THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2006
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3B
SPORTS
Kemp
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
In the coming months, the team will have to craft a new identity for itself. But not tonight. Tonight is Crystal's night.
Mom knows best
The Jayhawks are going to win tonight; Janice Kemp said so.
Kemp's mother, Janice, is as much a part of the Jayhawk family as any of the players. Of her three children, Crystal is the youngest and was the only one still at home a few years ago when Janice developed Graves' disease, which left her body fragile and prone to seizures.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
At the same time, she also underwent brain surgery for an aneurism, but doctors decided it was too dangerous to repair, and it is still there.
Crystal helped care for her mother during that time, and in her junior year of high school, she decided she would attend college at Kansas, close to home.
"I try to rest a couple days before the game so I can be able to attend, but sometimes I still can't," she said. "If I'm not there, I'm there in spirit."
Janice tries to make it to all of Crystal's home games, but even getting from her home in Topeka to the games in Lawrence is a struggle.
Senior forward Crystal Kemp takes a shot against UMKC Dec. 7, 2005, at Allen Fieldhouse. This season she has averaged 18.7 points per game, which isthe best in the Big 12 north.
there in person. For two hours she shakes off her disease and shouts support to the players, waving signs and occasionally chiding the officials.
"She'll tell me what happened, and who said what about what she was yelling," Crystal said with a laugh.
The other players notice her attendance, too, and call her "Mom" when greeting her with hugs after games.
"You have to give the other girls support, too, because they're not all from Topeka," Janice explained.
doesn't have a game to attend anymore? Perhaps that is why Crystal will be recognized last.
A leader by example
During high school, she worked in that role at a local community center and enjoyed the influence she had there. Plus, it gave her a chance to stay around the game of basketball.
Kemp will likely have the opportunity to play professionally when she is finished at Kansas, but she said at some point she would like to become a coach.
"I don't see my life without basketball, so I'd like to be a part of it as long as I can," she said.
She will travel to Boston for this year's Women's Final Four, where she will participate in an event put on by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association where she can meet and network with current coaches.
Her teammates agree, and said that her work ethic and personality contributed to that.
Henrickson said coaching would be a nice fit for her because of the influence she had in the locker room.
"You can lead without being the loudest voice, and I think Crystal can. And when she does decide to speak, people listen," Henrickson said. "I've always told Crystal she is a player of influence."
Ivana Catic said, "I wish in three years I could be like our seniors are — people that can be relied on both on the court and off the court."
"Off the court, she's just a great person. I love being around her," freshman guard
It also helps that Kemp understands the game. When Henrickson arrived at Kansas, Kemp and guard Erica Hallman were both juniors. She realized right away that the two had what she called a high "basketball IQ."
During practices, Henrickson said she would sometimes look at Crystal and grin, because they both saw the exact same thing.
What will Henrickson do without her best player and team leader? Perhaps this is why Crystal will be recognized last.
Coming out of high school, Kemp was a McDonald's All-American nominee. She arrived on a Kansas team that had just gone 0-16 in conference play, so she never had a chance to ease into the lineup. She just started plaving. A lot.
During those games, she has averaged 31.2 minutes on the court. Through it all, she has never had a major injury.
A mix of finesse and toughness
Of all the statistics, perhaps none are as impressive as these: Kemp has played in all 111 games since she arrived, and started in 107 of them.
"I'm very fortunate, and that's one of the things I've been blessed about," she said.
Kemp's style of play is a mix between the finesse of basketball and the physical toughness of football. Opposing teams will often use two defenders to guard Kemp because of her tendency to terrorize defenses when left one-on-one. That often means desperate defenders will resort to bumping, pushing or elbowing her in an attempt to move her.
When she gets the ball, she often finishes the play with a finesse hook shot that regularly finds the net. This season she is averaging 18.7 points per game, better than anyone else in the Big 12 north.
Unlike during previous seasons, her scoring has not decreased as the season has progressed. The wear-and-tear of 40-minute nights may have gotten to her in the past, but not this year.
"She's had a fantastic year in the league and I'd just be shocked if she didn't," Henrickson said. "I think she deserves it and I think she's earned it."
"It's my last go-round, I don't want to regret anything," she said.
After this season, she will likely be able to pursue professional basketball, although she said she wanted to play for only a few years at the most. She also will be in the running to pick up some Big 12 postseason honors
Who will Kansas put on posters when Crystal leaves? Who will be the star of the television commercial, the player who always does the postgame interview? Perhaps questions like
these are why Crystal will be recognized last.
Leaving her mark at Kansas
After the game, Janice will tell Crystal how she did, although it might be a little biased.
"I if I had no points and turned it over 40 times, she'll still say I played great." Crystal said.
That's not something either Kemp will have to worry about. Crystal has a chance to go out by playing postseason basketball for the first time in her college career, and though it's not the big tournament, that doesn't bother her.
"It would be nice if the NCAA wish fairy could grant us that one, but the NIT is good enough for me," she said.
The achievement will be a fitting end to a basketball career during which Crystal has matured not just on the court, but off it as well.
People who recognize Janice stop her and congratulate her on Crystal's success. Some of them have followed Crystal's career from her high school days in Topeka.
This is why Crystal Kemp will be introduced last tonight. Because for the last eight years, she has played basketball with grace and flair, and she has touched many people's lives along the way.
"It brings tears to my eyes," Janice said. "I smile and say, 'That's my Crystal.'"
- Edited By Timon Veach