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6B SPORTS
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10. 2009
Super substitute adds depth behind starters
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
When hawire strikes and the plans are unraveling, there's always the safety valve.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAJ Junior forward Nicolettie Smith has brought a model of consistency to the women's basketball team from the start. The 6-foot-2 player surprised Hartford with 19 points and 10 rebounds in her first college game. But despite not being a starter, she was voted by her teammates as co-captain.
Whether it's junior center Krysten Boogaard suffering from foul trouble or sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland turning the ball over or bricking her turn-around jumpshots, coach Bonnie Henrickson looks no further than co-captain junior forward Nicollette Smith. "She leads by example," Henrickson said.
Smith is as solid as they come
Smith is as solid as they come — a versatile spark off the bench that can do it all. At times she will post up and score or kick it out to a shooter. Other times she is the shooter, surprising her foes by tacking on a huge go-ahead three. Her multi-dimensional game allows her to spread the floor, spacing defenses to give her teammates easier looks. Because Smith plays power forward, the 6-foot-2-inch player is often matched with one of the tallest players on the opposing team. By often dragging her towering defender out to the three point line, Smith unclogs the interior.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
The Tulsa, Okla., native carved out her niche with Kansas from the very start. In her first college game, Smith battered Hartford for 19 points and 10 rebounds. The eye-catching start helped her earn Big 12 rookie of the week honors.
"She has a great ability to suck up the detense," Boogaard said. "Once it opens up from the inside, it makes everyone else's job a little easier."
"They fell asleep on her because they didn't have much film," Henrickson said. "She surprised Hartford, that's for darn sure."
From then on, the freshman earned Henrickson's trust: she played in all 33 games and was the first player to come off the bench in
15 contests during the 2007-2008 season. Smith established herself as an integral part of Kansas' future as she averaged 5.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game and led the team with 45 three-pointers.
"It gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year," Smith said of her quick start.
In her sophomore campaign Smith became a full-time starter, adding 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She continued her three-point assault, knocking down 40 in 36 games. But that was already charted territory. A previously uncraeted area was finishing third on the team with 38 steals. By scoring, rebounding, stealing and opening up defenses Smith became the rock of Kansas women's basketball — a model of consistency.
"She brings intensity defensively." Henrickson said of Smith's communication skills.
With Sutherland's emergence as a starter this season, Smith has taken a back-seat role, clearly defined as the 6th option and first off the bench. Compared with the starting Boogaard, she has already logged more time on the floor, averaging 22 minutes per game. Starting or not, her role on this team has already been paved.
"For some people it's probably a bigger deal than others," Smith said of the starting title. "I just want to be whatever I need to be for my team. If that means coming off the bench, I understand."
Despite not being a starter, Smith was voted by her teammates as one of three team captains, along with senior guards Danielle McCray and Sade Morris. Henrickson recalled that after last year's loss to Kansas State, Smith and her teammate Morris were especially vocal during the following practice about getting conflicts straightened out, even before they were anointed
as captains. This season, Smith is more than just a captain, but a role model to her successors..
"We're the people that are supposed to drive Bonnie's vision," Smith said.
Any contending team requires depth beyond the starting five. The bench must be able to replace a struggling or exhausted starter or fill in for an injured player. Immense and diverse skills are simply bonuses.
Think of Smith as the back-up plan that surprises one no one
she tops the original scheme.
"She's always there to have your back," Boogaard said.
When her name is called just a few minutes into the game, you know she'll be ready.
"It's good to know that I'm the first person she looks to off the bench." Smith said.
Edited by Anna Kathaqnarath
Follow Max Rothman at twitter
com/maxrothman
ALSO GUEST-STARRING ON THE BENCH ...
LaChelda Jacobs:
Jacobs is a scoring combo
LaChelda Jacobs:
Jacobs is a scoring combo guard that serves as the perfect
tuck up to freshman guard Angel Goodrich. As a senior, Jacobs provides Henrickson with a wise
Jacobs
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mentor to her younger successor and an effective option whenever a scoring drought surfaces.
Monica Engelman:
Engelman has a sugar sweet shot and an impressive IQ for
the game as a freshman.
She strives for any minutes that she can get and has a good nose for snooping around and snag-
Engelman
ging rebounds. She currently is second to Smith in bench minutes with 74 this season, 10.6 per game. When McCray
and Morris graduate, Engelman will likely step in as the starting shooting guard.
Rhea Codio:
In her first year as a transfer from Independence Community College, the junior point
guard could has struggled to asse-
rt herself. She simply hasn't looked
comfortable with the ball. However, it is too early to
guard Codio
dismiss her as an option off the bench. The talent is undoubtedly there and she could easily earn some minutes
if she steps up her game
Carolyn Davis:
It seems as if Davis has been getting more and more minutes every game. She is still a project and needs to refine her skills.
but Henrickson clearly envisions the freshman forward as a part of the post equation,
Davis
Max Rothman
KANSAS VS. UMKC
Boogaard
WHEN: 7 p.m
WHERE: Allen Fieldhouse
KEY TO THE GAME:
Allen Fieldhouse
UMKC has a 1-5 record when it plays on the road. While it will not be playing too far from home tonight, the atmosphere within Allen Fieldhouse presents a daunting challenge for a Kangaroos team that has had road losses to the likes of North Texas (4-8), Tulsa (3-4), and UT-Arlington (4-4). The Jayhawks are undefeated at home this year (4-0), and that's not likely to change tonight.
KEEP AN EYE ON:
Junior center Krysten Boogaard has knocked down
11 free throws in a row since returning from the Junkanoo Jam, where she
shot abysm
mally from
the free throw line. Boogaard
is one of the primary reasons the Jayhawks have shot its best free throw percentages of the season in their last two games. On top of cleaning up her free throw shot, Boogaard is second on the team in rebounds per game, averaging 6.4. Boogaard should have a big game against a much smaller UMKC line up.
OPPONENT TO WATCH:
Chazny Morris
Boogaard and sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland should be able to use their
height advantage to dominate UMKC in the paint. That means UMKC senior guard Chazny Morris will be
Morris
— Andrew Taylor
to have a big game if the Kangaroos hope to upset the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse. Morris leads UMKC with 16 points per game. She is also not afraid to fight for rebounds as she averages 4.9 per game.
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