Marisha Brown And Krysten Boogaard Leave Jayhawk Program In Good Hands
March 6, 2011
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
It was an emotional night for two Kansas seniors Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse as Bonnie Henrickson and her staff said goodbye to center Krysten Boogaard and guard Marisha Brown.
“I have had a great relationship with both of them,” said Henrickson, who is in her seventh season at KU.
While the two soon to be graduates took very different roads to Naismith Drive and Allen Fieldhouse, their coach had similarly sparkling things to say about her two seniors.
“I have been in the trenches with Krysten (Boogaard) for a long, long time,” said Henrickson. “She came in and made a big difference early in her career here.”
The 6-5 Regina, Saskatchewan native averaged a total of 9.2 points per game and 5.5 rebounds her first two seasons in the Crimson and Blue. Boogaard would pile on an additional 436-points as an upperclassmen to give her over 1,000 points for her KU career, (she is only the 22nd player in program history to do that).
“From the very first time I talked to Krysten, I had a great amount of respect and admiration for her goals for herself, her vision and what she wants to do,” Henrickson said. “It has been crystal clear that she wants to grow her game and play professionally and she has never let go of that.”
“It has been a fun ride,” Boogaard said to the media after her final game at Allen Fieldhouse. “My favorite experience here had to be the WNIT Championship (2009) when we had everyone come out and support us.”
Supporting the seniors, as well as the rest of the team Saturday night in Allen Fieldhouse, was a sea of Crimson and Blue. The fanatical fan base is one that the Canadian sees herself joining once she graduates.
“That is something that I am going to miss when I leave is just all the support we get, but I myself will become a supporter,” Boogaard says.
Another supporter of Boogaard’s is sophomore Carolyn Davis, who often splits time with the senior.
“Last year Krysten pushed me to where I am at now,” said Davis, who leads KU with 18.4 points per game. “She continues to push me every day. With her being here for four years, she has lots of experience and she shares that with us.”
While only in Lawrence for two seasons, fellow senior Brown also had time to reflect on her career after transferring to KU following her sophomore season.
“It has been a great time here just with the tradition of Kansas and the fan support,” Brown said. “After the game it was an emotional moment for me because I have really enjoyed my time here even though it was short.”
The Kansas City, Missouri native spent her freshman season playing at Missouri State and saw action during her sophomore year with Arkansas-Fort Smith.
“She has shown a lot of growth in a short period of time,” Henrickson said of Brown. “I am proud of her and excited about her future, because the sky is really the limit.”
Brown netted four points and four assists in her final performance in front on her home fans at the Phog.
“The one thing about Marisha is that she is brutally honest about everything with everybody,” Henrickson said. “That honesty helps her bring a lot of leadership to the bench because they (the underclassmen) will listen to her when she has something to say.”
As far as what the duo’s legacy will be once they walk down the hill in May, their coach was quick to say nothing short of success.
“I think when you leave the program in better shape than when you got there as far as success goes, that is important,” Henrickson said. “I think both of them can hang their hats on that.”
Boogaard and Brown have seen a combined total of 75-wins since they first arrived at KU and three postseason berths (2008, ’09 and ’10 WNIT).
The two will look to add to their post-season experience as they look toward the Big 12 tournament, which starts Tuesday in Kansas City against Colorado.
