SPORTS / THURSDAY, APRIL 1. 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON IN REVIEW
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
rookie team and will be an oftensive and defensive centerpiece at Kansas for years to come.
ANGEL GOODRICH,
FRESHMAN GUARD
Goodrich tore the ACL in her right knee during a 70-68 loss against Oklahoma State on Jan. 12 and was lost for the season. Before that point, she was what made the Jayhawk offense click.
As the focal point of Henrickson's transition based offense, Goodrich quickly established herself as one of the best point guards in the nation. It took her only 13 games to become the fastest Jayhawk to reach 100 assists. Her 7.1 assists-per-game was second in the conference and fourth in the NCAA before her injury. With McCray and Morris graduating, expect Goodrich to be the new face of this team.
DANIELLE MCCRAY
SENIOR GUARD
The pre season Big 12 player of the year didn't always play like one, but she also never got her shot at redemption. After a somewhat streaky start to her season McCray
McCray
tore the ACL in her left knee in practice and was out for the season. She averaged 19.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game before the injury.
SADE MORRIS,
SENIOR GUARD
Although her
offensive game was inconsistent throughout the season, her shutdown defense was always her calling card. With Goodrich's and McCray's injuries, Morris had to step up as
the lone vocal leader, the defender of the opposition's best player and even point guard at times.
MONICA ENGELMAN,
FRESHMAN GUARD
she missed quite a few shots, but remember that Engelman was thrown from the bench into a prominent starting role. As a freshman, she never seemed
daunted by her talented conference opposition. Engelman got to show off her silky shot and proved that she will be a worthy successor to McCray.
KRYSTEN BOOGAARD,
JUNIOR CENTER
Engelman
C+
Boogaard was a puzzling player. She dominated the nonconference schedule and then disappeared when the Big 12 rolled around. Davis took her starting position, but
Booqaard
Boogaard normally looked strong off the bench. Some days, she was an unguardable force; other days, she just wasn't strong enough.
AISHAH SUTHERLAND,
SOPHOMORE FORWARD
You simply never knew what you were going to get from Sutherland, who has possibly the most raw talent of any player in Kansaswomen's basketball history. Although
Sutherland
she had the ability to own her opposition, she rarely did so. Her team needed her to pick up the scoring slack after the injuries, but she still hovered around her usual 10 points and seven rebounds per game. Nothing more, nothing less.
COACHING STAFF
Some seri-
some serious creativity is required to overcome two season-ending ACL injuries to arguably the two best players on your team. Henrickson and her staff successfully deployed multiple players into unconventional roles. Morris often played point guard at the end of the season. Junior guard Marisha Brown defended power forwards. Junior Nicollette Smith played every position but point guard.
Henrickson
Assistant coach Karen Lange, who accepted the head coaching job at Mid-America Nazarene on Tuesday, helped sculpt Goodrich into one of the finest point guards in the country. Tamika Raymond instructed Davis to a surprising offensive splash.
In a difficult season to piece together, hats off to this group of coaches.
Edited by Sarah Bluvas
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Senior guard Sade Morris high-fives sophomore forward Nicollette Smith during Kansas' game against Creighton in the second round of the WNIT last month. The Jayhawks survived a late run by Creighton, winning 71-68 and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen, where they fell to Illinois State, ending their season. Despite the team's record, Kansas has much to look forward to next season.
Game of the season
Kansas vs. UCLA
A Dec. 3 match against UCLA represented Kansas' toughest test early in the season. The
Jayhawks entered the game as the No. 24 team in the nation and in desperate need of a victory. Just less than a week earlier Kansas had suffered through a disastrous trip to the Bahamas. The Jayhawks lost both of their games in the Junkanoo Jam in heartbreaking fashion.
The Bruins held a 21-19 advantage heading into the locker room. In the second half, the stagnant Jayhawk offense rallied around Danielle McCray, their senior leader and team captain, as they fought back to score 35 second-half points. McCray fought to get around a screen to draw a late foul that wiped a UCLA three pointer off the board. The play helped seal the Jayhawks' 54-49 victory and sparked a seven-game win streak. UCLA was also one of only three NCAA tournament teams that Kansas defeated this season.
"It it feels great,"freshman guard Monica Engelman said after the game. "We've been holding our heads down a little bit because of our losses, but we're feeling strong now"
Game to forget
Kansas at Kansas State
The Jayhawks entered Manhattan on Jan. 9 seeking to end an nine-game losing streak in the
city. From the start, Kansas played poorly. It fell behind by a margin of 14-3 in just under 10 minutes of game time. During that span, the Jayhawks shot a miserable 1-for-15 from the floor, good for a shooting percentage of 6.7 percent. Kansas managed to chip away at the lead, and it entered halftime down by just two points with the score at 24-22. Then the Jayhawks flopped in the second half, scoring only 13 points to lift its final point total to 35; tied for the worst mark in school history.
"We've closed the gap from a talent perspective, but I feel like we haven't played with the toughness or poise you need to play here or play anywhere on the road," coach Bonnie Henrickson said following the 59-35 loss to Kansas State. "I'm still a little lost as to why."
Making the loss more devastating in retrospect is that Kansas still had its full complement of players entering the game. Even that was not enough to save it from another embarrassment in the Little Apple.
Defining moments
Morris joins the 1,000-point club
Just three games into the regular season, senior guard Sade Morris exploded for the best game in her illustrious career during a Nov. 22 victory against Michigan. Morris entered the contest needing just 24 points to earn 1,000 career points. Morris surpassed that mark along with her previous career high for points scored in a game — 24 — as she scored 26 points to take control of the Kansas offense in the victory.
Freshman guard Angel Goodrich falls
McCray tearsher ACL
Goodrich was in the middle of a solid game in a Jan. 12 loss to Oklahoma State, and then with less than five minutes to play the freshman guard crumpled to the ground. The next day it was announced Goodrich had torn the ACL in her right knee. The injury changed the complexion of Kansas' offense. Whereas before the Jayhawks relied on a fast-paced offense built around Goodrich's incredible ability to find open players, they now had to rely even more on the offensive capabilities of McCray in the halfcourt set offense.
Just days before a Feb. 9 rematch with Kansas State, Danielle McCray tore her ACL in practice. The injury prematurely ended the career of one of the greatest Kansas women's basketball players and once again forced Kansas to alter its offensive game plan. From that point forward, the Jayhawks began to develop a game centered more on production in the paint. McCray's injury also opened the door for young players to step in and produce.
The ascension of freshmen Davis and Engelman
Freshman guard Monica Engelman replaced Danielle McCray in the starting lineup, joining her fellow freshman Carolyn Davis in the starting five. In many of the Jayhawks' games down the stretch, their success seemed to revolve around the production of Davis and Engelman. When both freshmen performed well, Kansas competed better in games. When even one of the freshmen struggled, Kansas followed suit. Davis averaged 12.5 points per game throughout Big 12 play en route to becoming a member of the All Big 12 freshman team.
Next season's outlook
Despite finishing 10th in the Big 12 this season, Kansas has plenty to look forward to when it returns to Allen Fieldhouse for the 2010-2011 season. The Jayhawks will return four of their five starters from
the end of this season next year; in addition, Goodrich will return from her torn ACL to lead the Kansas
offense once again. Freshman forward Tania Jackson will also return from a knee injury that sideline her throughout all of this past season. Coach Bonnie Henrickson and her staff have assembled a solid recruiting class for the 2010-2011 season as well. The list includes ESPNU 100 player Keena Mays from Arlington, Texas.
— Andrew Taylor
Quote of the season
"The Jayhawks were a team that never quit. No matter all the adversity that we've been through, we never gave up. We came out and we tried and we fought. Even though this season has been disappointing to us, they know that we gave it our all. I hope they think that the seniors have left a legacy by helping turn this program around, being Bonnie's first class."
Morris
senior guard Sade Morris