back to running again. As they charge from end-to-end sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland
SADE MORRIS senior guard
and junior center Krysten Boogaard will present conflicts for almost any team. The towering two-some will be just an elevated pass away from an easy basket.
"When our bigs commit to running like they did Sunday.
it opens things up on the perimeter," Henrickson said.
Senior guards Danielle McCray and Morris will be waiting in the wings, ready to shoot if defenders focus their attention solely on Sutherland and Boogaard. There will be open shots to take. But it all
starts with the point guard.
Angel Goodrich, a freshman who seems to have grasped the role as floor general, will need to keep her eyes open and spread the ball around to her numerous scorers. If she can equally distribute the rock, opposing teams will have to find ways to stop several attacks, rather than focusing on one player.
Her teammates say they think
she is more than ready to carry the load.
"She has that quickness and speed," Morris said. "She sees things before they happen."
Goodrich said she knows she hold the key to the door of potential match-up nightmares.
The transition game works like a five player weave. Ideally, Sutherland or Boogaard gets the rebound first. Then they dish it to Goodrich, who dribbles the ball up the floor. Then Goodrich makes her choice. Should she flip it inside to Sutherland so she can take it to the hoop herself, or kick it back out to a shooter? Should she work the ball around the perimeter and let McCray or Morris
create their own shot? Or maybe Goodrich will bluff with her eyes and take the ball to the hoop herself. The options are varied and always opportunistic.
"We've got a point guard that can push, we've got wings that can push and we've got posts that are gonna run," Morris said.
Edited by Betsy Cutcliff
Freshman guard Angel Goodrich brings the ball up-court during the first half. Goodrich had 10 assists in 18 minutes in her first game as a jawhawk,
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
New Jersey grabs first break
BY ANDREW TAYLOR
ataylor@kansan.com
ataylor@kansan.com
The Kansas Jayhawks' 86-56 victory against Pittsburg State last Sunday was not as lopsided as it could have been.
The game was marred with some bad decisions and missed opportunities that generally make up the gameplay of an exhibition event.
"Our point guards made great decisions at times, and then tried to make things happen that weren't there," Hendrickson said.
These miscues, if not corrected, may haunt the jayhawks during regular season play against much tougher competition.
On the night the Jayhawks turned the ball over to the Gorillas 20 times, six turnovers coming from the point guard position. Often, those turnovers occurred when the guard would try to force the ball to a well-defended player under the basket. The post players also failed to help their guards by not making plays on the ball to keep the possession alive.
"As post players, if it's a bad pass, we've got to save the pass or at least keep it in play and make something happen." Henrickson said. "And we didn't do that."
These miscommunications
Follow Andrew Taylor at twitter.com/ andrew_taylor11.
weren't limited to the half-court offense, though, as Kansas often failed to capitalize with their fast break offense following Pitt. State turnovers. On more than one occasion the Jayhawks gave the ball right back to Pitt. State because of bad execution down the court.
"I think we had six opportunities where we just didn't catch the ball," Henrickson said.
While the Jayhawks struggled to capitalize on the 24 turnovers they caused and get points
on the board, they gave Pitt. State 26 attempts from the free-throw line on 17 team fouls. Although the Gorillas only knocked down 13 of the free throws for just 50 percent, the Jayhawks won't be able to count on every team they play this year shooting poorly from the line.
a team picked to finish tied for second with Kansas in the Big 12 this year. Kansas allowed Texas to take 34 free throw attempts. The Longhorns made 24 of those and the Jayhawks lost by just eight points.
"As far as missed opportunities, you know, we've got to clean up," Henrickson said.
This is well illustrated by looking at last year's game against Texas,
As the Jayhawks look to correct the mistakes they encountered against Pitt. State, freshman point guard Angel Goodrich looks to clean up her game as well.
"It's fun to see how we fit in against another team right now and see what we need to work on."
DANIELLE MCCRAY guard
"I'm going to work on my defense and getting through screens and just making better decisions," Goodrich said.
With one more exhibition game to go before the regular season kicks off Nov. 15 against Oral Roberts, Kansas will seek to
improve in various areas of their game.
"I'ts fun to see how we fit in against another team right now and see what we need to work on," senior guard Danielle McCray said following the game last Sunday.
Edited by Alicia Banister
NHL
Hurricanes pick up 10th loss: Florida challenged
SUNRISE, Fla. — Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun simply wouldn't let the Carolina Hurricanes end their losing streak.
Vokoun made 32 saves, including 21 in the first period, for his second straight shutout and the Panthers extended Carolina's winless streak to 10 games with a 3-0 victory Wednesday night.
"Tomas allowed us to survive the first period," Florida coach Pete DeBoer said. "It wasn't exactly the way we drew it up. We knew we were facing a desperate team. Carolina was very good right off the bat."
Vokoun, who beat St. Louis 4-0 on Saturday, got a measure of revenge against the Hurricanes. On Oct. 9 in a 7-2 loss at Carolina, he was pulled early in the third period after giving up five goals on 26 shots.
That was the last time the Hurricanes won a game.
"We were a little bit sluggish out of the gate but we survived it and took the game over from the second period and I think we outplayed them," Vokoun said.
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
New Jersey grabs first break
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils got their first break at home this season when the Washington Capitals scratched injured Alex Ovechkin from the lineup.
The next batch of good fortune came when Niclas Bergfors busted out with a pair of third-period power-play goals.
Bergfors connected for goals 3:13 apart to break open a tie game and send the Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Capitals on Wednesday night. It was only the second time this season New Jersey has won at home (2-4).
"It's different," coach Jacques Lemaire said. "It's good news and that is news."
The Devils are 7-0 on the road.
Just seconds after Alexander
Semin's hooking penalty gave the Devils their third advantage. Bergfors took a pass from Zach Parise in the right circle and whistled a rising shot over Semyon Varamilov's glove with 8:40 left to make it 2-1.
Bergtors then deflected in Travis Zajac's long shot with 4:50 remaining to give the Devils a two-goal edge. Bergtors' game picked up Wednesday after Lemaire moved him to a line with veterans Zajac and Parise.
Berglors' second goal was originally credited to Parise, but Berglors knew it was his.
"As soon as I touched it," said Bergforg, who has five goals in 22 NHL games. "It was just a little tip. I'm glad we got the puck in the net. That was the best feeling."
The Devils ended Washington's streak of nine straight games with a point (6-0-3) that started with a shootout loss at New Jersey on Oct. 12.